Proposal Lead

Poseidon Aerospace; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Health benefits

6% Retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free meals at office

AI tools access

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace is seeking a Proposal Lead to direct all proposal activities from strategy to submission and contract award. You will partner with growth, capture, and engineering teams to develop winning proposals.

Responsibilities include leading proposal processes, creating compliant strategies, and building scalable content libraries that support rapid responses to solicitations from federal agencies. A strong writing and coordination skill set is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience with non-standard solicitations such as OTAs, CSOs, SBIRs.
• Experience with contract types including IDIQs, cost plus, T&M, FFP.
• Strong business and technical writing skills: translate complex concepts clearly.
• Deep knowledge of FAR/DFARS and proposal compliance requirements.
• Experience developing compliance matrices and managing submission schedules.
• Technical literacy in federal contracting and aerospace systems.
• US citizenship and eligibility for a secret security clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

• Execute and lead winning proposals from initiation through award and submission.
• Establish proposal processes, methods, and metrics for repeatable success.
• Develop proposal strategies with leadership, capture, and engineering.
• Collaborate with capture and engineering on white papers, graphics, and briefs.
• Build and own the proposal library, schedules, and documentation standards.
• Coordinate with leadership to update pipelines and manage solicitations.

Skills

Proposal leadership

Technical writing

Government contracting

Security clearance eligibility

Project coordination

Job description

About Poseidon Aerospace

Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we’re building something consequential.

About The Role

We’re looking for a Proposal Lead to manage and direct Poseidon’s proposal activities from proposal strategy to submission to contract award, and build the infrastructure that scales with us. You’ll work directly with our growth, capture, and engineering teams to develop winning proposals.

What You’ll Do

• Execute and lead well-coordinated winning proposals from initiation through award including solicitation decomposition, proposal schedules, compliance matrices, proposal team roles, proposal formats and templates, writing assignments, single-voice edits, color team reviews, and timely submissions


• Establish and direct proposal processes, methods, enterprise solution implementation and use, and operational metrics for repeatable high quality winning proposals that can be tailored as Poseidon Aerospace scales


• Develop and lead proposal strategies working closely with leadership, capture, and engineering in preparation for solicitation release and effective proposal kickoff, execution, and timely submission


• Work with capture and engineering to prepare compelling white papers, graphics, concept briefs and other content in response to major RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, and other solicitation types from various federal agencies


• Build and own the proposal enterprise including content libraries, writing schedules, reusable prose and graphics, and documentation standards that enable high-quality and rapid responses to customer solicitations


• Working with leadership and growth teams to update pipelines, track future solicitations for proposal resource and talent management, and coordinate with customers for submission and award status

Required

• Experience with non-standard solicitations such as OTAs, CSOs, SBIRs, etc.


• Experience with various contract types including IDIQs, cost plus, T&M, FFP, etc.


• Strong business and technical writing skills: you can translate complex business, financial, and engineering concepts into clear and compelling narratives and graphical presentations


• Deep knowledge of FAR/DFARS and proposal compliance requirements to ensure that cost and technical proposals are informed, persuasive and compliant, and which balances risks between Poseidon Aero and the U.S. Government


• Experience developing compliance matrices, managing submission schedules, and owning document configuration


• Technical literacy in federal contracting, pricing schemes, contract types, and aerospace systems


• US citizenship and eligibility for a secret security clearance or higher

Ideally You Have

• 4 – 8 years in contracting or proposals, ideally at a fast-moving defense company or government contractor


• A documented track record of leading and developing winning proposals with DoW and federal agencies


• Excellent organizational, writing, and organizational skills in a scaling proposal organization


• Worked in or alongside a fast-moving team under time pressure


• Active security clearance

What You Get From Us

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity


• Relocation support if applicable


• Employee Health Benefit Plans


• 6% Retirement matching


• Flexible PTO


• Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices


• AI tools and subscriptions