Senior Director Proposal Strategy

Maximus; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Maximus seeks a Senior Director of Proposal Strategy to lead multi-volume federal bids from pre-RFP through final submission, translating complex solutions into persuasive messaging and winning narratives.

This hands-on leader will manage end-to-end proposal development, ensure compliance with FAR and client requirements, and mentor a team of proposal professionals to drive high-quality, competitive submissions across DoD, DHS, CMS, VA, and other agencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 12+ years of professional experience in federal proposal strategy or capture management, or equivalent record of leading winning proposals.
• Knowledge of FAR and federal procurement processes.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent proposals in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with large, complex federal pursuits (IT, BPO, or professional services).
• Strong writing, editing, and communications skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead bid strategy and oral presentations, establish processes and policies.
• Collaborate with proposal managers to craft compliant, high-scoring presentations.
• Create talk tracts, scenario-based questions, and sample government questions.
• Coach teams for federal oral presentations and improve delivery and engagement.
• Conduct practice sessions and provide feedback for improvement.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to develop competitive proposal strategies and solutions.
• Stay updated on best practices and incorporate new techniques into training.
• Mentor junior staff and supervise performance with established standards.
• Oversee end-to-end proposal management from pre-RFP to submission.
• Ensure compliance with solicitation requirements and deadlines.
• Lead development of executive summaries and high-visibility sections.
• Guide messaging frameworks, win themes, discriminators, and value propositions.

Skills

Analytical skills

Writing

Editing

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Orals coaching

Proposal strategy

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

Proposal automation platforms

AI-assisted writing tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The Senior Director Proposal Strategy is a key leadership role responsible for developing and executing winning proposal strategies across the federal opportunity lifecycle. This position drives the development of compliant, compelling, and high-scoring proposals that align with customer requirements and organizational win strategies. This role supports multiple concurrent federal pursuits annually, including large-scale, multi-volume efforts across the Federal Government, such as DoW, DHS, Treasury, HHS, CMS, VA, etc.

In addition to leading proposal strategy, this role is expected to directly manage proposals end-to-end, ensuring compliant, high-quality submissions across all phases of the proposal lifecycle.

The Strategist translates complex technical and operational solutions into clear, persuasive messaging and visual narratives that differentiate the organization and maximize probability of win.

This is a hands-on role requiring both strategic vision and direct execution of proposal development activities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

- Responsible for managing the Bid Strategy & Oral Presentations to establish processes, procedures and departmental policies.
- Collaborate with proposal managers and section leads to craft compelling, compliant, and easy-to-score presentations.
- Lead the creation of talk tracts, scenario-based questions, and sample government questions.
- Provide expert coaching and training to teams preparing for federal oral presentations, ensuring they effectively communicate their value proposition.
- Conduct practice sessions, providing constructive feedback and strategies for improvement.
- Work closely with proposal teams, technical solutions teams, subject matter experts (SMEs), and the functional operations team to develop compelling and competitive proposal strategies, refine technical and operational solutions, ensure alignment with client requirements, and enhance the overall quality and effectiveness of oral presentations.
- Stay updated on best practices in federal orals coaching and incorporate new techniques and strategies into training sessions.
- Assess key presenters’ effectiveness, offering tailored advice to improve delivery, confidence, and audience engagement.
- Monitor performance of subordinates according to established monitoring standards; conduct performance appraisals, make decisions on personnel actions including hiring, firing, and disciplinary action.

Lead proposal strategy development from pre-RFP through submission, ensuring alignment with win strategy, customer insights, and evaluation criteria

Analyze RFx (RFI/RFP/RFQ) requirements, including Sections L and M, and translate into actionable guidance for proposal teams

Develop and implement proposal messaging frameworks, including win themes, discriminators, value propositions, and ghosting strategies

Facilitate storyboarding sessions and define structured proposal outlines and messaging blueprints

Lead end-to-end proposal management for assigned pursuits, including schedule development, review coordination, volume integration, and final delivery

Ensure compliance with all solicitation requirements (Section L/M), internal processes, and submission deadlines

Coordinate cross-functional teams (capture, SMEs, writers, graphics) to produce cohesive, compelling proposal volumes

Guide development of clear, compliant, and persuasive proposal content, ensuring alignment with approved strategy

Serve as the central integration point across Business Development, Capture, Proposal Operations, Technical SMEs, and Graphics teams

Partner with solution architects to conceptualize and refine technical solution graphics for both customer engagement and proposal use

Lead development of executive summaries and other high-visibility sections

Facilitate black hat reviews and develop competitive positioning strategies to counter known and anticipated competitor approaches

Mentor and develop junior proposal staff, contributing to team capability growth and knowledge transfer

Support opportunity qualification and early shaping activities in coordination with Capture Managers

Ensure consistency of messaging, tone, and visual storytelling across all proposal volumes

Support proposal execution, including schedules, color team reviews, and milestone adherence

Drive continuous improvement of proposal strategy, processes, and content development practices

- Bachelor's degree in relevant field of study.
-12+ years of relevant professional experience required.

Minimum 10 years of federal proposal strategy and/or capture management experience, as part of a broader 15+ year federal business development career — or equivalent demonstrated record of leading winning proposals on large, complex federal pursuits

Demonstrated knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and federal procurement processes

Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent proposals in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Experience supporting large, complex federal pursuits (e.g., IT, BPO, or professional services)

Strong analytical, writing, editing, and communication skills

Ability to effectively collaborate across cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders

Experience handling Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

High degree of professionalism, integrity, and accountability

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint); familiarity with proposal automation platforms and AI-assisted writing tools strongly preferred; working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite a plus

APMP Certification (Practitioner or Professional preferred). Shipley Associates training or equivalent structured proposal certification

Experience with orals/oral presentation coaching on major federal prusuits.

Experience with GSA ASS/FEDSIM proposal responses.

Experience supporting large-scale, multi-volume proposals (e.g., IDIQs, GWACs)

Experience developing executive-level proposal content and presentations

Experience implementing proposal best practices and process improvements

EEO Statement

Maximus is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected characteristics.

Pay Transparency

Maximus compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to job location, a candidate's education, training, experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value analysis including seniority and merit systems, as well as internal pay alignment. Annual salary is just one component of Maximus's total compensation package. Other rewards may include short- and long-term incentives as well as program-specific awards. Additionally, Maximus provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off. Compensation ranges may differ based on contract value but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. An applicant's salary history will not be used in determining compensation. Maximus will comply with regulatory minimum wage rates and exempt salary thresholds in all instances.

Accommodations

Maximus provides reasonable accommodations to individuals requiring assistance during any phase of the employment process due to a disability, medical condition, or physical or mental impairment. If you require assistance at any stage of the employment process—including accessing job postings, completing assessments, or participating in interviews,--please contact People Operations at [e-mail] .