Proposal Development Lead

Quantum Space; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Quantum Space is seeking an experienced Proposal Development Lead to drive the full lifecycle of federal and civil space proposals, from RFP release to final submission. You will coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, business development, contracts, pricing, and executives to craft compliant, compelling content on schedule.

Ideal candidates bring 8+ years in federal proposal management, strong project management skills, and a proven track record directing multi-million dollar

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience managing federal government proposal efforts.
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating large-scale proposals valued between $50 million and $500 million or greater.
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition processes, proposal development methodologies, and competitive procurement environments.
• Experience supporting Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Civil Space, or related government customers.
• Expertise in proposal planning, compliance management, content development, and proposal production.
• Exceptional project management, organization, and schedule management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the end-to-end proposal process from RFP release through final submission.
• Develop and maintain proposal schedules, milestones, compliance matrices, and production plans.
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings, status reviews, daily coordination meetings, and submission readiness activities.
• Coordinate inputs from technical, management, pricing, contracts, business development, and executive stakeholders.
• Ensure proposal compliance with solicitation requirements, instructions, evaluation criteria, and customer expectations.
• Collaborate with capture managers, business development leaders, and executive leadership to align proposal strategies, win themes, discriminators, and messaging.
• Monitor proposal progress and proactively identify and mitigate risks to schedule, quality, compliance, and delivery.
• Oversee proposal production, reviews, editing, formatting, graphics integration, and final submission activities.
• Manage proposal resources, staffing requirements, and workload prioritization across multiple concurrent pursuits.
• Support and facilitate color team reviews, executive reviews, compliance reviews, and final quality assurance reviews.
• Develop proposal content strategies that communicate Quantum Space’s technical capabilities, mission solutions, and value proposition.
• Maintain proposal development processes, tools, templates, content libraries, and best practices.
• Serve as Proposal Manager when required to support critical pursuits and strategic growth initiatives.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that improve proposal quality, efficiency, and win probability.

Skills

Proposal management

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Federal procurement

Stakeholder coordination

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Physics/Aerospace/Business Administration/Communications/English

Job description

Quantum Space is redefining mobility and maneuverability in space. Our high-mobility spacecraft platforms support national security, civil, and commercial missions with unmatched flexibility and propulsion capability. We build fast and iterate quickly.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking an experienced Proposal Development Lead to lead and manage strategic proposal efforts that support Quantum Space’s growth across national security, civil, and commercial space markets. In this role, you will drive the full proposal lifecycle from solicitation release through final submission while ensuring proposals are compliant, compelling, competitive, and delivered on schedule.

You will serve as the central coordinator for proposal development activities, working closely with capture managers, business development leaders, engineers, program managers, contracts professionals, pricing teams, executives, and subject matter experts. This position is ideal for a highly organized proposal leader who combines deep federal proposal expertise with strong project management, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.

You will help Quantum Space pursue some of the most important space and defense opportunities in the industry by building efficient proposal teams, establishing repeatable processes, maintaining compliance, and ensuring proposal content clearly communicates Quantum Space’s technical capabilities, mission solutions, and customer value.

Where You’ll Make an Impact

• Own and manage the end-to-end proposal process from RFP release through final submission
• Develop and maintain proposal schedules, milestones, compliance matrices, and production plans
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings, status reviews, daily coordination meetings, and submission readiness activities
• Coordinate inputs from technical, management, pricing, contracts, business development, and executive stakeholders
• Ensure proposal compliance with solicitation requirements, instructions, evaluation criteria, and customer expectations
• Collaborate with capture managers, business development leaders, and executive leadership to align proposal strategies, win themes, discriminators, and messaging
• Monitor proposal progress and proactively identify and mitigate risks to schedule, quality, compliance, and delivery
• Oversee proposal production, reviews, editing, formatting, graphics integration, and final submission activities
• Manage proposal resources, staffing requirements, and workload prioritization across multiple concurrent pursuits
• Support and facilitate color team reviews, executive reviews, compliance reviews, and final quality assurance reviews
• Develop proposal content strategies that communicate Quantum Space’s technical capabilities, mission solutions, and value proposition
• Maintain proposal development processes, tools, templates, content libraries, and best practices
• Serve as Proposal Manager when required to support critical pursuits and strategic growth initiatives
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that improve proposal quality, efficiency, and win probability

What It Takes

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, Aerospace, Business Administration, Communications, English, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience managing federal government proposal efforts
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating large-scale proposals valued between $50 million and $500 million or greater
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition processes, proposal development methodologies, and competitive procurement environments
• Experience supporting Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Civil Space, or related government customers
• Expertise in proposal planning, compliance management, content development, and proposal production
• Exceptional project management, organization, and schedule management skills