Proposal Manager

FM Talent; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

FM Talent Source seeks an experienced Proposal Manager to oversee the full lifecycle of federal proposals, from capture planning to final submission.

Lead cross-functional teams of writers, pricing analysts, and subject-matter experts; develop win themes; ensure FAR/DFARS compliance; manage templates, version control, and color team reviews.

Qualifications

• 5 years of Proposal Management experience in government contracting.
• Experience with Federal solicitations and compliance frameworks (FAR/DFARS).
• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling abilities for proposals.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage schedules.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full proposal development lifecycle from capture to submission.
• Develop win themes, compliance matrices, and content plans.
• Coordinate with writers, pricing analysts, SMEs, illustrators, and reviewers.
• Lead color team reviews and ensure on-time delivery of volumes.
• Maintain repositories of reusable content and templates for efficiency.
• Manage budgets, resources, and risk for proposal efforts.

Skills

Proposal Management

Federal Government contracting

AI tools for content research

Project and time management

Education

BA / BS in business or related field

Tools

SAM

GovWin

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

FM Talent Source is an enterprise that provides business and workforce solutions to help organizations nationwide overcome business challenges. Our clients include federal, state and local government agencies, Fortune 500 Companies, and non-profit organizations. Founded in 2004, we have a strong history of providing recruitment strategies and utilizing effective project and quality management methodologies to ensure our clients’ success.

Position Overview

The Proposal Manager oversees the entire proposal development process with strategic, operational, compliance-oriented, and leadership responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Opportunity Identification and Capture Support

• Support the Strategy and Growth team in conducting market research and competitive intelligence to pursue opportunities within target markets
• Demonstrated experience managing and writing small- to large-scale strategic proposals to primarily Federal government agencies, both independently (completing all elements to include storyboarding, facilitation of SME solution development, copy editing, word processing, template formatting, etc.) and as part of a proposal team (managing technical writers, book bosses, etc.)
• Collaborate on win strategies and capture planning to align proposal efforts with organizational goals.
• Facilitate bid/no-go discussions based on opportunity viability and company capability.
• Coordinate with subcontractors, teaming partners, or consultants if necessary.

Proposal Planning and Coordination

• Develop proposal management plans outlining roles, responsibilities, schedules, compliance matrices, and resource allocations.
• Create detailed timelines, assign tasks, and monitor progress to ensure deadlines are met.
• Standardize proposal structure through templates, outlines, and corporate style guides.
• Ensure version control and configuration management across multiple volumes and teams.
• Coordinate contributions from cross-functional teams, including subject-matter experts, writers, pricing analysts, reviewers, illustrators, and graphic designers.

Proposal Strategy and Content Management

• Review solicitations (RFPs, RFQs, RFIs) to identify requirements, evaluation criteria, and potential clarifications.
• Develop win themes, discriminators, and key messaging. Must be an accomplished writer with in-depth experience creating proposal related documents, i.e., compliance matrices, win theme/strength/capability matrices, proposal outlines, schedules, proposal related questions, storyboards, color review documents, final proposal documents, white papers and oral presentation materials
• Oversee content generation for all sections: technical, management, past performance, pricing, and executive summaries.
• Provide guidance and editing for clarity, persuasiveness, and compliance.
• Maintain repositories of reusable content, past performance data, templates, and graphics to optimize efficiency.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure proposals adhere to FAR/DFARS regulations, solicitation instructions, and internal organizational standards.
• Develop and maintain a compliance matrix mapping each requirement to the corresponding response section.
• Identify and mitigate risk areas that may impact proposal approval or scoring.
• Administer proposal management tools or platforms to support collaboration and document integrity.

Review, Production, and Submission

• Coordinate and facilitate color team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold, White Glove) to iteratively assess compliance and quality.
• Assemble final proposal volumes, ensuring consistency, completeness, and professional presentation.
• Secure necessary approvals before submission and manage logistics for electronic or physical deliverables.
• Track all amendments or changes to the solicitation and ensure the proposal remains current.

Post-Submission Activities

• Respond to clarifications, questions, or discussions initiated by the government.
• Conduct post-submission debriefs to capture lessons learned for continuous improvement.
• Analyze proposal performance and win/loss metrics to refine processes and future strategies.

Team Leadership and Communication

• Serve as a single point of accountability for the proposal effort.
• Lead cross-functional teams and motivate members to meet quality and schedule objectives.
• Conduct regular status meetings and provide clear guidance for task execution.
• Maintain effective communication with directors, program managers, and business development leadership.

Administrative and Operational Duties

• Manage proposal budgets, resources, and schedules efficiently.
• Prepare status reports and updates for senior management.
• Ensure adherence to internal processes for audits, recordkeeping, and corporate governance.
• Support strategic business development initiatives to enhance organizational growth.

Professional Expertise and Development

• Stay current on federal procurement regulations, industry best practices, and emerging trends.
• Apply structured methodologies like Shipley, Capture Planning, or FED Market approaches for consistent proposal success.
• Contribute to process improvements, lessons learned, and institutional knowledge sharing.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Must have 5 years of Proposal Management experience.
• Must have Federal Government contracting experience.
• Experience with current industry trends and the competitive environment.
• Working knowledge of the use of AI tools to support content research and proposal development.
• Experience using SAM, GovWin and other research platforms.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• BA / BS in business or any other related degree.
• Excellent project and time management skills with strong results and goal orientation.

Compensation Range

The salary range provided is determined by market value, internal equity, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications. Offers will be extended within this range, though not all candidates will receive an offer at the upper limit.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.