About the RoleMWHis currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of
Pursuit Team Lead to support our CMS Group out of Corona, Ca.
The
Pursuit Team Lead provides strategic leadership across MWH's business development and pursuit function, ensuring priority opportunities are positioned for success through early planning, capture strategy, competitive intelligence, resource alignment, and organizational readiness.
Working closely with Campaign Managers, Business Development, Preconstruction, Operations, Executive Leadership, and Subject Matter Experts, the Pursuit Team Lead provides strategic oversight across the pursuit portfolio, helping determine where MWH should focus resources, how opportunities should be positioned, and what actions are needed to improve the company's competitive position.
The role also leads the development and performance of the pursuit and proposal team, with responsibility for workforce planning, workload visibility, mentorship, professional development, processes, tools, and continuous improvement.
Essential Functions - Guide pursuit teams in developing client-focused win strategies, differentiators, value propositions, competitive positioning, and key messaging that strengthen MWH's position prior to and throughout the solicitation process.
- Provide strategic oversight across MWH's active pursuit portfolio, helping evaluate priorities, resource needs, risks, deadlines, and pursuit readiness.
- Lead regular pursuit portfolio and workload discussions, ensuring resources are appropriately aligned with strategic priorities and upcoming business development needs.
- Provide leadership, mentorship, and coaching to proposal and marketing staff, creating opportunities for team members to take greater ownership of pursuits and grow their strategic capabilities.
- Support workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, career development, mentorship, and succession planning to strengthen the long-term capabilities and capacity of the pursuit team.
- Partner with pursuit leaders to review RFQ/RFP requirements and identify evaluation drivers, client priorities, competitive considerations, potential gaps, and opportunities to differentiate MWH.
- Establish expectations and provide strategic guidance for major proposal milestones, including kickoff, strategy development, content planning, reviews, executive messaging, and interview preparation.
- Provide senior-level review and coaching on proposal messaging, executive summaries, win themes, graphics, presentations, and other high-impact pursuit materials, with an emphasis on strategy and effectiveness rather than day-to-day production.
- Support interview and presentation strategy, including storyline development, team positioning, messaging, rehearsal planning, and executive coaching.
- Develop and maintain pursuit best practices, capture tools, content resources, templates, and strategic planning processes that improve consistency and enable proposal teams to operate more independently.
- Identify trends and lessons learned across pursuits and translate those insights into improved capture strategies, training, tools, and business development practices.
- Partner with Business Development and operational leadership to strengthen market intelligence, client positioning, competitor awareness, teaming strategies, and early pursuit planning.
- Represent MWH at industry conferences, client events, networking opportunities, and professional organizations to support relationship development, market awareness, and future opportunity identification.
- Foster a collaborative pursuit culture focused on strategy, accountability, knowledge sharing, professional development, and continuous improvement.
Basic Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, Graphic Design, English, Public Relations, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
- 10+ years of experience in proposal management, marketing, business development support, or pursuit leadership, preferably within the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), infrastructure, or water/wastewater industries.
- Demonstrated success leading complex, high-value pursuits and managing multiple concurrent proposal efforts.
- Experience leading and mentoring proposal, marketing, or pursuit teams, including workload management, staff development, performance coaching, and resource planning.
- Advanced knowledge of proposal strategy, capture planning, compliance management, content development, and interview preparation.
- Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.
- Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including InDesign, Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
- Strong technical writing, editing, proofreading, and document development skills.
- Exceptional project management, organizational, communication, and leadership abilities.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, tight deadlines, and high-profile pursuits in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and implementation of best practices.
- Experience in the water, wastewater, heavy civil, or infrastructure construction markets is strongly preferred.
KPIs - Provide effective strategic leadership for MWH's highest-priority pursuits, with clear pursuit strategies, positioning, differentiators, and win themes established early in the pursuit lifecycle.
- Improve early engagement and capture planning for priority opportunities before RFQs/RFPs are released.
- Strengthen alignment between Business Development, Operations, Preconstruction, Campaign Managers, and proposal teams throughout the pursuit lifecycle.
- Maintain visibility across the pursuit pipeline and proactively identify resource constraints, schedule conflicts, and strategic support needs.
- Effectively mentor and develop proposal and marketing staff, increasing the team's ability to independently lead pursuits and assume greater levels of responsibility.
- Improve the consistency and effectiveness of pursuit strategy, executive messaging, proposal reviews, and interview preparation.
- Expand and improve pursuit tools, content libraries, AI-enabled resources, templates, and best practices that increase team efficiency and reduce reliance on individual institutional knowledge.
- Capture and apply lessons learned from wins and losses to strengthen future pursuit strategies.
- Support company growth objectives through stronger capture planning, strategic pursuit leadership, team development, market intelligence, and cross-functional collaboration.
Compensation- The anticipated compensation for this position is $140,000-$170,000/yr., depending on previous experience.
Benefits- Group health & welfare benefits including options for medical, dental and vision
- 100% Company Paid Benefits: Employee Life Insurance & Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Spouse and Dependent Life & AD&D, Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), Employee Assistance Program and Health Advocate
- Voluntary benefits at discounted group rates for accidents, critical illness, and hospital indemnity
- Flexible Time Off Program (includes vacation and personal time)
- Paid Sick and Safe Leave
- Paid Parental Leave Program
- 10 Paid Holidays
- 401(k) Plan (company matching contributions up to 4%).
- Employee Referral Program
