Role Description
We are seeking an experienced Proposal Manager to lead and manage federal proposal efforts in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. This role is ideal for a strategic, hands-on proposal professional who thrives under tight deadlines, enjoys building scalable processes, and can independently manage multiple proposal efforts from capture through submission.
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Lead the end-to-end development of federal proposals from opportunity qualification through final submission.
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Analyze solicitation documents, including RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, Sources Sought notices, and task orders, to identify customer requirements and proposal strategies.
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Develop proposal schedules, compliance matrices, outlines, writing assignments, and production timelines.
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Manage multiple concurrent proposals while ensuring quality, compliance, and on-time delivery.
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Coordinate proposal kickoff meetings, solutioning sessions, color team reviews, and final production activities.
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Implement and maintain version control, document management, and proposal configuration processes.
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Ensure all proposals comply with solicitation requirements, company standards, and federal procurement regulations.
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Write, edit, and refine compelling proposal content, including:
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Executive Summaries
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Technical Approach
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Management Plans
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Staffing Plans
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Transition Plans
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Past Performance
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Corporate Experience
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Quality Assurance
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Resumes and Key Personnel narratives
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Translate complex technical information into clear, customer-focused, persuasive content.
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Review proposal sections for consistency, accuracy, compliance, grammar, and readability.
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Maintain and continuously improve proposal templates, reusable content libraries, resumes, boilerplate language, and past performance databases.
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Support capture planning by contributing to:
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Win strategies
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Competitive assessments
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Customer research
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Solution development
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Discriminators and messaging
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Participate in pipeline reviews, bid/no-bid decisions, teaming discussions, and opportunity planning.
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Collaborate with Business Development to improve opportunity qualification and proposal readiness.
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Develop and implement repeatable proposal management processes, templates, workflows, and best practices.
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Improve proposal efficiency, consistency, compliance, and overall quality.
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Help establish a proposal-centered culture by educating internal stakeholders on proposal planning, schedules, roles, and responsibilities.
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Recommend and implement tools and technologies that improve proposal development and collaboration.
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Coordinate effectively with executive leadership, business development, recruiters, technical SMEs, subcontractors, and teaming partners.
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Track proposal progress and proactively communicate risks, issues, and resource needs.
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Build collaborative relationships that improve proposal responsiveness and solution quality.
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Support continuous communication throughout the proposal lifecycle to ensure successful execution.
Qualifications
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Due to the sensitivity of customer related requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required.
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Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, English, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field.
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Minimum 5 years of experience managing and writing federal government proposals.
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Experience supporting small business federal contractors is strongly preferred.
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Demonstrated success managing multiple simultaneous proposal efforts with minimal supervision.
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Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and storytelling skills.
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Ability to synthesize complex technical information into compelling, customer-focused proposal content.
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Experience responding to rapid-turnaround task orders, IDIQ contracts, GWACs, and multiple-award contract vehicles.
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Working knowledge of Shipley Associates or similar proposal development methodologies (certification preferred).
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Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and collaborative document management platforms.
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Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment while managing competing priorities and deadlines.
Desired Skills
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Experience supporting capture management and business development activities within a growing federal contractor.
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Experience establishing proposal processes, governance, and organizational best practices.
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Working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the federal procurement lifecycle.
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Experience with proposal graphics, desktop publishing, or visualization tools such as Microsoft Visio, Adobe Creative Suite, or PowerPoint.
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Experience supporting Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), or civilian federal agencies.