Senior Proposal Manager – Space Systems BD Lead

Rocket Lab Corporation; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Parental leave

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Chantilly, VA seeks a Senior Proposal Manager II to lead the creation of compliant, compelling proposals that win new business with US and international customers, with a focus on satellite opportunities. You’ll develop and execute proposal plans, write high‑quality content, coordinate with engineering, finance and legal, manage templates, and ensure timely production and submission.

Travel is supported (~10%).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in technical, management, or business discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in proposal management.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Proven success leading proposals with values greater than $100 million.
• Technical writing expertise, translating complex information into clear, persuasive language.
• Project management across multiple projects with timely deliverables.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute proposal plans, including analyzing RFPs, creating outlines, and building compliance matrices.
• Collaborate with the Business Development Manager/Director to craft winning proposal strategies and messaging.
• Write and manage compliant, high-quality proposals that address RFP requirements.
• Lead proposal kick-off meetings and facilitate regular check-ins with contributors to meet timelines.
• Coordinate with internal teams (engineering, finance, legal) to gather content for proposals.
• Create and manage proposal templates, reusable content, and visuals (charts, tables, infographics).
• Conduct quality assurance reviews for grammar, consistency, and formatting.
• Oversee final production and submission, ensuring on-time delivery and compliance.
• Document lessons learned and recommend process improvements for future proposals.
• Support travel as needed (~10%).

Skills

Proposal management

Technical writing

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Security clearance

Business development collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

SharePoint

MS Office (Word/Excel)

Job description

Rocket Lab in Chantilly, VA seeks a Senior Proposal Manager II to lead the creation of compliant, compelling proposals that win new business with US and international customers, with a focus on satellite opportunities. You’ll develop and execute proposal plans, write high‑quality content, coordinate with engineering, finance and legal, manage templates, and ensure timely production and submission.

Travel is supported (~10%).