We are seeking a Proposal Operations Manager to lead the development and delivery of compliant, high-quality proposals and Request for Information (RFI) responses for federal opportunities. This role manages the end-to-end proposal lifecycle, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure proposal quality, compliance and on-time submission. The Proposal Operations Manager position drives continuous improvement of proposal operations, content management and proposal processes while supporting the organization's federal business development objectives. This is a unique opportunity to shape the growth, development and culture of an exciting and fast-growing company in the cybersecurity market.
What you'll be doing:
- Lead the development of high quality, compliant and compelling proposals and RFI responses by implementing proposal process and collaborating with executive staff, capture manager, program/project manager, solution team.
- Manage, coordinate and own end to end proposal activities, including kickoff, Q&A submission, data calls, request for proposal (RFP) analyses, stand up meetings and color reviews, against the proposal schedule and the RFP requirements.
- Be accountable for RFP compliance and the timely submission of the proposal.
- Communicate proposal milestones and updates effectively across internal teams and external partners throughout the development of the proposal.
- Develop and conduct structured proposal kick-off meetings that establish proposal schedule/milestones, assign roles and responsibilities and clarify expectations of proposal SMEs and contributors.
- Conduct proposal color reviews to effectively achieve useful, actionable comments and recommendations from the review teams.
- Effectively apply desktop publishing, production and graphics skills to ensure high quality proposal deliverables and to maximize space availability.
- Drive and participate in proposal solution workshops to ensure well-rounded understanding of solutions, proactively identify gaps and proposal risks.
- Build, populate and tailor relevant content/artifacts within proposal outlines/templates to inform the proposal writers and SMEs.
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive repository of re-usable proposal content, graphics, proposal artifacts and templates.
- Lead post-submission lessons learned; support leadership in refining processes, improvement initiatives and evolving proposal operations in AI-enabled environments.
What you need to know:
- Experience managing and developing complex multi-volume proposals by applying the rigor of formal proposal development processes.
- Demonstrated experience developing and applying proposal management artifacts such as proposal schedule, outline, compliance matrix, kick-off, storyboards, mockups, color review in-briefs and de-briefs and others.
- Possess strong project management skills through effective time management, prioritization and communication with excellent attention to detail.
- Strong analytical skills to oversee an entire proposal structure from RFP sections and appendices.
- Experience integrating AI-enabled tools into proposal management workflows while maintaining quality and compliance.
- Strong leadership to drive collaboration across cross-functional teams.
- Strong understanding of federal contracting, business development, capture and proposal processes.
Must have's:
- Bachelor's degree or additional years of relevant work experience in lieu of degree.
- 6+ years of managing multi-volume proposals that have resulted in federal contract awards.
- Advanced desktop publishing skills; proficiency in MS Office 365, SharePoint, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Proven ability to analyze complex requirements and translate them into clear, actionable tasks and processes through critical thinking.
- Applicants must currently be a U.S. citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance issued by federal government if required.
Beneficial to have:
- Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) Foundation Certification and/or knowledge of Shipley Proposal methodology (preferred).
- Experience in proposal-related desktop publishing and/or graphic development
- Proposal writing and editing experience is a plus.
Where it's done:
