Capture Manager

Brandes Associates Inc.; California (MO); On-site; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Brandes Associates Inc. seeks an experienced Capture Manager to lead federal BD capture activities, planning, and customer engagement in support of strategic growth. The role collaborates with operations, finance, and partners to identify and pursue opportunities, ensuring feasible, competitive solutions.

The position emphasizes pre-solicitation capture work, then shifts to supporting a Proposal Manager during final proposals, with travel to Camarillo, CA and CONUS locations as needed.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in federal contracting, business development, and capture management.
• Experience with DoD, Intelligence Community, and Federal acquisition processes.
• Demonstrated track record of leading successful captures and contract wins.
• Capture & Business Development – Expertise in capture lifecycle management, including planning and win strategy.
• Analytical & Strategic Thinking – Ability to analyze data, conduct competitive assessments, and develop actionable strategies.
• Customer Engagement – Ability to build strategic relationships while adhering to procurement integrity.
• Leadership & Collaboration – Ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Pricing knowledge and Price-to-Win methodologies to support competitive positioning.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and assess opportunities by analyzing artifacts and aligning with growth objectives.
• Develop and execute structured capture plans, schedules, and team coordination activities.
• Plan and conduct compliant customer engagement activities to gather intelligence.
• Continuously assess competitors and develop strategies to improve positioning.
• Lead development of compliant, innovative solutions aligned with customer requirements.
• Formulate win strategies and value propositions addressing mission needs and cost efficiency.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage teaming partners for alignment and collaboration.
• Support pricing strategy development with competitive analysis and cost inputs.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate capture-related risks to improve win probability.
• Support bid/no-bid decisions based on governance and best practices.
• Lead transition from capture to proposal, ensuring transfer of strategy and artifacts.
• Provide lessons learned from opportunities for future pursuits.
• May lead cross-functional capture teams including SMEs, pricing, contracts, and partners.

Skills

Capture management

Federal contracting

Business development

DoD processes

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Customer engagement

Pricing awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Overview

BAI is seeking a Capture Manager with demonstrated expertise in Business Development capture lifecycle management with 8+ years of experience, including capture planning, analytical & strategic thinking, customer engagement, financial & pricing awareness, and leadership & collaboration. The focus is to take the prioritized opportunities of a calendar year and during pre-solicitation (capture) cooperatively identify and list the customer needs, solutions that are organic to BAI, and support the teaming to satisfy gaps in coverage throughout the period of pre-RFP. The role changes at final proposal notice to supporting the designated Proposal Manager in formulating/writing a response. This is a hands‑on role working closely with strategically evaluated business development options vetted by operations, the Operations Director, technical leaders, finance, contracts, and industry partners. The position supports profitable growth while ensuring that proposed solutions and commitments are achievable. Work will be accomplished in Camarillo, CA. and ~25% CONUS based travel will be required. Opportunities for career advancement, excellent benefits and long‑term stability are some of the advantages of our growing, employee‑focused company.Salary

The typical annual salary range for this position is $115,000.00 USD to $135,000.00 USD. Salary will be based on current qualifications, directly related experience, geographic location, and possible contractual requirements which could fall outside of this range.

Responsibilities

• Opportunity Identification & Qualification – Identify, qualify, and assess opportunities by analyzing acquisition artifacts and aligning them with corporate growth objectives
• Capture Planning & Execution – Develop and execute structured capture plans, schedules, and team coordination activities to drive disciplined pursuit efforts
• Customer Engagement & Intelligence – Plan and conduct compliant customer engagement activities to gather, analyze, and leverage actionable intelligence
• Competitive Analysis & Positioning – Continuously assess competitors and develop strategies to exploit weaknesses and strengthen competitive positioning
• Solution Development – Lead the development of compliant, innovative, and differentiated technical and management solutions aligned with customer requirements
• Win Strategy Development – Formulate and refine compelling win strategies and value propositions that address mission needs, risk reduction, and cost efficiency
• Teaming & Partner Management – Identify, evaluate, and manage teaming partners to ensure alignment, capability coverage, and successful collaboration
• Price-to-Win & Business Case Support – Support pricing strategy development by contributing to competitive analysis, cost inputs, and financial positioning
• Risk Management – Identify, assess, and mitigate capture-related risks to improve probability of win
• Gate Review/Decision Brief support – In support of leadership awareness document formal Pursuit, Bid/NoBid, Go/NoGo determinations based on the key review and best business practices for BD management
• Capture-to-Proposal Transition – Lead the transition to proposal phase by ensuring complete transfer of strategy, intelligence, customer details, and solution artifacts
• Conduct Post Opportunity Assessments – Provide Lessons Learned for future pursuits covering successful and unsuccessful proposals
• May lead cross‑functional capture teams including:
  • Technical SMEs, Pricing/Finance, Contracts, Business Development staff, and external partners/subcontractors
  • Conduct Engineering Notice investigations and responses as required

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in federal contracting, business development, and capture managemen
• 8 years’ experience with DoD, Intelligence Community, and Federal acquisition processes
• Proven track record of leading successful captures and contract wins
• Capture & Business Development – Demonstrated expertise in capture lifecycle management, including capture planning, win strategy development, and federal acquisition regulations
• Analytical & Strategic Thinking – Strong ability to analyze complex data, conduct competitive assessments, and develop actionable, results‑oriented strategies
• Customer Engagement – Proven ability to build and maintain strategic customer relationships while adhering to procurement integrity standards.
• Leadership & Collaboration – Ability to lead and coordinate cross‑functional teams effectively without direct authority

Financial & Pricing Awareness – Working knowledge of pricing strategies, cost structures, and Price-to-Win methodologies to support competitive positioningDesired Experience- Experience with AI-enabled capture tools or data‑driven BD platforms- Existing relationships within target customer base (DoD, & Intelligence Community)- Direct Program Management experience is a plus for this positionEDUCATIONDegree: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or Management related field.CLEARANCECondition of Employment: Applicant must have an active DoD Secret Clearance. The applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. CITIZENSHIPThe applicant must have US citizenship at the time of application.

BAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other non‑merit based factors made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.