Proposal Director | Federal Government (VA & DoD)

Director of Proposals 

Location: Hybrid (Remote and Office) 

Employment Type: Full-Time 

Overview: 
 
Emerging Tech is seeking a Director of Proposals to lead, manage, and direct the company’s proposal development function. This individual will oversee the entire lifecycle of proposal efforts, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and competitive submissions in response to government and commercial solicitations. This individual collaborates closely with business development, capture managers, pricing, contracts, and technical teams to develop winning proposals that align with corporate growth strategies.  
 
This role reports directly to the Chief Growth Officer. 

This is a hands-on leadership role. The successful candidate will personally manage and produce proposals while building and directing the proposal team. 
 
Key Responsibilities: 
 Proposal Leadership 

• Oversee the proposal development process from pre-RFP planning through submission and post-submission activities, ensuring adherence to schedules, milestones, and deadlines. 

• Analyze solicitations (RFP, RFQ, RFI, etc.) in conjunction with other customer requirements and communications; determine final document structure and prepare detailed proposal plans, schedules, outlines, and compliance matrices for assigned pursuits. 

• Collaborate with business development and capture teams to understand win strategies and ensure proposal responses include Emerging Tech’s key messages, value proposition, and differentiators against the competition.  

• Lead proposal teams to develop winning solutions, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, company capabilities, and pricing strategies. 

• Coordinate and facilitate proposal meetings and events, including kickoff meetings, daily standups, and color team reviews, and lead preparation of advance meeting materials. 

Process & Operations 

• Establish and maintain a proposal knowledge library with reusable content, templates, and past performance references. 

• Implement best practices, tools, and methodologies to ensure high-quality, compliant, and compelling proposals. 

• Monitor industry trends, procurement policies, and competitor strategies to enhance proposal effectiveness. 

• Provide routine reporting and metrics to leadership on proposal performance, win/loss analysis, and pipeline trends. 

• Support proposal operations planning and budgeting, including proposal-specific investments, outsourcing, and resources. 

Team Management 

• Directly manage the day-to-day proposal team, including a proposal analyst, writer, editors, graphic designers, and coordinators. 

• Work with the capture managers to identify and secure the resources necessary to develop the proposal; assign and manage resources to execute multiple concurrent proposal efforts efficiently.  

• Coach capture teams, writers, and subject matter experts on persuasive writing and proposal best practices. 

• Foster a culture of innovation and excellence within the proposal team, keeping teams calm and focused under tight deadline constraints. 

• Communicate with and coach capture teams, writers, and subject matter experts on persuasive writing and proposal best practices. 

• Lead proposal teams to develop winning solutions, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, company capabilities, and pricing strategies. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, or a related field.  

• 10+ years of relevant experience as a Proposal Manager. 

• Successful track record of winning competitive proposal efforts valued at $10M or more on task orders released on GWACs and IDIQs, including GSA MAS, OASIS+, and Seaport-NXG. 

• Experience and understanding of civilian and military Federal government contracting. 

• Expert knowledge of proposal best practices, Shipley methodologies, and government procurement regulations (e.g., FAR/DFARS). 

• Ability to personally write, edit, format, proofread, and quality-check proposal material under tight deadline constraints, including working with reused corporate content. 

• Proven proposal leadership skills, with the ability to build a strong team, effectively resolve conflict, and vector appropriate resources to maximize proposal development. 

• Excellent project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision. 

• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills. 

• Proficiency in proposal development tools (e.g., MS Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint, and proposal automation tools). 

• Comprehensive knowledge of CRM and capture management tools such as HigherGov, GovWin, GovTribe, or similar. 

• Ability to work a flexible schedule which may include evenings and weekends when required. 

Preferred Qualifications:  

•  Advanced degree in a related field.  

• APMP certification (Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional).  

• Experience leading proposals at a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) or other small business, including operating effectively with lean resources.  

• Proposal experience supporting pursuits within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of the Air Force, and/or Department of the Navy.  

• Familiarity with AI-assisted proposal development tools. 

Clearance: 

• U.S. Citizen.  

• Must be able to obtain a government clearance if needed. 
   

Compensation: 

• Expected Annual Salary: $130,000 - $170,000, based on experience, skills, level, and other factors. Total compensation package includes performance-based bonus/incentives.