Strategic Capture & Proposal Lead – Space & Defense

Karman Space & Defense; Huntington Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k)

Paid time off

HSA with company contribution

FSA

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense in Huntington Beach, CA, seeks an experienced Capture Manager to lead the end-to-end proposal and quoting lifecycle for the Space and Launch segment. You will coordinate cross-functional inputs, manage staffing, apply rigorous bid/no-bid decisions, and ensure compliant, on-time submissions.

A bachelor’s in business, engineering, or related field and 8+ years in aerospace proposal management with FAR/DFARS knowledge are required; APMP certifications are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, communications, or related field.
• 8+ years in proposal management or capture support in aerospace/defense or federal contracting with FAR/DFARS.
• Experience owning compliant, on-time proposals across multiple pursuits.
• Strong knowledge of proposal compliance, Section L/M, evaluation criteria, and compliance matrix.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional proposal teams over multi-week or multi-month cycles.
• Proficient with SharePoint, MS Office, and document management systems.

Responsibilities

• Leads the full proposal and quote lifecycle for the segment, ensuring compliant, complete, and on-time submissions.
• Develops and manages proposal plans, schedules, and review milestones from kickoff to delivery.
• Triages requests and applies the right level of process based on opportunity complexity and value.
• Coordinates cross-functional proposal resources and staffing visibility.
• Collaborates with Proposal Operations to secure writers, reviewers, and publishing support as needed.
• Writes or coordinates development of proposal volumes across technical, management, past performance, and price/cost sections.
• Executes capture process, including gate reviews, bid/no-bid documentation, and competitive assessments.
• Maintains accurate pipeline data in CRM for all pursuits.
• Leads the segment proposal team with clear roles and tiered response for types of opportunities.
• Coordinates pricing and cost development with Finance, PM, and Contracts.

Skills

Proposal management

Capture management

Cross-functional leadership

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Staffing coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, or related field

Tools

SharePoint

Microsoft Office

Document management systems

Job description

Karman Space & Defense in Huntington Beach, CA, seeks an experienced Capture Manager to lead the end-to-end proposal and quoting lifecycle for the Space and Launch segment. You will coordinate cross-functional inputs, manage staffing, apply rigorous bid/no-bid decisions, and ensure compliant, on-time submissions.

A bachelor’s in business, engineering, or related field and 8+ years in aerospace proposal management with FAR/DFARS knowledge are required; APMP certifications are preferred.