Bid Response and Proposal Manager - Palo Alto Networks

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Our Approach to Work

We lead with personalization and choice in all of our people programs. We have disrupted the traditional view that all employees have the same needs and wants. We offer our employees the opportunity to choose what works best for them as often as possible - from your wellbeing support to your growth and development, and beyond!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office with some flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate on the industry’s best cybersecurity solutions together!

Your Career 

We are looking for a highly motivated, results orientated Bid Response Manager to join the Global Bid Response organization. The Bid Response Manager is responsible for leading the development of proposal responses to the RFx, tenders, pre-sales vendor compliance questionnaires, and security assessments. Responsible for leading and collaborating with matrixed, cross-functional teams to develop content/proposals. Ensure that proposals are compliant with requirements, complete, and compelling. 

This is an opportunity for those interested in being a part of something bigger than themselves. We are out to fulfil our company mission with the strongest products in the industry. To fit in this role, you should be willing to ask questions, always learning, have a strong work ethic, be persistent and coachable. You will be responsible for building relationships with internal key stakeholders (e.g. Sales, Legal, Product Management, Product Marketing, and Product Management). We are looking for a high-caliber proposal writer and content manager to increase our win rates on new opportunities, and to help create, update and streamline proposal content.

Your Impact 

• Collaborate and partner with Sales Engineering, Sales Operations, Legal, InfoSec, Product Management, and  other resources to develop compelling proposal responses for complex opportunities
• Lead the end-to-end proposal development process, from initial RFP/RFQ/RFI review to final submission
• You will develop all proposal response materials including proposal outline, compliance matrix, proposal management plan, proposal kick-off meeting materials, writing templates and plans, and desktop publishing (DTP) of the final response
• Write, edit, proof, organize, format and produce proposals to enhance business development
• Foster strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, and coordinate with subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather and incorporate technical, financial, and operational information
• Identify and mitigate risks related to proposal development and submission
• Ensure win themes, differentiators are included in the proposal and deliver a compelling response to the customer or partner 
• Develop reusable and boilerplate content 
• Leverage content management platforms, project management applications, and AI to develop content and manage tasks
• Develop timelines and ensure that key deal milestones and deadlines are met 
• Be an integral part of a growing team at Palo Alto Networks 

Your Experience

• 5+ years’ experience managing in delivering compliant, compelling proposal responses to customers in various types of commercial industries and channel partners
• Proven track record of successfully managing and winning competitive proposals
• Experience using Responsive (formerly RFPIO proposal automation software) and Asana is preferred 
• Ability to deconstruct requirements and develop a compliance matrix
• Strong business and IT modernization acumen including Cyber Security, Networking, and Artificial Intelligence
• Experience in SLED (State, Local, and Education) and Federal is highly preferred
• Experience working for a technology company is highly preferred
• Strong verbal and written English communication skills 
• Ability to work independently in fast paced environment
• Well-organized with a very high attention to detail and accuracy with data
• Bachelor Degree required or equivalent experience or equivalent military experience required

Preferred Technical and Professional Expertise

• Proven ability to articulate and write compelling, business-outcome focused, value propositions
• Operate independently to develop proposal outlines, compliance matrices, proposal schedules, and provide leadership and direction to cross-functional teams
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Workplace, and Adobe
• Proven success in a partner-driven environment (FSI/VAR/DISTI)
• Experience in working with cross-functional teams
• Simplicity - must be able to make complex issues easy to understand

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com-missioned roles) is expected to be between $144,100/yr to $233,000/yr. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.