Capture & Proposal Lead

FM Talent; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

FM Talent Source, LLC seeks a Capture & Proposal Lead to own federal opportunities from early identification through submission. Shape opportunities before the RFP, build customer-centric solutions, sharpen our competitive position, and lead compliant, persuasive proposals.

This role focuses on capture with front-end BD and also leads proposals to submission, collaborating with SMEs, pricing, and leadership while leveraging AI-enabled tools to accelerate pursuits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience required.
• 5+ years in federal capture, proposal management, or BD within government contracting.
• Experience leading federal opportunities from pre-RFP through submission.
• Experience developing compliant proposals for FAR-based procurements.
• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple pursuits under tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Own opportunities from qualification through proposal submission.
• Lead development of win strategies, capture plans, and solution approaches.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and manage writers and SMEs.
• Ensure full compliance with solicitation instructions and evaluation criteria.
• Lead AI-assisted proposal activities and reviews.
• Coordinate final production and on-time submission.

Skills

Federal capture

Proposal management

Business development

Strong writing

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, communications, public administration, or related field

Tools

GovDash

GovWin

SAM.gov

HigherGov

GovTribe

Job description

FM Talent Source, LLC is seeking a Capture & Proposal Lead to own federal opportunities from early identification through proposal submission. You will shape opportunities before the RFP drops, build customer-focused solutions, sharpen our competitive position, and lead compliant, persuasive proposals.

This is primarily a capture role. You will spend most of your time on the front end of the business development lifecycle: understanding the customer, developing win strategy, and defining the solution. You will also lead proposal development through to submission.

You will work closely with Business Development, Operations, Pricing & Contracts, subject matter experts, and Executive Leadership. You will also use AI-enabled tools such as GovDash to move pursuits faster and raise the quality of our work.

What You'll Do

Capture Leadership

• Own assigned opportunities from qualification through proposal submission.
• Conduct opportunity assessments, bid/no-bid analyses, and pursuit planning.
• Build and maintain capture plans, win themes, SWOT analyses, competitive assessments, customer profiles, and solution strategies.
• Research agency missions, priorities, budgets, and acquisition trends to understand customer needs beyond the solicitation.
• Coordinate customer intelligence gathering across internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify, evaluate, and maintain relationships with teaming partners.

Solution Development

• Lead development of solutions that address agency objectives and evaluation criteria.
• Facilitate working sessions with subject matter experts to shape technical and management approaches.
• Translate customer challenges into clear discriminators, strengths, and benefits.
• Ensure solutions align with operational capabilities, staffing strategies, and pricing assumptions.
• Support development of staffing plans, transition plans, and quality assurance approaches.
• Lead proposals from kickoff through submission.
• Develop compliance matrices, annotated outlines, writing plans, and proposal schedules.
• Manage writers, reviewers, and subject matter experts.
• Facilitate Black Hat, Pink, Red, and Gold Team reviews.
• Ensure full compliance with solicitation instructions and evaluation criteria.
• Review content for consistency, responsiveness, and persuasiveness.
• Coordinate final production and on-time submission.

AI & Process Improvement

• Use GovDash and other AI-enabled tools to accelerate capture and proposal work.
• Build and refine AI-assisted workflows, reusable content libraries, and knowledge management practices.
• Keep opportunity data and capture documentation current in approved systems.

Business Development Support

• Support pipeline reviews and opportunity forecasting.
• Partner with BD leadership to identify growth targets and teaming strategies.
• Contribute to capability statements, presentations, and other business development materials.
• Support growth across federal civilian, health, defense, and mission support markets.

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, communications, public administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience in federal capture, proposal management, or business development within government contracting.
• Demonstrated experience leading federal opportunities from pre-RFP through proposal submission.
• Experience developing compliant proposals for FAR-based procurements.
• Strong analytical, research, and critical-thinking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple pursuits at once under tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Shipley Associates training or certification and/or APMP certification.
• Experience pursuing work with HHS (including ACF and CMS), DHA, VA, DOJ, GSA, or other federal civilian agencies.
• Experience with GovDash, GovWin, SAM.gov, HigherGov, GovTribe, or similar platforms.
• Experience leading Black Hat reviews and competitive analyses.
• Experience with AI-assisted proposal development tools.

You’ll Thrive Here If You

• Take full ownership of your pursuits and the results.
• Are naturally curious and find answers on your own when information is missing.
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Influence and align teams without direct authority.
• Are comfortable adopting new technologies and AI tools.
• Pay close attention to detail without losing sight of the win.

Who You’ll Work With

You will report to the Director of Strategic Growth & Solutions and partner daily with Executive Leadership, Business Development, Operations Leadership, Pricing & Contracts, Recruiting, and proposal contributors and SMEs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

FM Talent Source, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.