What you'll do

Leads and matures the pre-award proposal management function for Viasat Government through functional leadership, people management, and operational excellence. This role leads a group of proposal professionals while serving as a senior, hands-on leader for the most critical pursuits.

Accountable for developing talent, establishing execution standards, and driving a scalable pre-award operating model, this role ensures consistent delivery of high-quality, compliant, and competitive proposals. The role partners across Business Development, Technical, Financial, Operational, and Supply Chain functions to align resources, priorities, and strategies, while strengthening continuity from opportunity shaping through proposal submission and program transition.

This position operates with autonomy, influencing senior leadership, crafting organizational capability, and encouraging ongoing improvement throughout the pre-award lifecycle.

The day-to-day

Functional & People Leadership

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of proposal managers and support personnel, with accountability for performance, engagement, and career development
• Establish team structure, role clarity, and operating rhythms aligned to business needs
• Provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance management, ensuring high standards and continuous growth
• Drive hiring, onboarding, and succession planning to build a scalable and resilient organization
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and ongoing improvement

Proposal Execution Leadership

• Serve as lead proposal manager on the highest-priority and most complex opportunities
• Oversee and guide team execution across the full proposal portfolio
• Ensure adherence to established processes, compliance requirements, and quality standards
• Lead executive reviews and ensure effective incorporation of feedback
• Promote disciplined, repeatable execution practices across all proposals

Cross-Functional Leadership & Integration

• Act as a key integrator across pre-award collaborators, including Business Development, Sales, Engineering, Finance, Operations, and Contracts
• Drive alignment between customer requirements, technical solutions, and cost/schedule assumptions
• Enable effective collaboration and resolve cross-functional challenges through leadership and influence
• Improve handoff quality from proposal through program execution
• Oversee coordination and integration of cost and risk inputs across functions

Resource & Capacity Management

• Own resource planning and workload prioritization across the proposal team
• Align staffing with pipeline demand, strategic priorities, and business goals
• Identify and mitigate resource constraints, capability gaps, and execution risks
• Ensure effective utilization and development of team members

Process, Tools, and Ongoing Improvement

• Lead initiatives to improve proposal processes, tools, and systems
• Establish and track performance metrics (e.g., cycle time, quality, win rate, rework)
• Partner with system owners (Salesforce, Agile tools, costing systems) to optimize workflows
• Drive adoption of best practices and continuous improvement across the team

What you'll need

• 8+ years of proposal management, capture, or related experience
• Demonstrated experience in people leadership and team development
• Proven ability to lead functions or teams with increasing scope and complexity
• Strong understanding of the full pre-award lifecycle in a government/defense environment
• Experience establishing processes, governance, and scalable operating models
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across senior and cross-functional stakeholders
• Strong communication, leadership presence, and decision-making capability
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• U.S. Citizenship required
• Ability to travel up to 25%
  
  This is a hybrid role based out of Duluth, GA (In office 3 days per week)

What will help you on the job

• Experience leading proposals and capture processes in the aerospace and defense industry
• Knowledge of industry tools and information systems such as Salesforce, SAM.gov, etc.
• Working knowledge of AI tools such as Claude and Copilot
• Experience with US government capture processes such as the Federal Acquisitions Regulations
  
  #LI-BBS

Salary range

$121,000.00 - $191,000.00 / annually.For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $150,000.00- $225,000.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat's comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.