The Proposal Manager leads the firm's proposal and pursuit efforts while managing a seasoned team of Proposal Coordinators. This role is responsible for overseeing proposal operations, ensuring high-quality and compliant submissions, and developing pursuit strategies. The Proposal Manager serves as a mentor and resource to the proposal team, driving process improvements, workload balancing, and professional development while collaborating with technical and executive leadership on strategic opportunities.
What You'll Do:
Proposal Leadership & Pursuit Management
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Lead and oversee the development of proposals, qualifications packages, interview presentations, and marketing deliverables for public and private sector pursuits.
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Manage high-priority and strategic pursuits from kickoff through submission.
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Ensure compliance with RFQ, RFP, SOQ, and interview requirements.
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Establish proposal schedules, assign responsibilities, and monitor progress to meet deadlines.
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Review and approve final deliverables for quality, consistency, and compliance.
Team Management & Staff Development
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Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of Proposal Coordinators and marketing staff.
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Assign workloads and manage team resources to support multiple concurrent pursuits.
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Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and career development planning.
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Provide training on proposal best practices, writing, editing, compliance, and pursuit management.
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Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on excellence and continuous improvement.
Strategic Pursuit Support
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Partner with project managers and technical staff to develop pursuit strategies.
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Facilitate go/no-go discussions and capture planning efforts.
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Identify competitive differentiators and win themes for key pursuits.
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Support interview preparation, presentation coaching, and client-facing materials.
Process Improvement & Quality Assurance
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Develop and maintain proposal standards, templates, and best practices.
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Implement process improvements to increase efficiency, consistency, and proposal quality.
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Oversee maintenance of proposal content libraries, project descriptions, resumes, and marketing databases.
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Monitor proposal metrics, workload forecasting, and win/loss trends.
What You'll Need:
Education
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Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English, Journalism, or a related field preferred.
Experience
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10+ years of proposal management, marketing, or business development experience within the A/E/C industry.
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Experience supporting transportation, infrastructure, environmental, water/wastewater, or building market sectors.
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Previous experience supervising or leading proposal teams.
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Demonstrated success managing complex, high-value pursuits and strategic proposals.
Skills & Competencies
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Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
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Exceptional writing, editing, and communication abilities.
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Advanced project management and organizational skills.
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Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
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Strong understanding of A/E/C procurement processes and qualifications-based selection.
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Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, CRM platforms, and proposal management tools.
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Experience with Deltek Vision, Deltek Vantagepoint, Salesforce, or similar CRM systems.
Why Join RDA?
We offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes:
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Medical, dental, and vision insurance
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401K Retirement Plan; Roth Contributions
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Health Savings Account (HSA)
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Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
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Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability
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Paid time off, including 8 federal holidays + 1 floating holiday
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Parental Leave
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Hybrid work model
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Professional/career development tracks
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Positive work/life balance
RDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace.
Applicants that require an employment visa sponsorship now or in the future will not be considered.
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