As a Proposal Manager, you'll sit at the center of some of our most important pursuits and work with our talented technical teams to turn complex ideas into compelling, client-focused stories that win work and make a real difference. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced pursuits, enjoys shaping strategy and messaging, and loves bringing structure and momentum to high-visibility efforts. This role will lead pursuit execution from early planning through final delivery, working closely with business development, project managers, and technical experts. Your impact will be felt across proposals, interviews, and client presentations.
In the role of Water Proposal Manager, we'll count on you to:
- Lead and guide pursuit teams through capture planning and proposal development, creating and implementing effective win strategies
- Facilitate creation of persuasive proposal and interview materials resulting in messaging that is client-focused, differentiated, and consistent
- Develop and produce proposals, work plans, and schedules and confirm compliance with RFP/RFQ documents
- Write, edit, and refine non-technical content, translating complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives
- Coordinate layouts and graphics in alignment with HDR brand standards and proposal best practices
- Lead proposal reviews (Blue, Red, QC, and final checks), guiding teams through revisions and recovery
- Prepare and coach interview teams, supporting storyboarding, rehearsal, and presentation delivery
- Engage and coordinate technical staff, marketing partners, and subconsultants to keep pursuits moving forward smoothly
- Support client development efforts by aligning proposal execution and messaging with established client strategies
- Maintain accurate pursuit information in HDR business development systems (Oracle/EBS, Oscar)
- Facilitate pursuit debriefs to capture lessons learned and continuously improve competitiveness
- Mentor and support teammates, sharing proposal, marketing, and pursuit best practices
- Other duties as assigned
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Keywords: Proposal Manager, marketing, capture planning, proposal development, proposal
Preferred Qualifications
- A minimum of 6 years of relevant experience supporting A/E/C proposals or pursuits
- Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills
- Excellent time management, organizational and strategic marketing communication skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under tight deadlines with professionalism and diplomacy
- Willingness to travel within the Southern California Area as needed
- Ability to compose documents onscreen and to communicate graphically
- Interface with people both inside and outside the firm including clients and sub-consultants
- Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and work independently as well as in team environments
- Strength in managing multiple deadlines/multi-tasking skills while providing responsive communication
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills with emphasis on superior persuasive writing, and presentation; Interview coaching ability a plus
- Enjoy working with different personality styles and management levels
- Requires little or no direction in area of specialization
- Positive outlook and attitude
- Experience supporting pursuit planning and proposal development for competitive A/E/C pursuits; Water industry experience a plus
- Deep knowledge of the A/E/C industry's standard approach to procurement of professional services;
- Demonstrated experience in writing compelling content based on information from technical staff
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- A minimum of 5 years relevant industry experience
- Demonstrated "self-starter" with a history of completing projects with limited oversight
- Experience in sales and developing effective win strategies
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including InDesign
