Director of Proposal Operations

Saalex Corporation

Lexington Park (MD)

Hybrid

USD 160,000 - 200,000

Full time

10 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health care plans for employees and/or

401k

Life Insurance

Paid time off

Disability (short & long term)

Training & development

Wellness resources

Stock option benefit

Job summary

Saalex Corporation seeks a Director of Proposal Operations to lead the end-to-end proposal lifecycle from Lexington Park, MD with hybrid remote/in-office work across Washington, DC, or Huntsville, AL. This senior role drives strategy, templates, and compliant responses to federal solicitations within a fast-paced, mission-focused environment.

The role oversees a team of proposal professionals, aligns with BD, Capture, and operations, and ensures high-quality, timely submissions for Navy, Army,

Qualifications

10+ years of Federal proposal management experience, including at least 5 years leading proposal teams or proposal operations.
Proven success managing winning Department of Defense and Federal Government proposals.
Strong knowledge of Federal acquisition processes, solicitation compliance, FAR, and DFARS requirements.
Experience supporting complex contract vehicles, task orders, and competitive procurements.

Responsibilities

Lead the full proposal lifecycle from planning to submission.
Develop proposal strategies, win themes, discriminators, and customer-focused messaging.
Establish enterprise proposal processes, templates, standards, style guides, and best practices.
Manage proposal schedules, resource allocation, color-team reviews, production activities, and final submissions across multiple pursuits.
Lead compliance reviews and evaluation activities.
Develop proposal managers, coordinators, writers, graphic designers, and other proposal support personnel.
Maintain proposal content libraries, past-performance repositories, resume databases, and reusable materials.
Collaborate with Pricing, Contracts, Operations, and functional leadership to develop integrated solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Proposal management

Strategic thinking

Communication

Project management

Analytical skills

Technical writing

Team development

Stakeholder collaboration

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Master's degree in a related discipline

APMP certification

Tools

SharePoint

Microsoft Teams

AI-enabled proposal tools

Job description

Saalex Corporation is seeking a Director of Proposal Operations in Lexington Park, MD, Washington, DC, or Huntsville, AL. Saalex Corporation is a professional services company delivering engineering, information technology, logistics, training, cybersecurity, and mission support solutions to the Department of Defense and Federal Government. We are committed to providing innovative solutions, exceptional customer service, and mission-focused support to our customers while fostering a culture of employee growth, collaboration, and ownership.

Position Type: Full-Time

Salary Range: $160K-$200K (depending on experience)

Work Location: Hybrid remote/in-office

Essential Functions:

Lead the full proposal lifecycle, including proposal planning, development, review, production, submission, debriefs, and lessons learned.
Direct the development of responses to requests for proposals, requests for information, Sources Sought notices, Other Transaction Authority opportunities, white papers, task orders, and other government solicitations.
Partner with Business Development and Capture leadership to develop proposal strategies, win themes, discriminators, and customer-focused messaging.
Establish and maintain enterprise proposal processes, templates, standards, style guides, and best practices.
Manage proposal schedules, resource allocation, color-team reviews, production activities, and final submissions across multiple concurrent pursuits.
Lead compliance reviews, Pink Teams, Red Teams, Gold Teams, White Glove reviews, oral presentations, technical demonstrations, and other evaluation activities.
Ensure proposal responses comply with solicitation requirements, evaluation criteria, customer instructions, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement requirements.
Lead and develop proposal managers, coordinators, writers, graphic designers, and other proposal support personnel.
Develop training, career-development, and succession plans for proposal team members.
Maintain proposal content libraries, past-performance repositories, resume databases, and reusable proposal materials.
Participate in capture planning, readiness assessments, gate reviews, and bid/no-bid discussions.
Collaborate with Pricing, Contracts, Operations, and functional leadership to develop integrated, executable solutions.
Support complex pursuits for Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Federal Civilian customers.
Conduct win/loss assessments, debrief analyses, and lessons-learned activities to improve future proposal performance.
Develop proposal metrics, dashboards, and performance analytics.
Oversee proposal technologies, collaboration platforms, content-management systems, and automation capabilities, including SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and AI-enabled proposal tools.
Partner with Information Technology to support the responsible, secure, and compliant use of proposal technology.
Identify and mitigate proposal risks while maintaining submission schedules, quality standards, and compliance requirements.
Other duties as assigned or required.

Requirements

Required:

10+ years of Federal proposal management experience, including at least 5 years leading proposal teams or proposal operations.
Demonstrated success managing winning Department of Defense and Federal Government proposals.
Strong knowledge of Federal acquisition processes, solicitation compliance, FAR, and DFARS requirements.
Experience supporting complex contract vehicles, task orders, and competitive procurements.
Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and project management skills.
Experience with proposal management, collaboration, and content management tools.
Ability to manage multiple high-priority pursuits in a fast-paced environment

Desired:

Master's degree in a related discipline.
APMP and/or Shipley certification.
Experience supporting Navy, Department of Defense, or Federal Civilian customers.
Experience with OTAs, CSOs, GSA Schedule opportunities, or other alternative acquisition approaches.

Education and Years of Experience:

Bachelor's degree in a related field and at least 10 years of progressive Federal Government proposal management experience with at least 5 years of proposal team or proposal operations leadership experience required.

Security Clearance:

Must be eligible to obtain a Secret clearance. Requirements to obtain a clearance include U.S. citizenship, a security investigation, and other applicable requirements.

Benefits