Proposal Manager

Department Marketing Employment Type Full Time Location Glen Allen, Virginia Description The Proposal Manager leads the firm's proposal and pursuit efforts while managing a seasoned team of Proposal Coordinators. This role is responsible for overseeing proposal operations, ensuring high‑quality and compliant submissions, developing pursuit strategies, and supporting business development objectives. The Proposal Manager serves as a mentor and resource to the proposal team, driving process improvements, workload balancing, and professional development while collaborating with technical and executive leadership on strategic opportunities. What You'll Do Proposal Leadership & Pursuit Management Lead and oversee the development of proposals, qualifications packages, interview presentations, and marketing deliverables for public and private sector pursuits. Manage high-priority and strategic pursuits from kickoff through submission. Ensure compliance with RFQ, RFP, SOQ, and interview requirements. Establish proposal schedules, assign responsibilities, and monitor progress to meet deadlines. Review and approve final deliverables for quality, consistency, and compliance. Team Management & Staff Development Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of Proposal Coordinators and marketing staff. Assign workloads and manage team resources to support multiple concurrent pursuits. Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and career development planning. Provide training on proposal best practices, writing, editing, compliance, and pursuit management. Foster a collaborative, high‑performing team culture focused on excellence and continuous improvement. Strategic Business Development Support Partner with business development leaders, project managers, and technical staff to develop pursuit strategies. Facilitate go/no-go discussions and capture planning efforts. Identify competitive differentiators and win themes for key pursuits. Support interview preparation, presentation coaching, and client-facing materials. Process Improvement & Quality Assurance Develop and maintain proposal standards, templates, and best practices. Implement process improvements to increase efficiency, consistency, and proposal quality. Oversee maintenance of proposal content libraries, project descriptions, resumes, and marketing databases. Monitor proposal metrics, workload forecasting, and win/loss trends. What You'll Need Education Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English, Journalism, or a related field preferred. Experience 10 years of proposal management, marketing, or business development experience within the A/E/C industry. Previous experience supervising or leading proposal teams. Demonstrated success managing complex, high-value pursuits and strategic proposals. Skills & Competencies Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills. Exceptional writing, editing, and communication abilities. Advanced project management and organizational skills. Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment. Strong understanding of A/E/C procurement processes and qualifications-based selection. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, CRM platforms, and proposal management tools. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting transportation, infrastructure, environmental, water/wastewater, or building market sectors. Experience with Deltek Vision, Deltek Vantagepoint, Salesforce, or similar CRM systems. Why Join RDA? Medical, dental, and vision insurance 401K Retirement Plan; Roth Contributions Health Savings Account (HSA) Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability Paid time off, including 8 federal holidays, 1 floating holiday Parental Leave Hybrid work model Professional/career development tracks Positive work/life balance RDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace. #J-18808-Ljbffr