About Bodwé Professional Services Group
Bodwé is the Professional Services Group of Mno-Bmadsen, the investment enterprise and a wholly owned instrumentality of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. We are architects, planners, consultants, designers, engineers, scientists, and federal contractors, committed to growing the economy and legacy of the Pokagon Band and supporting its more than 6,000 citizens. We enhance space and place in partnership with clients that span the country and business sectors, offering full-service architecture and engineering services as well as contract support services for federal agencies. We design and build, preserve and restore, mitigate and manage, serve and problem solve.
Bodwé Professional Services is currently a group of seven companies: Seven Generations A+E, WBK Engineering, Bodwé Professional Services, The Steelhead Engineering Company, Blue Star Integrative Studio, Bodwé Technology Solutions, and Bodwé Federal Services. Bodwé offers professional services to make a notable impact on how people live and move in relationship with built and natural environments.
Position Summary
The Civil Proposal Manager role is responsible for owning the infrastructure proposals for the Bodwé family of companies. This role works in collaboration with designated leadership and colleagues across the companies to provide leadership to the proposal team and discernment in go/no-go decisions that align with strategic growth and market sector focus.
This role leads the Civil Proposal process, alongside the Infrastructure Practice Leaders, Company Leadership, and other stakeholders, with a whatever-it-takes attitude as proposal submission requirements and deadlines, marketing efforts, and opportunities often demand never-been-done-before thinking and extra effort outside of normal business hours.
Accommodation Requests
We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, contact 269-927-0144 or careers@bodwegroup.com
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Typical functions of the Infrastructure Proposal Manager’s job are, but are not limited to:
- Manage, collaborate, and execute proposals to articulate Bodwé Group's value for each targeted opportunity.
- Collaborate with Group Executives, Proposal Managers, and Proposal Coordinators to establish Business Development strategies across target market sectors which includes federal, indigenous, municipal, transportation, community, and developer.
- In partnership with marketing, develop qualifications, proposals, and presentation messaging and content while adhering to company branding efforts.
- Lead and develop civil engineering proposals for state agencies, local governments/municipalities, and Federal agencies.
- Collaborate with leadership, business development and marketing team, and project managers to research, identify, analyze, develop, and execute new business initiatives and partnerships to meet established goals.
- Lead quality control efforts for proposals.
- Build relationships with clients, teaming partners, and target market influencers inside and outside the firm.
- Lead/support the negotiation and coordination of contracting and delivery of client agreements.
- Collaborate with clients and operational staff to ensure complete satisfaction, successful execution, and continuation/recompete of contracts.
- Manage, track, and analyze proposal win strategies, focusing on understanding metrics to increase win rate.
- Obtain direct contact and nurture relationships with market sector decision-makers to drive new contract wins and revenue.
Qualifications and Experience
Preferred Education and Degree: Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field with 4-7 years of AEC experience, with experience pursuing civil engineering projects. Without a degree, 8 to 11 years of relevant AEC experience is required.
Required Background and Experience:
- Deep experience leading and managing the entire proposal process from RFP to interview
- Understanding of AEC terminology and project delivery methods
- Experience leading large-scale, complex proposals for various Federal agencies, state agencies, and local government/municipalities
- Desire to lead a team and develop standards that ensure consistent quality and deliver successful selections
- Keen attention to detail with the ability to review, edit, and improve proposal responses including spelling, grammar, and review of technical content
- Ability to layout and design graphic elements of proposal responses including overall format and theme, resumes, project sheets, public presentations, project interviews using InDesign, PowerPoint, and other graphic design software as necessary
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational abilities, and technical skills
- Demonstrated ability to interact in a cooperative and effective manner
- Self-motivated, able to multi-task while managing various deadlines
- Ability to work independently, take initiative, set priorities, and see projects through to completion
- Strong service orientation
- Ability to work with technical teams
Preferred Background and Experience:
- 5-10 years of relevant work experience in the AEC industry
- Experience leading Department of Transportation proposals
- Experience managing the capture process
- Prior business development experience, which can include experience with the capture process, growing a project team, or writing/editing proposals
Technical Skills
- Proficient with:
- Adobe Creative Cloud, specifically InDesign
- Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams
- Zoho CRM or other CRM platforms
- GovWin and/or GovTribe preferred
- Familiarity with asset management tools, systems, or processes to organize proposal content
- Graphic design experience
Working Environment
This is a hybrid position that will require some (≤ 5%) travel to headquarters, client sites, or conferences. If a locally selected candidate is achieved, this role will report to one of our physical office locations 2-3 days a week and can work remotely the remaining days.
Physical Demands
- Sitting/Standing: This role is generally sedentary performing sitting work utilizing technological office equipment including a laptop, mouse, keyboard, computer monitors, telephones, and scanners, copiers, and fax machines.
- Walking: This role requires the ability to move about inside the office to access technological equipment required for the role.
- Stooping/Kneeling/Crouching/Crawling: This role may require stooping to reload printer trays with print paper.
- Using Hands/Fingers: This role constantly operates technological office equipment such as laptop, mouse, keyboard, computer monitors, telephones, and scanners, copiers, and fax machines.
- Talking/Hearing: This role requires constant communication with others in the organization to exchange information, review information, and make decisions about information.
- Seeing: This role requires the ability to see, view, and distinguish all aspects of construction.
- Carrying/Lifting: This role requires the ability to lift up to 15lbs to transport technological office equipment to and from various workspaces.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Native American Hiring Preference
Our parent company, Mno-Bmadsen, prefers to hire Pokagon citizens who are qualified and suitable for available positions. For purposes of this section, “qualified” means that the applicant meets the technical and experiential needs for employment; and “suitable” means that the candidate appears to be the best fit considering present circumstance and conditions. Targeted preference is in the following order:
- First, to qualified Pokagon Band citizens; and
- Second, to qualified spouses, and qualified custodial parents; and
- Third, to other qualified Native Americans; and
- Fourth, to all other qualified applicants
Any determinations as to the applicability of the Pokagon hiring preference are at the discretion of each Company President.
Fair Labor Standards Act Status: Exempt
Hours Per Week: 40
Reporting Status: Hybrid or Remote
Location(s): Chicago Suburb Region
Reports To: AE Proposal Group Director
Manages Others: No
Travel: Up to 5% Annually