Senior Bids and Business Development Advisor ::

Senior Bids and Business Development Advisor

AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, ME, MA, MN, MO, NE, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, or Washington D.C.

Commensurate with experience

VP / Chief Marketing Officer

Milliman, Inc. is one of the largest independent actuarial consulting firms in the world. This new position will support the global business development initiatives and client relationship managers of the Life Insurance and Financial Services division of Milliman, Inc.

This is a new position responsible for establishing the framework to create and manage high value global proposal opportunities for the firm. The successful candidate will create processes, systems and templates, and lead the process of proposal creation for companies seeking global actuarial services. It is anticipated that there will be approximately 15-20 such proposals annually. The Senior Bids and Business Development Advisor will work closely with involved partners and staff in U.S. and international offices to develop the proposal and prepare the pitch. The position will involve occasional to frequent international travel.

Supporting the global client relationship managers, the position will be responsible for coordinating meetings and action items, providing client feedback support, preparing client meeting pre-briefing information, support on bids and pitches and coordinate global key account meetings. Much of this role is about stakeholder engagement and gathering information from the international network on client activity. This role is critical to supporting Client Relationship Managers in the growth of these key clients and prospects.

The Senior Bids and Business Development Advisor will report directly to the VP / Chief Marketing Officer of the firm, with dotted lines to the Life Practice Director and Life Practice Marketing Liaison. The location of the position is negotiable, as Milliman has offices worldwide, and the work of this position is global in nature.

• Client Relationship Managers: Work closely with Client Relationship Managers to help develop and implement business development initiatives for specific key clients, manage internal communications and client team engagement, organize global team client visits / pitches to ensure efficient use of consultant travel and time.
• Pitches, Proposals and Credentials: Work directly with Milliman consultants to draft/edit global or regional competitive proposals, credentials, pitches and presentations. Manage competitive pitches, including advising on proposal tactics and drafting relevant, client-focused content. Prepare and coach client team for presentations / pitches, sharing industry best practices for successful pitches.
• Project Client Work Inventory: Maintain an up-to-date "master" list of experience and ensure that information about Milliman’s expertise is accurate and current.
• Life Practice Support: Support the Life Practice in its business development activities, which can include collecting and housing business intelligence, competitive intelligence, market research, drafting RFP responses and client presentations, and other business development initiatives.
• Master Client Agreements: Support and coordinate responses to Master Client Service Agreement requests / updates, as required.
• Market and Competitive Research: Collect competitive research and information on existing and prospective clients and market issues which may impact clients' businesses and provide advice on effective business development strategies to address these issues.
• Processes and Procedures: Develop and evaluate processes and procedures, re-evaluating regularly and making recommendations for enhancement/improvement. Act as an advocate of best practice, driving and embedding efficiencies in bid management.
• Opportunities for Growth: Assist with opportunities for expanding client relationships. Assist with the execution of and tracking of business development strategies, plans and projects, including the tracking and follow-up of specific efforts.
• Trends: Monitor and report on trends and issues impacting clients of the Life Practice.
• Post-Bid/Post-Project Feedback: Provide project leadership on post-proposal and post-project surveys and feedback/debriefs.

• Seven to ten years of related marketing or business development /pitch experience gained on an international basis in the professional services sector or insurance industry. Familiarity with actuarial services is a plus.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business, or equivalent. An advanced degree is considered an asset.
• Excellent commercial acumen, allied to first class consultancy skills.
• Experience collaborating with internal global stakeholders. Able to rapidly develop trust with consultants by executing on commitments with integrity. Culturally astute with a strong ability to work effectively with colleagues from around the globe.
• Diplomacy, consensus building, and non-authoritative leadership skills.
• Ability to operate as a respected and proactive internal consultant, coaching partners and others involved in winning new business in the art of developing competitive, commercial proposals.
• Strategic business development thinking combined with well-developed business acumen.
• Self-directed with high ability to work independently. Ability to manage multiple tasks, set goals/benchmarks for projects, and meet deadlines is critical. The ability to work under pressure, prioritize and handle a number of concurrent projects whilst remaining client-focused.
• Superb project management skills with proven ability to follow through and deliver results.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proactive approach to relationship building. Proficiency with computers and all MS Office applications with a high level of proficiency using PowerPoint and Excel being critical.

Schmidt Marketing has been retained to conduct this search. Interested and qualified candidates should e-mail their resume, in strictest confidence, to Donna Erickson.

Schmidt Marketing, Inc.
P.O. Box 24198
Edina, Minnesota 55424