The Bid & Commercial Manager is responsible for managing complex bids and commercial proposals from opportunity qualification through contract signature. The role combines bid orchestration & pricing shaping while ensuring that offers are competitive, compliant, commercially sound, and aligned with company strategy & corporate policies. This involves close collaboration and interactions with Sales, Technical teams, Support & Services teams, InfoSec, Finance, Legal, Supply Chain, Product, and any other required stakeholders.
Core Responsibilities (non-exhaustive)
Manage the end-to-end bid process for Enterprise and public tenders
• Analyze RFPs, RFQs, and contract requirements (commercial, financial, and legal)
• Support bid/no-bid decisions through risk and opportunity assessment
• Contribute to the commercial strategy and win themes in collaboration with sales
• Coordinate inputs from internal/external stakeholders to deliver high-quality proposals
• Ensure bids are submitted on time and fully compliant with customer requirements
• Prepare and lead internal bid review meetings
• Build business cases ensuring financial compelling offer while protecting company margin
Develop pricing models, cost structures, and margin analyses
• Build and validate commercial assumptions and financial scenarios
• Ensure compliance with internal commercial governance and approval processes
• Identify contractual, financial, and operational risks and propose mitigation actions
• Support commercial and contractual negotiations with customers along with sales
• Contribute to contract finalization and handover to relevant post-sales teams
• Maintain bid documentation, templates, and commercial standards
• Capture lessons learned from won and lost bids to improve future performance
• Track and report bid KPIs (win rate, margins, compliance, deadlines)
Profile Requirements
• Master’s degree (Business, Engineering, Finance, or equivalent)
• Proven experience (typically 8+ years) in bid management, commercial/contract management
• Experience in project-based or contract-driven industries is an advantage
• Strong understanding of bid and tender processes
• Solid financial and commercial acumen (pricing, margins, cost modelling)
• Good knowledge of contract terms and commercial risk management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
• Fluent Spanish/Portuguese is a plus
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to influence without authority
• Results-driven mindset with strong commercial awareness
Fortinet offers employees a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401(k), 11 paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time as well as a comprehensive leave program.
Wage ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, and job level. Earnings for this position are expected to be $130,000 - $180,000 Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's subject knowledge, skill level, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.
All roles are eligible to participate in the Fortinet equity program, Bonus eligibility is reviewed at time of hire and annually at the Company’s discretion
About UsFortinet makes possible a digital world that we can always trust through its mission to protect people, devices, and data everywhere. This is why the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and government organizations choose Fortinet to securely accelerate their digital journey. The Fortinet Security Fabric platform delivers broad, integrated, and automated protections across the entire digital attack surface, securing critical devices, data, applications, and connections from the data center to the cloud to the home office. Ranking #1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide, more than 615,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses. And the Fortinet NSE Training Institute, an initiative of Fortinet’s Training Advancement Agenda (TAA), provides one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry to make cyber training and new career opportunities available to everyone.Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
