Lead Proposal Manager (80-100%)

Founded in Switzerland in 1968, Zühlke is owned by its partners and located across Europe and Asia. We are a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation in our DNA. We're trusted to help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – to run smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities. Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in tech strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We excel in complex, regulated spaces including health and finance, connecting strategy, tech implementation, and operational services to help clients become more effective, resilient businesses.

If you share our values and want to do the best work, for the right reasons, we can offer you the chance to do it on a global scale and play a real role in shaping our exciting journey.

You lead our most strategically important proposals – and shape how we live Bid Management at Zühlke.

Your task.

• You are responsible for and lead the proposal process of our most strategically significant bids.

• Together with the Opportunity Owner and the Bid Team, you design the proposal strategy and the value proposition. You consistently put on the "customer glasses", sharpen the win themes and ask the right questions to refine our positioning.

• You coach less experienced Proposal Managers professionally and continuously develop our Bid Team – through direct support, structured feedback and the establishment of shared best practices.

• You take a central role in our qualification and review gates. You demand clarity about win chance, staffing and commercial strategy and, where necessary, issue well-founded stop recommendations.

• You are responsible for the pitch preparation of the Bid Teams – from the storyline through to the presentation aids and conducting "dry runs".

• You drive the further development of our Bid practice: You are responsible for the after action reviews of selected bids, derive insights across the portfolio and help shape our methods, tools and the use of AI in proposal creation.

Your talent.

• You have at least 4 years of experience in bid or proposal management in the B2B service environment – ideally in consulting or technology-related solution businesses – with proven responsibility for complex proposals.

• You are an experienced personality with a confident presence at senior management level. You ask even uncomfortable questions clearly and respectfully, stand your ground under pressure and convince bid teams as well as experienced professionals both professionally and personally.

• You move confidently in ad-hoc teams assembled at short notice, navigate between different stakeholder interests and consistently align heterogeneous teams to a common win strategy.

• You are interested in coaching less experienced Proposal Managers professionally and contributing to their development – formally or informally.

• You have excellent editorial and conceptual skills in German (native speaker or very strong knowledge) as well as business fluent English in spoken and written form.

• A university degree (Uni/FH) in business administration, marketing/communication, business informatics or a comparable discipline is a prerequisite; further training in bid or sales management (e.g. APMP) is an advantage.

• Nice to have: a keen eye for aesthetics and a high quality awareness for the final proposal – specifically as a power user in the Microsoft Office tools, especially PowerPoint.

What we offer.

Work-life blend: We promote a balanced connection of professional and personal needs through flexible working hours, the possibility of home office and a modern, trust-based working environment.

Profit sharing: In addition to your annual salary, you can benefit from a profit share based on the company’s success in the previous year.

Global and diverse Zühlke community: Experience a unique, positive and inclusive corporate culture where colleagues from our 16 locations worldwide collaborate, learn from each other and exchange ideas. This happens, among other things, at our annual team camps, year-end celebrations and other local events.

Support for your development: The continuous development of our employees is a central concern for us. Therefore, we invest specifically in your professional and personal development and support you in building the skills you need to create sustainable added value for our customers and your own career today and in the future.

Further information on local benefits at Zühlke can be found at the following link .

If you feel you don't meet all the requirements, we are still happy to get to know you, learn more about your ambitions and ideas and look forward to receiving your application!  

We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of their gender, personality, national origin, race, religion, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability or veteran status.