Proposal Specialist IV

AECOM; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

Paid time off

Retirement savings plan

Job summary

AECOM is hiring a Proposal Leader in Charlotte, NC, for their Government Marketing team. The hybrid position involves leading proposal teams and managing complex submissions for US Federal projects. Ideal candidates will have strong proposal management skills and extensive experience in the A/E industry.

The role demands excellent communication and leadership abilities, coupled with a Bachelor's degree and over 6 years of experience. AECOM offers comprehensive benefits, emphasizing a supportive work environment.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of related proposal experience, ideally within US Federal Civilian and/or DoD sectors.
• Strong understanding of effective proposal practices and tools.
• Evidence of leadership in multi-disciplinary proposals valued >$20 million.

Responsibilities

• Lead proposals and presentations for US Federal work.
• Collaborate with teams on RFQs and RFPs.
• Drive compliance with proposal strategies.

Skills

Proposal writing and editing

Desktop publishing software

Ability to manage multiple projects

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

Collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, SharePoint)

Job description

Proposal Leader – Government Marketing

Interested in an opportunity to be part of a dynamic team of proposal managers focused on winning US Federal work around the world? AECOM is hiring an experienced Proposal Leader to work within our Governments Marketing team.

This will be a hybrid position including a combination of both remote and in-office work schedules, that can be based in, but not limited to: Charlotte, NC.

Job Responsibilities

In this role, you will be responsible for leading key proposals and presentations, providing support and guidance from pre‑RFP positioning through to the interview stage, as required, and leading a team of proposal staff that support our Federal Civilian and DoD Proposal teams. Subject matter may include studies and planning, architecture and engineering design, construction, environmental, program management, and other professional services.

General

• As a Proposal Manager and writer, collaborate with regional and BL teams on identified priority pursuits, including pre‑positioning, capture, responses to requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP), and shortlist interviews.
• Reports to the Marketing Team Lead within our Governments Marketing group.

Proposal Management and Development

• Responsible for leading large, complex, priority must‑win pursuits from capture through to interview stage, which may include multiple disciplines/geographies.
• May facilitate workshops/sessions to support the capture manager in development of the win strategy.
• Analyzes debriefs and applies lessons learned to add value to strategy and reviews.
• Creates detailed annotated outlines and first‑draft content, compliance lists, and capture and proposal schedules, with the ability to pivot if requirements change.
• Leads and contributes to the writing of proposal sections such as cover letters, executive summaries, past performance sections, management approaches, and resumes/staffing sections.
• Participates actively in Go/No‑Go, capture strategies and greenlight analyses and drives compliance with delegation of authority guidelines, capture planning and positioning activities, providing leadership and direction, where required.
• Facilitates color reviews (pink and red team) for assigned pursuits, and applies lessons learned to add value to proposal and win plan.
• Serves as a reviewer on color reviews for priority pursuits led by others, as needed, applying in‑depth institutional knowledge.
• Responsible for quality and compliance of deliverables.
• Supports debriefs and gathering of client feedback on proposals to ensure and demonstrate continuous improvements.
• Responsible for proposal and project filing on the secure server and CRM. Knows where to go for all recent submittals and project descriptions. Is familiar with the top IDIQs and top IDIQ managers and project managers.
• May participate in strategic planning that includes evaluating marketing intelligence, identifying customer concerns and key issues, and developing win strategies to thread into strategic pursuits.
• May contribute to development and implementation of internal training program on topics related to core processes, tools, practices or other special topics.
• May lead special projects involving teams of BL staff, as directed by Governments Marketing Lead.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing or a related field and 6+ years of related proposal experience, ideally within the US Federal Civilian and/or DoD client sectors or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
• Working knowledge of and interest in the A/E industry, including AECOM’s Federal clients, projects, people, credentials, and competitors.
• Evidence of successful leadership of multi‑disciplinary or multi‑geography proposals valued >$20 million.
• A thorough understanding of effective proposal and presentation best practices and tools, including how to convey messages, themes, discriminators, and responses to evaluation criteria clearly and effectively.
• Demonstrated experience applying industry best practices and procedures to support positioning, client or business development processes.
• Strong proposal writing and editing skills, including grammar and style.
• A strong working knowledge of desktop publishing software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite), graphics programs (e.g., InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop), word processing programs (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet management (Excel), and presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint).
• A working knowledge of collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, etc.
• Initiative, skill, and personal commitment to manage multiple projects and details concurrently, follow up, and bring tasks and projects to full completion.
• Professional demeanor and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to exercise discretion with confidential/sensitive issues.
• Ability to work independently and with others.
• Diplomacy with peers and internal clients in handling challenging situations.
• Resourceful problem solver.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing or a related field and 8+ years of related proposal experience, ideally within the US Federal Civilian and/or DoD client sectors.
• APMP/SMPS certification is a plus.
• An understanding of CRM, Salesforce experience is a plus.

• Due to the nature of the work, US Citizenship is required.
• Relocation assistance and/or per diem is not offered for this position.

Benefits

AECOM is proud to offer comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absences, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well‑being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.

To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in‑person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.