Presales Specialist

Job Title:

Location:

Job Purpose:

To evaluate all Request for Proposals (RFPs) and business queries from customers and prepare competitive quotes. The primary objective is to convert RFPs into successful orders by assessing technical feasibility, determining pricing strategies, and supporting the front-end Business Development (BD) team in closing sales.

Key Responsibilities

1. Opportunity Assessment & Screening

• Preliminary Screening:

  Collaborate with Business Development (BD) teams to conduct preliminary screening of new opportunities.

• Requirement Gathering:

  Seek necessary clarifications from customers through the BD team to ensure all details required for evaluating the enquiry are available.

2. Technical & Cross-Functional Evaluation

• Technical Analysis:

  Analyze customer technical packages to understand specific requirements.

• CFT Coordination:

  Lead the coordination with internal functions—Process R&D (PR&D), Analytical R&D (AR&D), Process Engineering (PE), Supply Chain (SCM), Regulatory Affairs (RA), QA, and Manufacturing (Plant Teams)—to gather relevant data.

• Feasibility Check:

  Assess internal capabilities and capacity to ensure the organization can successfully deliver the proposal.

3. Proposal Strategy, Pricing & Submission

• Costing & Pricing:

  Evaluate Raw Material (RM) costing and technical/commercial feasibility. Compare internal costs with market pricing to ensure competitiveness.

• Proposal Development:

  Consolidate all technical and financial information to draft the final proposal.

• Approvals:

  Conduct

  APEX review meetings

  to finalize pricing strategies before submission.

• Objective:

  Provide competitive pricing and realistic timelines to maximize the RFP win rate.

4. Strategic Costing & Reporting

• Cost Structure Management:

  Conduct periodic assessments of the internal costing structure, including FTE rates, reactor costings, and Standard Batch Pricing (SBP) to minimize currency conversion effects and maintain competitive quotes.

• MIS Reporting:

  Compile and submit periodic reports to senior management regarding RFP volume, Turn Around Time (TAT), and cost performance.

5. Customer Engagement

• Visit Management:

  Manage prospect and client visits from assigned geographies to support new business development and demonstrate technical capabilities.

Minimum Requirements

Education:

• Mandatory:

  M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry

  OR

  B.Tech in Chemical Engineering.

• Desirable:

  MBA.

Experience:

• Experience in the Pharmaceutical industry.
• Strong background in Pre-Sales, Proposal Management, or Techno-Commercial roles within a CDMO/API environment.

Key Competencies:

• Technical Knowledge:

  Good understanding across all pharma functions (R&D, Manufacturing, QA, RA).

• Business Acumen:

  Ability to analyze costing structures and make competitive pricing decisions.

• Collaboration:

  Strong ability to influence and coordinate with cross-functional teams without direct authority.

• Communication:

  Excellent verbal and written communication skills for proposal writing and client interactions.