Sarah Cole
Cary,NC
Summary
Proposal Director with background in strategic planning, team leadership, and performance optimization. Known for driving company growth by developing efficient operational strategies and fostering professional relationships. Demonstrated abilities in problem solving, decision making, and communication skills to influence key stakeholders. Proven record of delivering innovative solutions and achieving organizational goals.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Proposals
Veristat
Cary, North Carolina
03.2025 - Current
- Oversee the Proposals department, providing strategic oversight for the development of clinical trial proposals, work orders, consulting angreements and RFIs
- Lead departmental process improvement initiatives to enhance operational speed and cross-functional accuracy.
- Manage the quality and integrity of all departmental deliverables, ensuring strict adherence to client specifications.
- Oversee people management, including resource allocation, performance coaching, and team-wide mentorship.
Associate Director, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
Morrisville , NC
10.2022 - Current
- Prioritized and organized tasks to efficiently accomplish service goals.
- Directly supervise a staff of 10+ team members.
- Collaborated across multiple departments to assemble quality proposals and work orders for new opportunities.
- Maintained schedule of assignments to meet deadlines.
- Negotiated with vendors to obtain most cost-effective pricing for third party service offerings.
- Provided support to sales during contract negotiation phase.
- Interviewed and hired talented individuals to add value to the contracts team.
- Expanded personnel skill sets by mentoring team both individually and in groups.
Manager, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
Morrisville, NC
12.2019 - 10.2022
- Consistently ensured the timely completion of all assigned proposal and contract requests
- Supervised the daily workload of the team, including providing review and quality control.
- Worked closely with sales and leadership to develop and maintain new and existing proposal development tools, including algorithms in the standard pricing tool.
- Created proposals, change orders, work orders, and RFIs with input from subject matter experts.
Associate Manager, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
Morrisville , NC
03.2018 - 12.2019
- Responsible for assisting the Manager of Proposals and Contracts with the timely completion of RFP, RFI, Change Orders and Work Orders.
- Assisted with the daily work loads of the team
- Mentored junior team members, assisted in creating training materials for new team members.
- Developed budgets and proposal documents in response to RFPs.
- Created Change Orders and Work Orders in collaboration with Project Management and Finance.
Senior Proposals & Contracts Specialist
Veristat, LLC
Morrisville , NC
07.2016 - 03.2018
- Responsible for taking a lead role in the development of clinical trial proposals including the development of the budget and proposal document.
- Efficiently answered RFIs including cataloging answers for future requests.
- Used SalesForce to update opportunities up to date.
- Performed relevant research into the therapeutic area/ indications for upcoming projects for inclusion in proposals.
Proposals & Contracts Specialist
Veristat, LLC
Southborough, MA
08.2014 - 07.2016
- Preparation of contractual documents including work orders, change orders, proposals, and RFIs.
- Liaise with Finance, Project Management, and Functional areas as it relates to the development and maintenance of ongoing projects.
- Provided support in the development of visual graphics components such as charts, tables, diagrams. for proposals.
- Developed comprehensive proposal outlines and coordinated with subject matter experts to ensure accuracy of content.
- Organized and maintained files, documents, and records related to proposals.
- Edited and proofread proposal drafts for grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation, format, and style errors.
- Coordinated with internal stakeholders to ensure timely submission of proposals.
Proposals & Contracts Associate
Veristat, LLC
Southborough, MA
07.2013 - 08.2014
- Reviewed customer requests for proposals to ensure compliance with requirements.
- Coordinated the preparation of responses to RFPs from multiple departments within the organization.
- Maintained records of all submitted bids proposals.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders such as marketing, sales, finance, legal teams to develop effective bidding strategies.
- Managed communication between customers and stakeholders throughout the entire bidding process.
- Organized meetings with customers prior to submitting bid proposals.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business
Framingham State University
Framingham, MA05-2013
Skills
- Proposal Writing
- Process Improvement
- Team Collaboration and Leadership
- Budget Development
- Analytical Thinking
- Organizational Skills
Accomplishments
- Q3 2023 Company Values Award: United
- Q1 2025 MVP of Commercial Team
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Director, Proposals
Veristat
03.2025 - Current
Associate Director, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
10.2022 - Current
Manager, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
12.2019 - 10.2022
Associate Manager, Proposals & Contracts
Veristat, LLC
03.2018 - 12.2019
Senior Proposals & Contracts Specialist
Veristat, LLC
07.2016 - 03.2018
Proposals & Contracts Specialist
Veristat, LLC
08.2014 - 07.2016
Proposals & Contracts Associate
Veristat, LLC
07.2013 - 08.2014
Bachelor of Science - Business
Framingham State University