Proposals Associate

Brief Position Description:

The Proposal, Budget and Contracts (PBC) Individual Contributor is responsible for working across both the pre-award and post-award space, either driving the full lifecycle from Request for Proposal/Information (RFP/RFI) receipt through the proposal, budget and bid defence stages and contracting and/or driving the change order lifecycle for awarded work.

The PBC Individual Contributor works cross-functionally with Business Development (BD), Therapeutic Strategy (TS), Project Managers (PM), and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure deliverables align with client expectations and Novotech’s strategic positioning. This role requires strong ownership and accountability, attention to detail, and the ability to lead and coordinate all aspects of the proposal, budget and contract process. The PBC Individual Contributor must be able to communicate clearly, prioritize and meet deadlines. Advanced Microsoft Office capabilities are required, specifically Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities:

• Leads low to medium complexity opportunities. Independently manages assigned opportunities as PBC lead. Client-facing.

Opportunity Management:

• Leads the end-to-end opportunity from initial Request for Information (RFI) or Request for Proposal (RFP) through to Bid Defence, award and contracting and subsequent change orders.
• Review RFPs and related materials to understand scope, requirements and client expectations.
• Collaborate with BD-Sales and TS Leads (TSL) and applicable internal stakeholders (pre-award) and PM (post-award) to deliver high quality documents according to client’s expected scope and timelines.
• Demonstrate strong project management skills by coordinating cross functional inputs, managing timelines, and ensuring alignment across stakeholders throughout the proposal lifecycle.
• Act as PBC lead for assigned opportunities, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality outputs through effective planning, stakeholder coordination and proactive issue resolution.

Develop proposal and bid defence material:

• Exhibit strong writing and editing skills to develop compelling, client-focused proposals and presentations that clearly articulate Novotech’ s value proposition.
• Research, compile and curate information and statistics to support Novotech’s positioning and strategy, including answering RFI and RFP questions.
• Undertake critical review of the proposal or presentation for completeness, ensuring documentation accurately reflects the client’s scope and Novotech’s strategy and positioning.
• Proofread for clarity, consistency and brand alignment to ensure high-quality presentation.
• Own the narrative development of proposals and presentations, ensuring clarity, consistency and alignment with client expectations and Novotech’ s strategic messaging.

Develop initial budgets and change orders:

• Use internal pricing tools to develop accurate budgets aligned with client needs and stakeholder input.
• Liaise with vendors and external parties for quotes and capabilities information where required for incorporation into budgets and proposals.
• Complete mapping to client grid as required.
• Independently develop budgets and change orders, liaise with vendors, and ensure alignment with scope and pricing strategy.

Develop Contracts:

• Prepare client contracts and coordinate reviews and execution per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and timelines.
• Follow Start Work authorization process to activate opportunity for handover to Operations team.
• Facilitate handover meetings with Operations team.
• Prepare and manage client contracts, lead stakeholder reviews, and ensure timely execution.

Other:

• Attend and contribute to calls with internal stakeholders, vendors and clients in development of opportunity and change order documents.
• Attend and contribute to internal team meetings.
• High proficiency in Microsoft office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and other proposal generating tools.
• Ensure accurate and high-quality data using Novotech systems (SalesForce, IronClad and SharePoint).
• Understand the responsibilities of Novotech as a service provider and ensure all communication with internal and external stakeholders is presented in a positive and professional manner.
• Lead internal and external calls, mentor junior staff/act as Novobuddy and contribute to process improvements and training.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience:

• Graduate in a clinical or life sciences related field. Relevant experience/qualifications in allied professions may also be considered.
• Proposal Budget and Contracts Trainee: Entry-level training position; recent university graduates with academic or internship experience in life sciences, or related fields.
• Proposal Budget and Contracts Associate: Minimum 6 months+ relevant experience in pharmaceutical or research industry. Previous experience working directly with clients will be highly regarded.
• Proposal Budget and Contracts Specialist I: Minimum 2 years relevant experience in pharmaceutical or research industry.
• Proposal Budget and Contracts Specialist II: Minimum 3 years relevant experience in pharmaceutical or research industry.
• Proposal Budget and Contracts Manager: Minimum 5 years relevant experience in pharmaceutical or research industry.