Proposal Manager-Federal Government
Proposal Manager- Federal Government We are seeking a high-caliber Proposal Manager to lead the end-to-end federal proposal operations of a growing Federal Contractor in Alexandria. This is a critical role for an experienced professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is ready to champion proposal excellence in a growing organization. You will be responsible for transforming complex technical requirements into compelling, compliant, and winning narratives while establishing the repeatable processes and templates that will drive our firm's future growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Full Lifecycle Management: Lead the development of compliant, high-scoring proposals, including RFP analysis, compliance matrices, schedules, and final production.
- Agile Response Leadership: Manage multiple concurrent proposals, including rapid-turnaround (72-hour) task order responses and IDIQ environments.
- Content Mastery: Write and edit persuasive technical, management, and past performance sections. You will translate complex SME input into polished, customer-focused content.
- Strategic Capture Support: Partner with Business Development (BD) to contribute to win strategies, competitor assessments, and opportunity qualification.
- Process Transformation: Introduce and enforce formal proposal methodologies (e.g., Shipley) and version control practices. You will build and maintain a library of reusable content and past performance materials.
- Stakeholder Facilitation: Lead Color Team reviews, solutioning sessions, and BD pipeline reviews, coordinating across remote teams and subcontractors.
Required Qualifications (Must-Haves)
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field.
- Experience: 5+ years of experience managing and writing federal government proposals. Small-business experience is strongly preferred.
- Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated experience with rapid-turnaround task orders and the Shipley (or similar) methodology.
- Writing Excellence: Exceptional storytelling skills with the ability to synthesize technical data into compliant narratives.
- Tools: Expert-level proficiency in MS Office (Word/Excel/PPT), Teams, and SharePoint.
Preferred Qualifications
- Strategic Growth: Experience introducing structure and process where limited frameworks currently exist.
- Knowledge Base: Familiarity with FAR/DFARS and federal procurement cycles.
- Design Skills: Basic graphic design or desktop publishing experience (PowerPoint, Visio, or Adobe).
- Certification: Formal Shipley or APMP certification is a significant plus.
Key Success Factors
- Ambiguity to Order: You can create structured workflows from limited inputs.
- Deadline Driven: You remain calm and effective under tight turnaround times and shifting priorities.
- Influencer: You have the interpersonal skills to educate internal stakeholders on the strategic value of the proposal process.