Description Proposal and Enablement Lead Reports to: Group Director, Business Development and Marketing Location: Cape Town / South Africa Type: Full-time About j. awan & partners j. awan & partners is the largest home‑grown GRC advisory firm in the GCC, providing regulatory advisory, compliance outsourcing, licensing, risk management, internal audit, and finance/tax services. Operating across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Karachi, London, Toronto, and Singapore with 50+ compliance specialists, the firm is the advisory backbone behind azakaw, a purpose‑built RegTech platform. Mission The Proposal and Enablement Lead owns the production of high‑quality proposals, on time, every time. You manage internal stakeholders and SMEs to deadlines, enforce the intake process, maintain the content library, and ensure every submission reflects the standard j. awan & partners clients expect. The firm’s proposals follow established frameworks—structured by service type, jurisdiction, and license—and your job is to customise those frameworks to the client’s specific context while maintaining consistency and speed across both Fast Track and Managed Track lanes. SMEs draft their technical content; you take what they produce, assemble it into a tailored, compelling, client‑ready document, quality‑check it, and package it for submission. The frameworks exist. The modules exist. Your value is in knowing which to use, how to adapt them, and ensuring the final output is something the firm is proud to send. The function runs because you run it. 12–18 Month Mission Outcomes (What Success Looks Like) Client‑Centric Quality Zero formatting errors, missing annexures, or version control failures reaching the client. Proposals are evaluator‑ready. BD team and leadership trust your output without re‑checking. Delivery at Pace On‑time above 95%. Fast Track under 48 hours, Managed Track under 72 hours, complex under 5 days. Both lanes running simultaneously. Risks escalated before they become emergencies. Production Craft 85%+ require refinement only, not structural rework. Right modules selected, structure tailored, SME content quality‑checked, package presentation‑ready. The difference between good and excellent is in the assembly. Intake Governance 100% compliance. No proposal enters drafting without complete inputs. You hold the gate, push back on incomplete briefs, and escalated consistently. SME Delivery Management SME content on time for above 90% of proposals. Clear task briefs issued. Late inputs escalated. Weak content sent back. You own the deadline and the standard, not the drafting. Operational Backbone Tracker current at all times. HubSpot above 95%. Weekly reports on time, zero corrections. Leadership never asks where a proposal stands. Content Library Gold modules growing. Reusable content captured and filed within 24 hours of every submission. Evidence bank current. Playbook maintained. Every submission makes the next one faster. Institutional Knowledge You are the person everyone asks. Templates, processes, filing, submission standards — in your head and documented. When you are not available, people notice. Rework Reduction Under 10% after initial 6‑month baseline period. Reason codes tracked. Ceiling reviewed quarterly. Quality improves because the process improves, not because you work harder. Technology Proficiency HubSpot, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office at advanced level. All mandated firm technology (ClickUp, WebHR, and others) adopted at 90%+ proficiency. Function Building You make the function faster, not just keep it running. Templates refined, checklists tightened, process improvements implemented. The operation is better because you built the layer underneath it. Key Accountabilities Proposal Production Produce proposals across both lanes. Assemble, tailor, quality‑check, and package SME content into structured, client‑ready documents. Final quality gate for structure, narrative, compliance, and formatting. On‑time above 95%. 85%+ refinement only. Zero packaging errors. Pipeline and Intake Maintain proposal tracker. Enforce Intake Gate: no drafting without complete inputs. Assign tasks, manage deadlines, escalate delays early. Tracker accurate. Zero incomplete intakes. Delays escalated pre‑SLA. SME Coordination Issue task briefs to SMEs across five service lines: content needed, format, hard deadline. Chase, escalated, send back weak content. You own delivery to deadline, not the technical drafting. SME input on time above 90%. No delays from un‑escalated gaps. CRM and Reporting Own CRM hygiene: fields populated, stages current, next steps documented. Produce weekly reports. Support automations. Prepare monthly performance data for SLT. CRM above 95%. Reports on time, zero corrections. Content Library Capture and file reusable content within 24 hours of every submission. Maintain Gold modules, evidence bank, and Playbook. Prepare quarterly freshness audits. Content captured within 24 hours. Library maintained. Quarterly audit on time. This Role is Not for You If… You see proposal work as formatting and admin. This role owns production quality, intake governance, and operational discipline. You are not detail‑oriented. Version control, file naming, annexure completeness, and CRM hygiene are the job. You are uncomfortable pushing back. Incomplete intakes get held. Late SME inputs get escalated. Weak content goes back. You struggle in high‑volume, deadline‑driven environments. 50+ proposals per month. The pace is real. Core Competencies Proposal Production Excellence: Assembles, tailors, and packages proposals across both lanes with consistent speed and quality. Structures SME content into clear, compelling, evaluator‑ready documents. Attention to Detail and Quality Control: Catches formatting errors, missing annexures, incorrect file names, and version control issues before they reach the client. Zero tolerance for sloppy packaging. Process Discipline and Systems Thinking: Builds and improves repeatable systems: templates, intake gates, QA checklists, content library rules. The function gets faster over time because the process improves. SME Coordination and Escalation: Issues clear task briefs, enforces deadlines, escalates early. Manages across service lines and jurisdictions without owning the technical drafting. CRM and Systems Proficiency: Advanced HubSpot, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office. Maintains data hygiene as a professional standard. Flags system issues and suggests improvements. Stakeholder Management and Assertiveness: Pushes back when inputs are late or incomplete. Holds the intake gate. Escalates when needed. Professional, firm, consistent. GRC and Regulatory Awareness: Developing understanding of compliance, regulatory advisory, and risk management concepts sufficient to tailor proposals to regulatory context and quality‑check SME content. Operational Rigour Under Pressure: Manages high‑volume proposal flow without quality degradation. Prioritises ruthlessly, escalates early, delivers the same standard on proposal 50 as proposal 1. Education and Experience Education Bachelor's degree in business, Communications, English, Marketing, or a related field. Output quality carries more weight than credentials. Experience 3–5 years in proposal management, bid coordination, sales operations, or sales enablement within professional services, consulting, GRC, or financial services. Preferred GRC, compliance, or regulatory advisory environments. HubSpot CRM and SharePoint experience. Strong Microsoft Office proficiency. Experience managing SME inputs across multiple service lines. APMP or equivalent welcome but not required. Ramp Expectations Week 1–2 Onboarding, SME introductions, HubSpot and SharePoint walkthrough, template and content library familiarisation. Shadow live proposals across both lanes. Review winning and losing submissions. Week 3–4 First supervised Fast Track end‑to‑end. Intake Gate enforcement active. Pipeline tracker ownership. Weekly reports. Content capture initiated.​ Managed Track rehearsal on a past bid. Month 2 Full ownership of Fast Track and Managed Track production. Pipeline tracking, CRM hygiene, and reporting running independently. Content library operations active. Daily rhythm established. Culture and Values Growth mindset, resilience, accountability, and adaptability in a fast‑paced scaling environment. Professional maturity and integrity in handling sensitive client, commercial, and regulatory information. Trust and credibility built through consistent follow‑through, transparency, and candid communication – including with senior leadership. Client‑first philosophy: every proposal reflects the accuracy, depth, and integrity that define j. awan & partners’ advisory heritage. Rewards and Growth Competitive salary with performance bonus tied to on‑time delivery, quality scores, and operational reliability. Career progression into Proposal Manager or Head of Proposals as the function scales. Growth tied to performance and demonstrated capability. Direct visibility with the Group Director and SLT through weekly and monthly reporting. Structured development including GRC domain immersion, proposal methodology training, and cross‑service‑line exposure. You are building the operational layer of the proposal function. Not inheriting a mature process, improving, governing, and making it faster. Medical insurance, paid leave, and additional benefits detailed during the offer stage. #J-18808-Ljbffr