Fast Facts

Join hand2mind as an RFP and Bids Specialist where you will leverage your RFP experience to drive incremental sales revenue through strategic opportunity identification and response coordination in the educational materials sector.

Responsibilities: You will manage RFP and bid processes, collaborate with various departments, ensure compliance with specifications, maintain schedules, and analyze submission data to optimize progress.

Skills: Required skills include project management, data analytics, strong communication, and a collaborative attitude, with a preference for experience in educational publishing and proposal management.

Qualifications: Ideal candidates should possess a college degree and at least 2 years of RFP department experience, particularly in the education sector, along with meticulous attention to detail and a positive attitude.

Location: This position is primarily based in Vernon Hills, IL with some consideration for remote work for exceptional candidates.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between 55,000 - 80,000.

About hand2mind:

We bring learning to life! Trusted by teachers for more than 55+ years, hand2mind creates engaging, classroom-tested materials that empower children to learn by doing. We are a 150-person strong, family-owned company that's been voted one of the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the last four consecutive years. In addition to building high-quality, hands-on learning materials for the classroom like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we also develop educational toys for the home that make learning math, reading, social-emotional learning, and STEM fun and interactive. As a company, we are committed to our employee’s personal and professional development. That’s why we offer a competitive benefits package, a supportive culture, and training and development opportunities by Harvard and UCLA professors. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you’ll come join our award-winning team today!

Team & Position Description:

We are currently seeking an RFP & Bids Specialist to join our h2m sales team reporting to the RFP & Bids Manager. Here’s what makes this team awesome: You will be trusted and empowered to bring your own experience and creativity to support this team and deploy the winning strategies and tactics that drive new incremental sales revenue, via “laser like focus” on RFP opportunity identification and submission along with Bids. The RFP Specialist will collaborate cross functionally with multiple departments – especially sales, marketing, finance, and product development to offer rapid and detailed response to RFP opportunities that are a fit for Hand2mind and the customer. In addition, the RFP Specialist will work with the RFP & Bids Manager to deliver data and analytics to track all aspects of submission, wins, losses, postponements and critical factors for all of the above along with developing a repository for our written responses. Hand2mind provides PreK- Grade 8 educational hands-on solutions that serves the needs of students, teachers, administrators and communities that have the potential of changing lives. When educators come to experience h2m hands-on solutions – they love our people, solutions and the h2m customer experience, along with the wide variety of gap filling solutions that we have to offer.

What you’ll do day to day:

The specialist will report to the RFP & Bids Manager and support Identification and evaluation of state or district RFP’s and bids and collaborate cross functionally to determine if the RFP or bid is appropriate – “go or no-go” – for hand2mind.
Work within the portals or services which Identify RFP/Bid opportunities to uncover all RFP/Bid opportunities and then determine which ones are right fit for hand2mind.
Coordinate response to RFP’s by working collaboratively with sales, marketing, finance and others to write and submit a winning response or application and in a timely fashion – making the deadlines.
Manage schedules and deadlines – monitoring the deadline for submission via hard copy or digital delivery of submission.
Analyze the RFP specs so as to determine that we are compliant in our response, structure and format.
Manage all of the paperwork.
Partner with the RFP Manager to build out a repository of answers/responses that are commonly used in RFP’s.
Coordinate all activity around submitting all related responses whether digital or hard copy in a timely manner.
Handle substantial administrative details related to document completion, requests to other departments for information needed, and timely submission of each RFP/bid.
Conduct progress team meetings and communicate progress updates.
In collaboration with the team – track all data around submissions and wins, losses or postponements so as to be in best position to analyze our progress.

What we’re looking for (Key Performance Objectives):

1. Review and Absorb RFP/Bid Details

Objective: By the end of the first two weeks, review and fully absorb all RFP/Bid details before each team review meeting. Lead the initial meeting by establishing clear timelines and critical milestones for each phase of the RFP process.
Measure of Success: Ensure all documents are reviewed and no errors are found in the submissions. Timelines are consistently set at least 10 business days before the submission deadline.

2. Communicate Project Objectives and Requirements

Objective: Within the first month, set up a standardized communication plan for every RFP/Bid, ensuring all team members understand objectives, expectations, and deadlines for their respective sections.
Measure of Success: Achieve 100% on-time submissions for all RFP sections, with feedback from team members confirming clarity on expectations and project deliverables.

3. Organize Tasks and Prioritize Projects

Objective: By the end of month two, develop a system to prioritize and organize tasks, ensuring projects are completed within the specified RFP/Bid deadlines.
Measure of Success: Track progress using a project management tool with all tasks 100% assigned and prioritized according to project deadlines. No project delays due to mismanagement.

4. Ensure Timely Delivery of RFP Materials with Design and Editing Expertise

Objective: Within 90 days, leverage graphic design, editing, and writing skills to coordinate the submission of all RFP materials. Review all contracts and ensure all required documents are provided and formatted according to client specifications before submission.
Measure of Success: 100% timely delivery of RFP documents, with zero client rejections or formatting issues.

Requirements/Ideal Attributes:

College degree preferred.
The ideal candidate will bring at least 2 years of direct RFP Department experience – preferably in the education school publishing space with a demonstrated track record of success.
Knowledge of the Education School Publishing space.
Proposal project management and data analytics ability preferred.
Meticulous attention to details.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively across functions and teams.
Positive, can do, winning attitude and overall style as a collaborative team player.
Prefer candidate to be available to work in our Vernon Hills, Illinois corporate office but open to considering remote for the right candidate.

We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

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RFP and Bids Specialist