Senior Space Proposals Lead — High-Impact Bids

Rocket Lab USA; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA in Tucson, AZ seeks a Senior Proposal Manager I to lead compliant, winning proposals for US and international customers, with a focus on satellite opportunities within the Space Systems Business Development team.

You will develop proposal plans, craft compelling messaging with BD leadership, and coordinate with engineering, finance, and legal to ensure timely, high-quality submissions. Occasional travel (~10%) required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in technical, management, or business discipline.
• 5+ years of proposal management experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Proven success leading proposals over $100M.
• Technical writing expertise to translate complex info clearly.
• Project management across multiple concurrent proposals.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage proposal plans, outlines, and compliance matrices.
• Collaborate with BD Manager/Director to craft winning messaging.
• Write and manage compliant, high-quality proposals addressing RFPs.
• Take ownership of proposal volumes ensuring quality and alignment.
• Lead proposal kick-off meetings and regular contributor check-ins.
• Coordinate with internal teams to gather and refine content.
• Create/templates and visual elements (charts, tables, infographics).
• Conduct QA reviews for grammar, consistency, and formatting.
• Oversee final production and on-time submission.
• Document lessons learned and suggest process improvements.
• Support travel as needed (~10%).

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical, management, or business discipline

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Rocket Lab USA in Tucson, AZ seeks a Senior Proposal Manager I to lead compliant, winning proposals for US and international customers, with a focus on satellite opportunities within the Space Systems Business Development team.

You will develop proposal plans, craft compelling messaging with BD leadership, and coordinate with engineering, finance, and legal to ensure timely, high-quality submissions. Occasional travel (~10%) required.