Director of Proposal Operations

Saalex; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer Paid Health Care Plans for Em

Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)

Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&

Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public

Short Term & Long Term Disability

Training & Development

Wellness Resources

Stock Option Benefit

Job summary

Saalex Corporation seeks a Director of Proposal Operations to lead the full lifecycle of federal proposals across diverse DoD and Federal civilian opportunities. The role requires strategic collaboration with BD, Capture, and technical teams to craft winning responses and compliant submissions.

Hybrid work model with locations in Lexington Park, MD, Washington, DC, or Huntsville, AL. Requires 10+ years in federal proposals and 5+ years in leadership, with a Secret clearance eligibility.

Qualifications

• 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 operations leadership.
• APMP/Shipley certification is a plus for the candidate.
• Strong knowledge of FAR/DFARS requirements and federal procurement processes.
• Experience supporting complex contracts, task orders, and competitive procurements.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full proposal lifecycle: planning, development, review, production, submission, debriefs, and lessons learned.
• Direct responses to RFPs, RFIs, Sources Sought, OTAs, white papers, and government solicitations.
• Partner with BD and Capture to shape strategies, win themes, and messaging.
• Establish enterprise proposal processes, templates, style guides, and best practices.
• Manage schedules, resources, color-team reviews, and multiple concurrent pursuits.
• Lead compliance reviews and various evaluation activities (Pink/Red/Gold/White Glove).
• Ensure alignment with solicitation requirements, FAR/DFARS, and security standards.
• Develop and mentor proposal staff; support training and succession planning.

Skills

Federal proposal management

Team leadership

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Winning proposal experience

Proposal strategy & messaging

Project management

Proposal tools (SharePoint/Microsoft T

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree preferred

APMP/Shipley certification

Tools

SharePoint

Microsoft Teams

AI-enabled proposal tools

Content management systems

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.

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.

• Employer Paid Health Care Plans for Employees & Family
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Wellness Resources
• Stock Option Benefit