Sales Operations & Bid Manager

Job Title: Sales Operations and Bid Manager Location: Cleveland, OH Business Unit: Team Wendy Purpose of Position: Reporting to the VP of Sales, the Sales Operation & Bid Manager is responsible for leading the development and submission of high-quality commercial proposals that support global business growth in the law enforcement and defense sector.

This role manages all aspects of proposal production, from opportunity qualification through submission, while ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulatory frameworks.

A critical requirement for success is in-depth experience with international government procurement cycles, including compliance with public sector solicitation processes, defense acquisition regulations, and security-sensitive requirements.

The Bids Manager ensures proposals meet rigorous standards and address the unique contractual, legal, and operational risks inherent in government defense and public safety contracts.

This position collaborates cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, Sales, Product, and Operations to prepare competitive bids that align with corporate strategy, customer needs, and international procurement laws.

Key Responsibilities Government and Defense Proposals * Lead the end-to-end management of proposals, including tenders, RFPs, RFQs, and unsolicited bids for international law enforcement and defense agencies.

* Conduct Bid/No-Bid assessments, ensuring strategic alignment and resource readiness.

* Manage internal bid approvals and facilitate completion of Bid Approval Forms for deals requiring executive oversight.

* Analyze tender documentation and develop compliant, tailored responses that meet complex technical and contractual requirements.

* Ensure strict adherence to international government procurement regulations such as: o U.S.

FAR/DFARS (Federal Acquisition Regulations / Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement), o EU Public Procurement Directives, o Canadian PSPC and Controlled Goods Program, o NATO procurement standards, o UN, Interpol, and other multilateral defense/law enforcement procurement processes.

* Work with Legal to review terms and conditions, flag risks (e.g., export controls, ITAR), and negotiate acceptable language.

* Organize and lead proposal planning sessions, ensuring clarity of timelines, deliverables, and roles.

* Oversee the compilation and submission of complete, compliant, and compelling proposals.

* Maintain proposal calendars and ensure all milestones and deadlines are met.

* Collaborate with subject matter experts to write and review technical and commercial content tailored to law enforcement and defense missions.

* Conduct post-submission reviews to analyze performance and improve future submissions.

Sales Enablement & Content Management * Maintain a global repository of pre-approved proposal content, including standard clauses, certifications, and agency-specific forms.

* Support the sales team with public sector-specific tools, templates, and messaging for law enforcement and defense clients.

Operations & Compliance * Ensure all bids meet revenue recognition and financial compliance standards.

* Collaborate with Finance and Legal to support government contracting needs, such as: o Performance and bid bonds o Letters of credit o Incoterms and trade compliance o Export/import restrictions * Use CRM and Power BI to track bid metrics, win rates, and pipeline performance.

* Drive process improvements to streamline bid management for defense and public safety projects.

Qualifications & Experience * Proven experience managing complex proposals in international defense or law enforcement sectors.

* Deep understanding of international government procurement cycles and compliance frameworks, including: o Defense and security-specific solicitations (e.g., RFP, RFI, BAFO, ITB) o Acquisition regulations (e.g., FAR, DFARS, NATO ACQ) o Export control and compliance (e.g., ITAR) * Strong knowledge of legal, financial, and technical aspects of public sector bids.

* Demonstrated success navigating multi-stakeholder procurement environments and long sales cycles.

* Excellent communication, organization, and project management skills.

* Familiarity with proposal automation tools, CRM systems, and analytics platforms (e.g., Power BI). * Ability to work under pressure, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple concurrent bids.

* Cultural awareness and interpersonal skills for working with global clients and stakeholders in sensitive or classified environments.

* Strong attention to detail, organizational ability, and capacity to manage multiple priorities under deadline pressure.

* Excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity for working with global teams and client About Avon Technologies: We are a world leader in protective equipment, with a reputation for innovative design, high-performance quality and specialist materials expertise.

Our two brands, Avon Protection and Team Wendy, supply our respiratory and head protection portfolio to customers across the globe from our manufacturing sites in the UK and North America.

With over 900 talented people our shared purpose and core beliefs are to be #FIERCE about Protecting Lives.

It's why we come to work - and it's what motivates us, every day, to do the best work we can.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes the following: * Flexible Schedule * Generous paid time off * Competitive Compensation Package * Learning and Development Opportunities * Bonus Plan * Employee Stock Purchase Plan * 401k Matching * Tuition Reimbursement Program * Mentorship Program * Supplemental plans * Company-paid life and AD&D * Medical/Dental/Vision This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserved the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.

Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S.

Export Control Laws.

U.S.

Export Control laws and U.S.

Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S.

persons" (persons who are not U.S.

citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non-U.S.

citizens.

To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within Avon that may present access to export controlled technical data, Avon must assess employees' U.S.

person status, as well as citizenship(s). The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only.

Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position.

The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at Avon's sole election.

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without a sponsorship for employment visa status (e.e.

H1B status). The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the finalized location and region of the selected candidate, type and years of experience within the job, type and years of experience within the industry, education, etc.

EOE, Including Vet/Disability