Director, Pre-Award Program Management

eSimplicity; Columbia (MD); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) retirement

Paid time off

Life and disability insurance

Wellness programs

Job summary

eSimplicity is a modern digital services company serving federal agencies with a focus on security and transformation. The Director, Pre-Award Program Management oversees bid readiness, LOE/BOE development, and the balance between competitive pricing and execution risk, ensuring proposals are compliant and executable.

The role coordinates between capture, pricing, and program delivery, and may manage staffing for proposals.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in federal IT or digital services delivery with PM/PD on federal programs.
• Proven experience as a bid delivery lead or key person on large federal bids.
• Experience building LOEs and BOEs and working with pricing teams across contract types.
• Excellent executive communication and ability to translate complex factors into clear decisions.
• Willingness to work remote with ET hours and occasional travel.

Responsibilities

• Own LOE and Basis of Estimate (BOE) spreadsheets, narratives, and assumptions.
• Serve as authoritative for compliant, defensible BOEs across solicitation types.
• Work with Pricing on iterations, trade-offs, and bid realism.
• Maintain BOE standards, templates, and estimating assumptions.
• Explore AI/tools to improve estimating, proposal development, and program management.
• Identify execution risks and mitigations and reflect costs in price.

Skills

Executive communication

Bid management

Pricing liaison

Risk assessment

Education

PMP certification

Active DoD Secret clearance

Tools

CMMI experience

ISO audits

Shipley training

APMP training

Job description

Description

About Us:

eSimplicity is modern digital services company that work across government, partnering with our clients to improve the lives and ensure the security of all Americans-from soldiers and veteran to kids and the elderly, and defend national interests on the battlefield. Our engineers, designers and strategist cut through complexity to create intuitive products and services that equip Federal agencies with solutions to courageously transform today for a better tomorrow for all Americans.

The Director, Pre-Award Program Management is eSimplicity’s dedicated Bid Readiness Lead on large and strategic pursuits. The role is the link between capture, technical proposal, basis of estimate (BOE) and program delivery and risk. It ensures that our price proposal is competitive, compliant, defensible and executable, as well as aligned with our technical response. The Director is accountable for the BOE and for optimizing the balance between competitive pricing and execution risk, including proposal assumptions. The Director may also be responsible for management, staffing and/or key personnel for some proposals, as well as pre-award program planning. After award, the Director supports program startup activities, as needed.

The Director takes part in capture only as far as needed to understand the solution and ground the estimate. Capture strategy, customer relationships and teaming remain with the Capture Manager.

Building on this work, the Director also maintains eSimplicity’s program-management standards and supports readiness for CMMI appraisals and ISO audits. This enables process compliance and excellent performance, and ensures that what we propose matches how we actually work. The COO may also assign the Director to manage a small program, with a matching reduction in other responsibilities.

Responsibilities:

Proposal: Estimation and BOE

• Own the level of effort (LOE) and the Basis of Estimate: the BOE spreadsheet, BOE narrative and technical assumptions.
• Serve as eSimplicity’s go-to authority for compliant, defensible BOEs. This covers solicitation requirements, contract type (FFP, T&M, cost-plus, IDIQ task orders), price realism and price reasonableness.
• Work with Pricing through pricing iterations and trade-offs. Assess the impact of pricing changes on meeting SOO/SOW/PWS objectives, program execution, proposal risk and program risk.
• Maintain and manage eSimplicity’s BOE standards, templates and estimating assumptions.
• Look for AI and other tools that make estimating, proposal development and program management faster and more accurate.

Proposal: Risk

• Identify execution risks and mitigations, and estimate what they would cost. Recommend how that cost should be reflected in the price.
• Develop and document the pricing assumptions that come from the BOE, and help build both bid case and business case scenarios.
• Contribute to and review the Execution Model (the cost and price model we believe we will actually deliver at) alongside the Bid Model, so the executability review is complete before Price & Proposal Submission approval.
• Give leadership a clear, concise read on risk, compliance and financial exposure at bid/no-bid gate reviews and price approval.

Proposal: Management and Staffing

• Write or lead the management, staffing and key personnel sections. Contribute to the technical solution.
• Recommend team structures and labor mix that are competitive and staffable.
• Lead or support identification of key personnel, résumés and letters of commitment.
• Take part in color team reviews. Make sure proposal commitments line up with the BOE and with eSimplicity practices.

Capture Involvement

• Involvement in capture serves the estimate. The aim is continuity, clarity and early answers for the BOE, risk and staffing work above, not ownership of capture.
• Join capture early enough to understand the customer’s requirements, the emerging solution and the win strategy, so the LOE, BOE and staffing plan reflect the real solution.
• Give the Capture Manager and solution architects a delivery and cost view: what is executable, what is staffable, and what price-to-win trade-offs mean for risk.
• Contribute to the management and staffing approach as the solution takes shape.

Pre-award Planning and Program startup

• Build the program plan, staffing and hiring plan, incumbent capture plan and financial plan before award, so we are ready on day one.
• After award, lead or provide hands-on support for startup and transition, as needed, until the program is stable.

Process Standards and Audit Readiness

• This work grows out of the bid and startup work above. The person who defines how we estimate, staff and start programs is well placed to keep those practices documented, consistent and audit-ready.
• Keep proposal-ready descriptions of our certifications, quality processes and management approach, so proposals describe what we really do.
• Maintain a lightweight set of program management standards, templates and tools, starting with estimating, startup, reporting and risk practices.
• Support readiness for CMMI appraisals and ISO audits with process assets, artifacts and metrics, in coordination with Integrated Operations and Security, which own those programs and related standards such as CMMC.
• Run internal process compliance checks. Track findings and corrective actions to closure.

Program Management

• When assigned by the COO, serve as PM for a small, stable program, with a matching reduction in other responsibilities. Own customer relationships, delivery, staffing and financial performance.

Requirements

12+ years in federal IT or digital services delivery, with 5+ years as a PM or PD on federal programs. Must have led major programs to strong cost, schedule and technical performance.Proven experience as a bid delivery lead, PM Rep, proposed PM or key person on large federal bids, including authoring management and staffing volumes.Hands-on expertise building LOEs and BOEs and working with pricing teams across FFP, T&M and cost-plus contracts.Working knowledge of federal acquisition (FAR, IDIQ and task order competitions, cost realism, evaluation criteria).Experience starting up or transitioning new programs, including incumbent capture.Experience implementing or supporting CMMI and/or ISO programs, and preparing for appraisals and audits.PMP certification.Excellent executive communication. Able to turn complex technical, financial and operational factors into clear decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in eSimplicity’s markets: Civilian Health (such as HHS, CMS, NIH) and/or Defense and National Security and/or Citizen Services (such as DOS, SBA, SEC, IRS).
• Agile or SAFe certification. Experience with human-centered design and modern product delivery.
• Shipley or APMP training; familiarity with capture gate processes.
• Active DoD Secret clearance.
• Preferredtor training.

Working Environment:This is a remote position supporting Eastern Time business hours. Employees are expected to work 9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET unless otherwise directed by their manager.
Occasional travel for training or project meetings may be required and is estimated at less than 5% annually.
Benefits:eSimplicity offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement benefits, paid time off, paid holidays, life and disability insurance, and additional wellness and employee support programs. Eligibility may vary based on employment status and applicable plan terms.
Reasonable Accommodation:eSimplicity is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process. Applicants who need assistance or an accommodation should contact Human Resources.
Equal Employment Opportunity:eSimplicity is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.