Job Description: The Proposal Manager is responsible for leading, planning, scheduling, and overseeing the timely development and delivery of high-quality responses to federal business opportunities, from pre-RFP to post-submission activities, in a fast-paced environment. Additionally, the Proposal Manager serves as a corporate subject matter expert on the Shipley proposal process. The ideal candidate is a thought leader, able to see the big picture without overlooking the details, fosters a positive and responsive team environment, and can quickly adjust to dynamic proposal development schedules and requirements.
Responsibilities (including but not limited to):
Manage the successful development of compliant, competitive, cogent, and compelling proposals through effective collaboration across teams that include internal staff, corporate partners, consultants, and supporting vendors.
Apply experience and best practices in proposal team management to ensure the timely delivery of proposal submissions that are fully compliant with solicitation instructions.
Develop and deliver training materials for Business Development and other staff to continuously improve our corporate proposal operations.
Lead and analyze RFI, RFQ, RFPs and other bid documents for requirements.
Develop the proposal schedule, outline, compliance matrix, and Proposal Development Plan.
Work with the Business Development team and Capture Manager to determine author assignments and integrate win strategy, themes, and discriminators into proposal.
Provide insight, leadership, and work guidance to authors on all proposal content.
Take ownership of the quality of the proposal for color reviews and final delivery by performing rigorous quality assurance checks on draft and final documents.
Prepare and lead efficient Proposal Kickoff meetings and daily status calls, ensuring activities adhere to the Proposal Development Plan.
Conduct activities required to successfully perform color reviews and debrief to authors.
Manage the development of oral presentations, discussions, and proposal revisions.
Ensure the high-quality content and appearance of final proposal deliverables.
Conduct and document proposal lessons learned and implement actions to improve process efficiency.
Coordinate and support the production, reproduction, binding, and packaging in finalizing the proposal submission and response processes.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in business or communications field, or equivalent professional experience.
Understanding of managing and writing proposals using the Shipley processes and standards.
Minimum 6 years proven successful experience managing proposal teams and leading them efficiently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment on moderate- to high-complexity federal opportunities.
Ability to use standard English writing styles to write proposal sections; this includes information research and synthesis from multiple sources (subject matter experts, previous proposals) into a cohesive, easy-to-read, and persuasive final product.
Ability to work on multiple concurrent projects.
Ability to adapt to various people and working styles under tight deadlines.
Ability to work beyond regular scheduled hours.
Possess excellent leadership, communication, prioritization, and organizational skills.
Editing skills; excellent knowledge of grammar and punctuation.
Experience interviewing subject matter experts to support the proposal writing process.
High proficiency in the MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project), Adobe Acrobat, and SharePoint.
Desired Qualifications:
A proven track record of managing and winning proposals within the federal market ranging from $10M to $50M-plus