Manager: Proposal Center

Overview

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do. We are a collegial, collaborative firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realize their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Business Development and Marketing department in our Chicago office, as a Manager:
Proposal Center.

• Leads end-to-end responses to pitches and proposals, with a primary focus on complex, multi-practice panel RFPs
• Management of key client account proposal/pitch requests and responses
• Facilitates and drives pursuit meetings, including kickoff meetings, interim touchpoints, and strategy sessions
• Synthesizes viewpoints from diverse stakeholders and translates them into cohesive written narratives
• Drafts executive summaries and other original content using concise, client-focused language, and tailors existing materials to the specific needs of each opportunity
• Incorporates design and visual elements to enhance storytelling in collaboration with design resources, as appropriate
• Produces final submission documents, ensures compliance with all RFP requirements, and submits by the required deadlines
• Applies the firm’s style guide and brand standards to all materials and provides quality control for Proposal Center deliverables
• Coordinates cross-functional inputs with partners, Business Development and Marketing (BD&M);
  Pricing;
  Content and Knowledge Management; and other stakeholders to align messaging and value propositions
• Uses approved generative AI (GenAI) and related tools to enhance efficiency and insight across the pursuit lifecycle, in accordance with firm governance
• Manages the daily operations of the US proposal team, including supervision and training of junior team members
• Performs other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives

Education/Training/

Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English or another liberal arts discipline required.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated success in a business development or marketing role involving proposal writing for legal services or in a comparable professional services environment (e.g., accounting or consulting), required; prior experience in a law firm, preferred.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 is required; experience with proposal generation systems and online RFP portals (e.g., PERSUIT) preferred; knowledge of iManage, and Foundation a plus; strong research skills and familiarity with public and proprietary data sources.

Performance Traits

• Demonstrates exceptional project management, writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with a strong client-centric orientation.
• Builds and maintains productive relationships with teammates, partners, and professionals across BD&M and other firm functions.
• Prioritizes effectively and manages multiple concurrent pursuits under deadline pressure.
• Responds quickly to shifting demands and navigates ambiguity with sound judgment.
• Embraces the use of GenAI and automation to streamline routine and repetitive tasks, enabling greater focus on strategy, messaging, and other higher-value activities, in accordance with firm governance.
• Possesses, or is eager to develop, an understanding of legal market trends and the competitive landscape, and shows curiosity about economic, legal, and political…