Senior Proposal Manager

Snowbird Agility, Inc.; Cambridge (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Snowbird Agility, Inc. seeks a Senior Proposal Manager to lead end-to-end federal proposal development, coordinating with executive leadership, growth and strategy, capture teams, and subject matter experts to deliver compelling technical writing and proposal management for federal contracts.

You will plan, write, review, and submit proposals, manage teams, ensure compliance, and drive schedules and quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, business, marketing, communications, or related field.
• 7+ years of end-to-end Federal RFP proposal management experience.
• Understanding of government contract proposal processes and compliance.
• Experience leading large, multi-contractor proposal teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work non-standard hours to meet proposal deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Own full life cycle of proposal development and related processes.
• Analyze RFP requirements; create schedules, outlines, and compliance matrices.
• Coordinate with executives and directors to identify staff and resource needs.
• Manage proposal resources and milestones to meet delivery schedules.
• Draft, edit, and review proposal sections as needed.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to articulate technical and management solutions.
• Plan and lead storyboard, kickoff, and review meetings; develop win themes.
• Coordinate data calls and ensure proper approvals for submissions.
• Oversee production aspects (word processing, graphics, binding) and file management.
• Provide status reports to BD Manager and executive team.

Skills

Analytical skills

Written communication

Oral communication

MS Office proficiency

Proposal management

Leadership/coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in English, business, marketing, communications, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

OneDrive/SharePoint

Adobe Suite

Adobe Illustrator (preferred)

Job description

We are seeking a talented Senior Proposal Manager to work closely with the executive team, Chief Growth Officer, Director of Growth and Strategy, and capture teams, and technical subject matter experts to provide technical writing and proposal management services for a fast growing, dynamic, professional services and data science/artificial intelligence solutions firm with primary business in the federal government.

The Senior Proposal Manager will be responsible for technical writing, managing and responding to data calls, and managing all proposal activities. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with high energy, have strong organizational and writing skills, and have the ability to operate effectively in complex and fast-paced environments. In this role, the candidate is a strategist and tactician who can envision the final product in total, and control resources and processes to achieve that end state.

The Senior Proposal Manager will manage and develop proposals and other related documents related to capture of Federal opportunities through the entire proposal lifecycle. This role is responsible for assembling and leading a proposal team that has the necessary skills to prepare, submit, and win complex proposals for new competitive contracts and Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) task orders. This individual will be required to lead several proposals simultaneously including competitive pursuits where Snowbird is the prime or subcontractor, IDIQ task orders, Requests for Information (RFI) and Sources Sought responses, and unsolicited proposal efforts. As the Senior Proposal Manager, this person will work closely with the Business Development Manager and functional leads for capture, technical support, client input and overall proposal development.

The Senior Proposal Manager will be responsible for planning, writing, reviews, production, assembly, and submission of compliant and compelling proposals. The Senior Proposal Manager will utilize best practices for proposal development and management. They will create comprehensive plans and schedules while managing subject matter experts, reviews, editing, graphics, formatting, and assembly. This role will maintain quality control, ensure compliance, and execute post-submission activities. They will complete proposals on time and on budget while meeting government requirements.

Primary Responsibilities

• Full life cycle of proposal development and take end-to-end ownership and command of proposal development and related support processes
• Analyzing Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements; creating the proposal schedule, outline, and compliance matrix; Managing diverse teams from various prime, subcontractor, and consultant organizations; Ensuring RFP compliance; Performing in a time-sensitive environment; writing proposal sections, as needed
• Coordinate with Chief Operating Officer, Chief Growth Officer, Director of Growth and Strategy, and Directors, Program and Project Mangers to identify proposal staff and proposal resource requirements (technical writers, graphic and layout artists, subject matter experts, subcontractor representatives and independent contractors).
• Manage proposal resources, setting and managing milestone requirements to meet proposal delivery schedule.
• Support proposals as a technical writer, drafting and editing sections of the proposal and serve as a writer, editor, and/or reviewer when not managing a proposal.
• Collaborate with capture, proposal, program management, and technical subject matter experts to develop and articulate technical, management, and phase-in solutions.
• In concert with the Capture or Program Manager, plan, coordinate the schedule for, select the membership of, and lead effective, results-driven storyboarding, kickoff, and review meetings. Be proactive in the conceptualization and development of strategic win themes and discriminators.
• Coordinate collection of questions for submission to contracting officer
• Manage and work with proposal team to develop response sections, including taking responsibility for developing content as appropriate to include past performance and corporate qualifications
• Engage key personnel and manage all proposal review activities, conduct color reviews and ensure compliance with all proposal, corporate and legal requirements.
• Act as the single point of contact between capture, operational, proposal and production staff relative to proposal development and production matters.
• Manage production aspects (word processing, graphics, editing, proofreading, reproduction, printing, collation, and binding) in support of proposal activities.
• Maintain a status record and master file on the share drive for all text and graphics; enforce the editorial guidelines specified for the proposal; manage the file server environment for proposal development.
• Provide guidance and status reports on proposal and production matters to the Business Development Manager and executive team and ensure all data calls, sources sought responses, RFIs, proposals and white papers obtain proper approvals before submission.
• Manage, coordinate and support data call responses for bid activities where Snowbird is the subcontractor.
• Provide training and guidance to proposal support team and capture teams, as required.
• Improve the proposal production process by maintaining past performance, boilerplate, and customer profile libraries
• Develop a solid understanding of Snowbird’s federal programs and technical offerings
• Update job knowledge continually by participating in educational opportunities; maintaining personal networks
• Other duties, as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in English, business, marketing, communications, or related field.
• A minimum of 7 years proven successful experience performing end-to-end, complex Federal RFP proposal management and development for similar sized-company delivering technology services to the Federal Government.
• Thorough understanding of government federal contract proposal efforts, government RFP documentation, procurement process, proposal preparation and evaluation and compliance
• The ideal candidate will be experienced in leading and managing large, multi-contractor proposal development teams.
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills with outstanding interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Able to work with minimal supervision, demonstrating flexibility, accountability, initiative and self-motivation to identify and execute tasks
• Ability to work non-standard hours when necessary for the timely completion of proposal activities
• Must be detail-oriented, organized, and able to work under tight deadlines
• Ability to effectively balance multiple priorities
• The ability to write proposal sections; this includes the ability to research and synthesize information from multiple sources (subject matter experts, previous proposals, publicly available materials) into a cohesive, easy-to-read, and persuasive final product
• Experience working with proposal teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment supporting critical business development activities
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office Suite including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive and SharePoint, as well as the Adobe Suite
• Ability to adapt to new, technology-driven tools (e.g., database, online procurement systems)

Preferred Experience

• Experience with Adobe Illustrator and proposal automation software preferred.
• Association of Proposal Management Professionals Foundation certification (minimum) preferred

“The teams became more productive, the work became more predictable, and the age old arguments about goals, resource allocations, and ownership took a back seat – replaced by camaraderie and a good natured competitive spirit.”