Proposal Manager

Strativia; Largo, Northern (MD, KY); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Strativia is seeking a Proposal Manager to own the full lifecycle of federal proposals, from kickoff to submission, partnering with Business Development, Capture, SMEs, and writers to craft compelling, compliant responses.

You will independently manage schedules, reviews, and deliverables, ensuring win themes and capture strategies are embedded throughout each response. The role begins as a 1099 contractor with a 90-day evaluation and potential transition to full-time W-2.

Qualifications

• Five to eight years of federal government proposal experience.
• Experience managing multi-volume federal proposals and fast-paced task order responses.
• Experience supporting federal contracts valued between $20M and $50M.
• Strong understanding of FAR requirements and federal contracting terminology.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; significant relevant proposal experience may substitute.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full proposal lifecycle for federal RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and task orders.
• Review solicitation requirements and establish schedules, outlines, assignments, milestones, and resource plans.
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings, milestone meetings, strategy sessions, storyboarding sessions, writer workshops, and color-team reviews.
• Write and edit executive summaries, cover letters, team qualifications, management plans, and other non-technical sections.
• Incorporate win themes, customer pain points, hot buttons, and capture strategies throughout responses.
• Collaborate with Business Development and Capture teams to guide proposal development efforts.
• Work with subject matter experts to develop clear, compelling solution narratives.
• Coordinate with graphics and publishing resources for templates and layouts.
• Review drafts for responsiveness, accuracy, quality, and compliance.
• Utilize AI-assisted proposal tools to improve efficiency while keeping content human-led.
• Maintain knowledge of previous successful proposals and reuse content where helpful.
• Apply FAR knowledge and federal contracting terminology in responses.
• Establish production schedules and resource plans to meet deadlines.
• Provide mentorship to proposal writers and contributors.
• Facilitate lessons-learned sessions and drive process improvements.

Skills

Proposal writing

Editing

Communication

Time management

Quality control

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

AI-assisted proposal tools

GovDash

Job description

Job Purpose:
The Proposal Manager is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of federal government proposals, from initial solicitation review and planning through proposal development, color-team reviews, production, and final submission. This position works closely with Business Development, Capture, subject matter experts, writers, and other internal stakeholders to develop compelling, compliant, and customer-focused responses.
The Proposal Manager will independently manage proposal schedules, assignments, reviews, and deliverables while ensuring win themes, customer priorities, and capture strategies are effectively incorporated throughout each response.
This position will initially be offered as a 1099 independent contractor opportunity, with a 90-day evaluation period and the potential to transition to full-time W-2 employment upon successful completion.
Responsibilities:

• Manage the full proposal lifecycle for federal RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and task order responses.
• Review solicitation requirements and establish proposal schedules, outlines, assignments, milestones, and resource plans.
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings, milestone meetings, strategy sessions, storyboarding sessions, writer workshops, and color-team reviews.
• Manage Pink, Red, Gold, and White review processes to ensure proposal quality, compliance, and responsiveness.
• Write and edit compelling proposal content, including executive summaries, cover letters, team qualifications, management plans, and other non-technical sections.
• Incorporate win themes, customer pain points, hot buttons, and capture strategies throughout proposal responses.
• Collaborate with Business Development and Capture teams to guide proposal development efforts.
• Work closely with subject matter experts to develop and communicate clear, compelling solution narratives.
• Coordinate with graphics and desktop publishing resources to develop tailored templates, graphics concepts, formatting standards, and proposal layouts.
• Review proposal drafts and final documents for responsiveness, accuracy, consistency, quality, and compliance.
• Utilize AI-assisted proposal tools to improve proposal development efficiency while ensuring final content is personalized, accurate, and human-led.
• Maintain knowledge of previous successful proposal efforts and identify relevant reusable content from internal repositories.
• Apply knowledge of FAR requirements and federal contract terms and provisions when developing and reviewing proposal responses.
• Establish production schedules and resource plans to ensure proposal deliverables are completed and submitted on time.
• Provide strategic guidance and mentorship to proposal writers and other contributors.
• Facilitate lessons-learned sessions and recommend improvements to proposal processes, templates, tools, and best practices.
• Identify and implement process improvements that increase proposal efficiency, quality, and competitiveness.
• Manage multiple priorities and aggressive deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Five (5) to eight (8) years of experience managing, writing, and editing federal government proposals.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-volume federal proposals and fast-paced task order responses.
• Experience supporting successful federal contract pursuits, particularly opportunities valued between approximately $20M and $50M.
• In-depth understanding of developing compelling and compliant federal RFI, RFP, and RFQ responses.
• Strong federal government proposal writing and editing experience.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating proposal strategy sessions, storyboarding, and formal color-team reviews.
• Experience developing proposal schedules, assignments, production plans, and review processes.
• Strong understanding of win themes, customer pain points, discriminators, and capture strategies.
• Experience using AI-assisted proposal development tools; GovDash experience is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with FAR requirements and federal contracting terminology.
• Strong organizational, communication, writing, editing, and quality-control skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple proposals, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; significant relevant proposal experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Strativia understands that our staff is our number one asset. Therefore, we provide competitive salaries and health benefits along with a robust training and development plans to help ensure that our employees are happy and motivated. If you are interested in the opportunity above please contact us and join a dynamic, fun and, fast growing organization.
Strativia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Strativia in accordance with applicable law, does not discriminate in hiring or otherwise in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. EOE/AA/Vets