Senior Proposal Manager

Woolpert; United States; On-site; USD 87,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Freedom to Work

Owner track

Flexible PTO

Career development

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Tech stipend

Employee assistance

Job summary

Woolpert in the United States seeks a Senior Proposal Manager to lead the firm’s most complex, high-value proposal pursuits from strategy through submission and debrief.

You will advise executive leadership on pursuit selection, capture strategy, and risk mitigation, shaping win strategies with senior leaders across technical and operational domains. Strong governance, messaging, and QA/QC are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or higher-level degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English, or related field.
• 5 years of experience in proposal development, management, or business development support.
• Experience leading large, complex, enterprise-level proposals and advising senior leadership.
• Expert-level knowledge of proposal development, capture strategy, and RFP/RFQ/SOQ compliance.
• Ability to lead high-risk, high-value pursuits with executive visibility.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and decision-making capabilities.
• Exceptional leadership, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign)
• Ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams without direct authority
• Strong mentoring and talent development skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities at a portfolio level
• High attention to detail with a strategic focus on quality, outcomes, and win probability
• Ability to work overtime as needed to meet proposal deadlines

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the firm’s most critical, high-profile, complex, and high-dollar proposal pursuits from early strategy through submission and debrief.
• Advise executive leadership on pursuit selection, capture strategy, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with senior technical and operational leaders to shape enterprise-level win strategies and differentiators.
• Establish proposal governance, standards, and best practices across regions/markets/business lines.
• Develop and approve comprehensive proposal strategies, schedules, compliance approaches, and review plans.
• Lead executive-level proposal reviews, pink team/red team sessions, and post-submittal lessons learned.
• Provide final QA/QC approval for major proposals to ensure quality and alignment.
• Support preparation for client interviews and presentations with Marketing Manager.
• Mentor and develop staff; contribute to performance feedback and succession planning.
• Monitor proposal performance and market insights to drive improvements.
• Lead firmwide proposal process improvements, including tools and content libraries.
• Identify risks and capacity constraints to leadership.
• Represent proposal function in strategic planning and cross-functional initiatives.

Skills

Proposal development

Capture strategy

Executive communication

Leadership

Risk mitigation

Education

Bachelor’s or higher degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe InDesign

Job description

We seek to move the world forward through innovative thinking. Woolpert is an award-winning, global leader in architecture, engineering, and geospatial services. We blend design excellence with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional client value. Our team is passionate about their work and committed to building the next generation of industry leaders, and as a certified Great Place to Work® Woolpert embraces progress and innovation to create limitless opportunities for career growth.

Position Overview

Woolpert is hiring a Senior Proposal Manager to join our dynamic Proposal Team. This position reports to the Director of Proposals and provides enterprise-level leadership for the firm’s most complex, high-risk, and highest value proposal pursuits. Serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, business development, and technical leaders on pursuit selection, capture strategy, and proposal execution. Oversees proposal portfolio performance, establishes best practices and standards, and leads the development and advancement of proposal management talent.

We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must already possess work authorization in the country the job is located.

What You Will Do

• Leads and oversees the firm’s most critical, high-profile, complex, and high-dollar proposal pursuits from early pursuit strategy through submission and debrief.
• Serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and senior business development teams on pursuit selection, go/no-go decisions, capture strategy, and risk mitigation.
• Partners with senior technical and operational leaders to shape enterprise-level win strategies, messaging frameworks, and differentiators.
• Establishes and oversees proposal governance, standards, and best practices across regions, markets, or business lines.
• Develops and approves comprehensive proposal strategies, schedules, compliance approaches, and review plans for major pursuits.
• Leads and facilitates executive-level proposal reviews, pink team/red team sessions, and post-submittal lessons learned.
• Provides final executive-level QA/QC approval for select major proposals to ensure quality, compliance, messaging, and strategic alignment.
• Supports preparation for high-stakes client interviews and presentations, in coordination with Marketing Manager.
• Provides leadership, mentorship, and professional development guidance to lower level staff; may contribute to performance feedback and succession planning.
• Monitors proposal performance metrics, win/loss trends, client feedback, and market insights to drive continuous improvement and strategic adjustments.
• Leads firmwide or market-level proposal process improvement initiatives, including tools, templates, content libraries, and technology solutions.
• Identifies and communicates proposal risks, capacity constraints, and opportunities to executive and senior leadership.
• Represents the proposal function in strategic planning, business development leadership forums, and cross-functional initiatives.

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor’s or higher-level degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English, or a related field preferred.
• 5 years of experience in proposal development, management, or business development support required.
• Experience leading large, complex, enterprise-level proposals and advising senior leadership required.
• Expert-level knowledge of proposal development, capture strategy, and RFP/RFQ/SOQ compliance required.
• Ability to lead high-risk, high-value pursuits with executive visibility required.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and decision-making capabilities required.
• Exceptional leadership, facilitation, and executive communication skills required.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign) required.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams without direct authority required.
• Strong mentoring and talent development skills required.
• Ability to manage competing priorities at a portfolio level required.
• High attention to detail with a strategic focus on quality, outcomes, and win probability required.
• Ability to work overtime as needed to meet proposal deadlines required.

Preferred Experience

• Experience leading proposal strategy in a professional services environment (e.g., AEC, engineering, consulting)
• Experience advising executives on pursuit strategy and go/no-go decisions preferred.
• Experience leading proposal teams across multiple markets, regions, or service lines preferred.
• Experience contributing to long-term growth and market positioning strategies preferred.

Preferred Certifications, Licenses, Or Training

• APMP Professional Certification strongly preferred.
• Advanced training in capture planning, strategic business development, and Adobe InDesign or proposal management systems preferred.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Deep understanding of CRM and proposal management systems preferred.
• Strong business acumen and commercial awareness preferred.

Benefits You Will Love

Certified as a Great Place to Work, Woolpert is one of the fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and geospatial companies in the world. With over 75 offices and countless projects around the globe, you’ll work on meaningful assignments that improve quality of life around the world. In addition to offering competitive pay, we provide employees with a robust set of unique benefits, including:

• Freedom to Work program: Set your own schedule and location (as appropriate).
• Principal program: Earn the opportunity to become an owner of the firm.
• Flexible paid time off/vacation: Take time off when it makes sense for you and your team.
• Career development: Explore a wide range of learning and growth opportunities within and across industries.
• Health, life, vision, and dental insurance: Cover all your medical bases.
• Paid sick time, retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, pet insurance, identity protection, technology stipend, employee assistance program, and more!

Base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Pay Range

$87,100 - $108,900 USD

Find out more about what Woolpert has to offer here: http://woolpert.com/about-us/

Woolpert is an equal-opportunity employer. Woolpert is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. You may view more about EEO on our website: Equal-Employment-Opportunity-The-Law.pdf and EEO is the Law Poster Supplement.

Applicants who require an accommodation throughout the application and interview process should request this in advance by contacting your Recruiter