This role is for one of our clients
Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Industry: Defense and Space Manufacturing

Company Name: Indrajaal

Min Experience: 6+ years

Location: NCR

JobType: full-time

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

About The Role
We are seeking a highly driven and detail-oriented Sales Manager - Tendering to own the end-to-end bid management lifecycle across defence, government, and enterprise opportunities. This role is critical in ensuring timely, compliant, commercially optimized, and high-quality proposal submissions that improve win rates, protect margins, and support annual order booking objectives. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in defence tendering, techno-commercial proposal management, and cross-functional stakeholder coordination. You will act as the central point of ownership for all bid-related activities, ensuring proposal quality, submission discipline, and effective collaboration across technical, finance, sales, business development, legal, and operations teams.

Key Responsibilities
Bid Management & Proposal Ownership

Own the end-to-end lifecycle of RFI, RFQ, RFP, tender responses, and techno-commercial proposal submissions
Ensure all proposals are complete, compliant, accurate, and aligned with customer requirements
Manage proposal timelines from customer requirement freeze through final submission
Ensure zero misses on customer submission deadlines

Cross-Functional Coordination

Coordinate with technical, finance, sales, business development, legal, budget owners, OEM partners, and operations teams to gather inputs and drive proposal completion
Manage bid schedules, dependencies, reviews, and approvals across stakeholders
Ensure timely closure of action items and maintain proposal delivery discipline

Commercial Structuring & Margin Protection

Drive commercial structuring and pricing strategies to maintain target gross profit margins
Standardize costing assumptions, exclusions, commercial terms, and risk notes
Support bid/no-bid qualification decisions and response strategies with sales leadership

Proposal Excellence & Win Rate Improvement

Improve proposal turnaround time (TAT) while maintaining quality and compliance
Develop compelling, customer-focused proposals with a high probability of success
Track proposal outcomes and maintain bid performance metrics
Monitor competitor pricing intelligence, market trends, and bid learnings to strengthen future submissions

Process Governance & Knowledge Management

Maintain proposal repositories, templates, compliance matrices, and submission checklists
Ensure proper version control and documentation governance across all bid activities
Continuously improve bid processes to reduce rework, errors, and submission risks
Establish best practices for proposal development and review cycles

Operations & Trial Support

Extend documentation and proposal-related support to operations teams during customer trials, demonstrations, and evaluations
Ensure technical and commercial documentation is maintained accurately throughout the customer engagement lifecycle

Qualifications & Skills
Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business Management, or a related discipline
MBA preferred

Experience

6–10 years of experience in Bid Management, Proposal Management, Tendering, or Defence Sales Support roles
Mandatory experience in defence, government, aerospace, homeland security, or strategic technology sectors
Proven track record of managing complex techno-commercial proposals and tender submissions

Technical & Functional Skills

Strong understanding of RFI, RFQ, RFP, tendering, and proposal management processes
Experience in techno-commercial proposal preparation, costing, pricing, and bid strategy
Strong commercial acumen with experience protecting margins and managing risk considerations
Excellent proposal writing, documentation, and compliance management skills
Experience managing multiple high-value bids simultaneously

Stakeholder Management

Strong cross-functional coordination and stakeholder management skills
Ability to influence teams and drive execution without direct authority
Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills

Mandatory Knowledge Areas
Working knowledge of:

Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020)
Defence Procurement Manual (DPM 2009)
Government procurement and tendering frameworks
Defence and public sector bidding processes

Key Success Metrics

Proposal submission turnaround time (TAT)
Bid win rate and conversion ratio
Proposal quality and compliance adherence
Gross margin protection on awarded contracts
Zero missed submission deadlines
Stakeholder satisfaction and coordination effectiveness
Accuracy and completeness of techno-commercial proposals

About The Company
Indrajaal is an AI-powered, indigenous multilayered counter-drone system developed by Indrajaal Drone Defence India Pvt Ltd., headquartered in Hyderabad. It offers comprehensive 360-degree protection against drone threats, covering areas up to 4,000 square kilometers

Must-have Skills
Bid Management, Proposal Management, Tendering

Good-to-have Skills
RFI, RFQ, RFP