Strategic Capture Manager

Job Description

Job Summary:

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Cognizant Government Solutions, Inc. seeks a remote, mid-level strategic capture manager who thrives at speed. You will join the Growth Operations team and lead capture for strategic pursuits across the state and local public sector, federal civilian agencies, and the Department of Defense (DoD). To qualify for this role, you need a bachelor's degree and four years of relevant work experience, or six years of relevant work experience in lieu of a degree.

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As the strategic capture manager, you will own the path to win, from customer contact through award. You will move fast, shift priorities as the pipeline changes, and keep multiple high-stakes pursuits on track at once. If you want real ownership, direct visibility with senior leadership, and the chance to shape how Cognizant grows in the Government market, we want to talk to you.

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Job Duties:

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• Lead end-to-end capture for strategic state and local, federal civilian, and DoD pursuits, from opportunity qualification and gate reviews through proposal submission, post-submission activities, and award.
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• Move quickly from opportunity identification to action: run bid/no-bid analyses, build capture plans, and drive rapid decisions on resources, teaming, and investment.
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• Develop data-driven win strategies, win themes, discriminators, and value propositions that address customer mission needs and position Cognizant to beat the competition.
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• Shape opportunities before the request for proposal (RFP) releases by gathering customer intelligence, preparing request for information (RFI) responses and white papers, and influencing requirements and acquisition strategies alongside business development (BD) leads.
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• Conduct competitive analyses, lead black hat reviews, and develop ghosting strategies that counter incumbent and competitor strengths.
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• Partner with solution architects and subject matter experts (SMEs) to shape compliant, differentiated technical and management solutions built on Cognizant capabilities in digital engineering, cloud and IT modernization, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI).
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• Identify, evaluate, and negotiate teaming relationships with primes, subcontractors, and industry partners; manage teaming agreements and partner communications throughout each pursuit.
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• Work with pricing and finance teams to develop price-to-win (PTW) analyses and competitive pricing strategies across contract types, including firm-fixed-price (FFP), time-and-materials (T&M), and cost-plus.
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• Brief win strategy, solution, probability of win (Pwin), risk, and bid and proposal (B&P) investment at gate reviews with Cognizant senior leadership, then secure decisions and keep pursuits moving.
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• Deliver a proposal-ready capture package to the proposal manager and stay engaged through color team reviews, orals presentations, Evaluation Notices (ENs), and Final Proposal Revisions (FPRs).
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• Manage multiple captures with overlapping schedules, reprioritize as pipeline needs change, and raise risks early to protect schedule and Pwin.
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• Maintain accurate pursuit data in pipeline and capture tools, and report status, milestones, and pipeline health to Growth Operations leadership.
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• Contribute to capture process improvements, lessons learned, and reusable capture content across the Growth Operations team.
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Required Qualifications:

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• Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant capture, business development, or proposal management experience. In lieu of a degree, we consider ten years of relevant work experience.
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• Experience leading or supporting formal capture efforts in government consulting and contracting, including pursuits valued at $10M or more.
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• Working knowledge of federal and state procurement processes, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), acquisition lifecycles, contract types, and contract vehicles.
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• Demonstrated ability to conduct customer shaping, competitive analysis, and black hat reviews, and to turn findings into win strategies and discriminators.
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• Experience developing teaming strategies and building relationships with strategic partners, subcontractors, and customers.
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• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize information quickly and make sound recommendations to senior leaders.
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• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief executives and produce persuasive content on short timelines.
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• Proven ability to manage multiple pursuits at once in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, with strong initiative, attention to detail, and follow-up.
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• U.S. citizenship.
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Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

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• Experience working alongside commercial proposal, sales, and deal pursuit teams, including aligning commercial offerings, pricing models, and response processes with Government pursuit requirements.
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• Experience translating commercial solutions, best practices, and case studies into compelling content for Government proposals.
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• Familiarity with Cognizant capabilities, including digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, engineering research and development (ER&D), cloud and IT modernization, cybersecurity, and AI.
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• Knowledge of Cognizant contract vehicles, such as the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule, GSA OASIS+, NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) VI, SeaPort NxG, and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) SHIELD.
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• Active Secret clearance or higher.
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• Master's degree or other advanced degree.
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• Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) or Shipley certification.
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• Experience with proposal and capture AI tools (GovDash preferred).
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Compensation:

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We provide a competitive pay and benefits package. This position is offering a salary range of 140-200k. CGS considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to education, experience, geographic location, and discipline. Benefits offered may include health care, dental, vision, life insurance; 401(k); education assistance; paid time off including PTO, holidays, and any other paid leave required by law.

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We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state, or local laws.