Proposal Manager

Overview

Support the growth of the Nakupuna Companies by leading the development and submission of complex proposals in response to Requests for Information (RFI), Sources Sought, Requests for Proposal (RFP), and other related customer response deliverables to Federal government agencies and/or partners. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the entire proposal process, from proposal strategy development, overarching compliance, color-team coordination, organizing final submission and post-submission activities, and eager to learn and adopt AI tools within the proposal process.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned.  Management may assign additional duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

• Lead the end-to-end proposal response development process and be able to manage multiple responses simultaneously
• Analyze and understand the RFP requirements, determining the proposal strategy, and developing a proposal plan
• Collaborate with Business Development/Capture Manager to facilitate sessions to develop solutions to perform, win strategies, cohesive proposal themes, and potential discriminators during Capture development
• Use Word to create response shells to guide proposal writers in developing content for proposals according to compliance requirements, evaluation criteria, and win themes
• Develop a compliance matrix, initiate a proposal preparation/review plan of action and milestones (POA&M), ensure compliance across the proposal at each development stage, and drive teams to meet proposal schedule deadlines and deliverables
• Facilitate and lead proposal-related meetings such as solutioning sessions, kickoff meetings, team touchpoints, and Pink, Red, and Gold proposal reviews
• Consolidate and edit writing inputs from multiple authors and subject matter experts (SMEs) – to include subcontractors – into compelling, compliant, and submission-worthy documents that read with one voice
• Coordinate and/or write past performance and coordinate Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) if required by the solicitation
• Evaluate proposals for compliance according to Section L and Section M, and ensure our proposals present the best and most sensible approach to compliance and tell a coherent story
• Finalize all RFI and proposal documents before submission, scrubbing them for typos, nonsense words, poor grammar, and Word formatting errors
• Coordinate with the contracts and legal teams to ensure all proposal documents are accurate and comply with federal contracting regulations, including FAR and DFARS
• Document and update BD processes and support creation and update of document templates in Word and PowerPoint
• Maintain data repositories, helping Nakupuna staff locate relevant templates, reference documents, solicitations, and proposals
• Participate in post-submission activities, such as debriefs and lessons learned sessions, to improve the proposal process for future opportunities
• Learn and incorporate AI platforms into proposal writing and management processes

Qualifications

Skills/Qualifications: Must have demonstrated ability and willingness to lead complex proposal efforts including outlining responses, developing win themes, managing effective color team reviews, integrating subcontractors into a larger team, conducting compliance reviews, completing final formatting, supporting development of our price-to-win strategy, and getting to the finish line with a winning proposal. This will require the following skills and qualifications: 

• Deep experience in managing and winning large ($25M+), complex, competitive proposals to major Federal customers (e.g. DOW, DOS, DHS, DOJ, etc)
• Advanced knowledge of federal proposal best practices, industry standards, and experience working within federal procurement regulations, including FAR and DFARS
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills, with the ability to write and edit technical and non-technical content
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple federal proposals simultaneously
• Has used proposal development tools (e.g. awarded.ai and similar) in the past
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and proposal publishing software, such as Adobe Acrobat
• Willingness to flex work schedule to meet proposal objectives
• Solid written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications and Skills Requirements

• Has worked in the Defense and / or Civilian Agencies markets before
• Has managed large subcontractor teams in prime contractor role
• Has supported the development of an oral presentation or demonstration
• Familiarity with the SBA 8(a) Program and the structure of Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO) entities

Education and Experience: This position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution as well as a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience with Federal proposal coordination or management.

 

Certification Requirements: Shipley and/or APMP training or certification preferred.

 

Physical Requirements: The ideal candidate must at a minimum be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer