Senior Proposal Manager

Aretum; Vienna (VA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Care Plan

Retirement Plan (401k)

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Family Leave

Short Term & Long-Term Disability

Training & Development

Job summary

Aretum delivers technology-enabled mission support and seeks a Senior Proposal Manager to run the proposal process from draft RFP through final submission. This hybrid role is based in Vienna, VA, reporting to the Director of Proposals and leading writers, SMEs, pricing, and teaming partners.

You will ensure compliant, clearly written proposals built around a winning strategy, while coordinating with pricing and contracts.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of federal proposal management experience.
• Experience leading complex DoD/DHS or civilian agency proposals.
• Strong writing and editing skills; ability to translate SME input into persuasive content.
• Knowledge of FAR/DFARS and federal acquisition processes.

Responsibilities

• Run proposals from kickoff through submission for federal opportunities.
• Analyze RFPs, build compliance matrices, outlines, and templates.
• Set schedules, assign owners, and manage cross-functional teams to deadlines.
• Coordinate with pricing and contracts to ensure a unified technical, management, past performance, and price narrative.
• Lead color team reviews and oversee final compliance and quality checks.
• Support orals preparation and responses to evaluation notices.

Skills

Proposal leadership

Writing & editing

Cross-functional leadership

Team mentoring

Project management

Deadline management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

GovWin

SAM.gov

Proposal tools

SharePoint

MS Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint)

Job description

Aretum delivers technology-enabled mission support to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and civilian agencies, and we grow by winning work. As our Senior Proposal Manager, you’ll run the proposal process for our priority pursuits, from draft RFP through final submission. You’ll lead writers, subject matter experts, pricing, and teaming partners to deliver proposals that are fully compliant, clearly written, and built around a winning strategy. This is a hybrid role based in our Vienna, VA office, reporting to the Director of Proposals.

Because Aretum is a federal contractor, you may handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must follow applicable safeguarding requirements.

Responsibilities

Run the proposal

• Manage proposals for federal opportunities from kickoff through submission, including RFIs, sources sought, task orders, and full-and-open competitions
• Analyze RFPs and build compliance matrices, annotated outlines, and response templates mapped to Sections L and M (or equivalent)
• Set and enforce schedules, assign volume and section owners, and keep writers, SMEs, and partners on track to deadlines
• Coordinate with pricing and contracts so the technical, management, past performance, and price volumes tell one consistent story

Shape the win

• Partner with capture managers to turn win themes, discriminators, and customer insight into proposal strategy
• Lead color team reviews (Blue, Pink, Red, Gold), make sure feedback is resolved, and own final compliance and quality checks
• Support orals preparation and responses to evaluation notices, discussions, and final proposal revisions

Build the function

• Maintain and grow a library of reusable content, past performance write-ups, résumés, and templates
• Run lessons‑learned sessions after every submission and improve our proposal processes over time
• Mentor proposal coordinators and writers, and stay current on FAR/DFARS changes and evaluation trends

Required

• 10+ years of federal proposal management experience, including at least 5 years leading complex proposals as the proposal manager
• Track record managing proposals for DoD, DHS, or civilian agencies, including multi‑volume responses and teaming arrangements
• Working knowledge of the FAR, contract types, and federal acquisition processes, including IDIQs, GWACs, and task order competitions
• Strong writing and editing skills, and the ability to turn input from technical SMEs into clear, persuasive content
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams under tight deadlines, often across several pursuits at once
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint
• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent proposal experience
• U.S. work authorization; sponsorship is not available

Preferred

• Experience with Shipley or a similar capture and proposal methodology
• APMP Foundation or Practitioner certification
• Experience with tools such as GovWin, SAM.gov, or proposal automation platforms
• Active security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one

EEO & Pay Transparency Statement

Aretum is committed to fostering a workplace rooted in excellence, integrity, and equal opportunity for all. We adhere to merit‑based hiring practices, ensuring that all employment decisions are made based on qualifications, skills, and ability to perform the job, without preference or consideration of factors unrelated to job performance.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aretumcomplies withall applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.

We are proud to support our nation’s veterans and military families,providingcareer opportunities that honor their service and experience.

If you requirea reasonableaccommodation during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact our Talent Acquisition team for assistance.In compliance with Executive Order 13665, Aretum will not discharge or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants for inquiring about, discussing, ordisclosingtheir own pay or that of another employee or applicant.

U.S. Work Authorization

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. This position does not offer sponsorship.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Salary Range: $90,000–$140,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including education, experience, qualifications, skills, and applicable contract requirements.