SENIOR PROPOSAL MANAGER
Business Development & Corporate GrowthPosition DetailInformationReports To
Chief Growth Officer (CGO)
Location
Remote with occasional in-person meetings; Southern Maryland or Washington, D.C. metropolitan area preferred
Employment Type
Full-Time, Exempt
Security Clearance
Eligible for U.S. Security Clearance; Secret or higher preferred
Base Salary
$155,000-$175,000
Incentive
Performance-based annual bonus
Position OverviewShadowObjects is seeking a results-driven Senior Proposal Manager to lead and scale our federal proposal development lifecycle. Reporting directly to the Chief Growth Officer, you will serve as the primary leader across full-lifecycle proposal operations-translating capture strategies, technical solutions, and customer insights into compliant, compelling, and winning proposals.
This is a high-impact Player-Coach role. You will independently manage complex prime and subcontract proposals ranging from approximately $5M to $100M+ in value while building and modernizing our corporate proposal engine with automated workflows, reusable content repositories, and AI-enabled tools.
Key Responsibilities1. Full-Lifecycle Proposal Leadership- Lead end-to-end proposal operations from solicitation release (RFP/RFQ/RFI) through final submission, post-submission responses, and BAFO/FPR.
- Establish and manage proposal schedules, compliance matrices, detailed outlines, resource assignments, and final production plans.
- Facilitate structured kickoff meetings, proposal standups, and rigorous Pink, Red, Gold, and Executive review milestones.
- Resolve schedule, compliance, staffing, pricing, and content risks early and decisively.
2. Strategy, Solutioning & Content Development- Partner with the CGO, Capture Managers, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to translate capture strategies into discriminators, win themes, and customer-centric messaging.
- Author and edit major proposal sections, including Executive Summaries, Technical Approaches, Management Approaches, Staffing & Key Personnel Plans, Quality Assurance, Transition Plans, and Past Performance.
- Develop detailed Section L & M requirements traceability matrices and ensure compliance with solicitation instructions, evaluation criteria, and formatting rules.
3. Knowledge Management & Proposal Infrastructure- Build, organize, and maintain a centralized, scalable corporate proposal repository.
- Integrate appropriate generative AI and workflow-automation tools to accelerate drafting cycles and improve content consistency.
- Conduct post-submission lessons learned reviews to continuously improve proposal efficiency and increase win rates.
Performance Milestones & ExpectationsFirst 90 Days- Master ShadowObjects' contract vehicles, capabilities, past performance, and corporate differentiators.
- Establish standardized proposal operating procedures, compliance templates, and review checklists.
- Deploy an updated, centralized proposal content repository and begin active proposal leadership on current pipeline opportunities.
First 12 Months- Independently manage multiple concurrent prime and subcontractor pursuits across Navy/DoD and federal civilian customers.
- Establish a scalable, repeatable proposal engine that increases qualified bid throughput while maintaining high-quality submissions and strong win performance.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, English, Information Technology, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of dedicated federal proposal management experience; 10+ years strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex federal prime bids.
- Expertise parsing and interpreting federal RFP Sections L & M, developing compliance matrices, and managing color-team reviews.
- Exceptional ability to write and edit clear, persuasive, technically credible proposal narrative across multiple volumes.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), SharePoint, Adobe Acrobat, and collaborative proposal tools.
Preferred Qualifications- Direct Navy / DoD proposal experience, particularly NAVAIR, NAVWAR, Navy ERP, DASN(P), AIR 6.8, or related defense organizations.
- Experience managing task orders and prime pursuits on vehicles such as 8(a) STARS III, OASIS+, GSA MAS, SEWP, CIO-SP3, or SeaPort-NxG.
- APMP Foundation, Practitioner, or Shipley certification.
- Familiarity with federal IT services, digital transformation, cloud migrations, and Deltek Costpoint environments.
Compensation & BenefitsComponentOfferingBase Salary
$155,000-$175,000
Annual Incentive
Performance-based annual bonus tied to proposal execution, knowledge management, and qualified contract awards
Sign-On
Sign-on incentives may be available for top candidates
401(k)
Comprehensive 401(k) retirement plan with competitive corporate matching
Paid Time Off
15 days of annual PTO plus 11 paid holidays
Health & Wellness
Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with significant employer contributions
Insurance
Company-paid Life, Short-Term Disability (STD), and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
Work Environment
Flexible Hybrid/Remote working arrangements with modern collaboration tools
