Position Purpose:
The Proposal Manager leads the end-to-end development of complex federal and state/local proposals, from solicitation release and kickoff through final submission and post-submittal activities. This role combines disciplined proposal project management with compliance leadership, cross-functional coordination, and sound judgment under deadline pressure. The Proposal Manager partners closely with Capture Managers, Opportunity Owners, technical leaders, pricing, contracts, subcontracts, and other corporate functions to produce compliant, compelling, evaluator-focused proposals.
Work arrangement: Hybrid. Candidates should be based in or within reasonable commuting distance of Charlottesville, Virginia, or Austin, Texas, and be available on site as business and proposal needs require.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Lead end-to-end management of federal and state RFP, RFQ, RFI, task-order, and other competitive responses including oral presentation development, ensuring compliant, compelling, and on-time submissions.
• Analyze solicitations, amendments, instructions, evaluation criteria, and contractual requirements; develop and maintain proposal outlines, compliance matrices, schedules, calendars, and responsibility assignments.
• Own proposal compliance strategy and conduct detailed compliance and quality checks throughout development and before submission; promptly assess the impact of solicitation amendments and Q&A.
• Plan and facilitate proposal kickoffs, solutioning sessions, stand-ups/tag-ups, and color team reviews (e.g., Pink, Red, Gold, White), translating feedback into clear actions and recovery plans.
• Coordinate cross-functional contributors across technical, capture/business development, pricing, contracts, subcontracts, security, recruiting/staffing, and subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure complete, aligned inputs.
• Partner with Capture Managers and/or Opportunity Owners to translate capture strategy into proposal strategy, including win themes, discriminators, strengths, proof points, customer benefits, and evaluator-focused messaging.
• Manage proposal volumes and be willing to write, rewrite, or edit sections when needed to improve clarity, responsiveness, consistency, and persuasive impact.
• Work with our subcontracts team to complete subcontractor and teaming-partner data calls; track inputs and ensure partner content aligns with prime strategy, schedule, formatting, and compliance requirements.
• Identify schedule, content, staffing, resource, compliance, and production risks early; establish mitigation plans and elevate issues to leadership when intervention is needed.
• Oversee proposal support resources such as consultants, writers/editors, graphic artists, and desktop publishing/production support, as required.
• Manage document configuration and version control, permissions, review copies, and final production using tools such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office.
• Coordinate final production and submission with Contracts and other stakeholders, including portal uploads and confirmation of successful, on-time delivery.
• Support post-submission activities including clarifications, evaluation notices, negotiations, debriefs, lessons learned, and content archiving, as applicable.
• Help maintain and improve reusable proposal assets, templates, resumes, past performance, technical content, and process documentation; contribute to proposal metrics and continuous improvement as appropriate.
• Maintain awareness of pipeline priorities and have the ability to balance multiple concurrent pursuits while communicating capacity, tradeoffs, and resource needs to leadership.
• Use approved automation and AI-enabled tools responsibly, when applicable, while protecting company, customer, and controlled/sensitive information and maintaining human review and accountability.
Education/Experience:
• Bachelor's degree in business, communications, English, marketing, a technical discipline, or a related field; equivalent directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting government proposal development, with demonstrated experience leading proposals or major proposal volumes. Candidates with 7-10 years of relevant experience are especially well aligned to the scope of this role.
• Demonstrated experience with federal/DoD proposals is required; experience with state government, IDIQ task orders, OTAs, or large/complex multi-volume submissions is preferred.
• APMP certification, Shipley training, or comparable formal proposal-methodology training.
• Experience leading oral presentation development, proposal recovery efforts, or high-value/strategic pursuits.
• Experience in science, engineering, national security, homeland security, public health, or other technical/professional-services environments is a plus.
• Active DoD security clearance.
Relevant KSA's:
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex government proposals and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong knowledge of federal acquisition and proposal processes, including RFP/RFQ/RFI structures, evaluation criteria, FAR/DFARS vs. OTA concepts, and common contract vehicles and types (e.g., IDIQ, task orders, FFP, cost-reimbursable, and T&M).
• Expert-level attention to compliance, detail, organization, and deadline management; ability to recognize risks early and drive corrective action.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, editing, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior leaders and technical SMEs.
• Ability to convert complex technical and management concepts into clear, concise, customer-focused proposal content and to distinguish basic compliance from persuasive responsiveness.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, and Adobe Acrobat; if needed be comfortable learning proposal/capture platforms and secure collaboration tools.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and work extended or alternate hours during critical proposal periods, including occasional evenings or weekends.
• Sound judgment, discretion, professionalism, ownership mentality, and ability to remain effective under pressure.
Clearance Status:
A DoD SECRET clearance is preferred. Candidates must be able to complete required paperwork and meet eligibility requirements to obtain and maintain a security clearance, as required by assigned work.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
No direct supervisory responsibility is anticipated. The role will routinely lead matrixed proposal teams, assign work, manage external proposal resources, and may mentor staff less experienced in proposals.
Working Conditions/Equipment:
• Ability to sit and work for extended periods at a desk/computer.
• Travel is generally less than 10%, with occasional higher travel based on proposal or business needs.
• Proposal deadlines may require periodic evening or weekend work.
