Director, Proposal Operations

Passionate about positive change? Join something special and do well by doing good. AHP is recognized as a Great Place to Work® for the 10th year in a row! AHP earned the Great Benefits Award from MPloyer for 2026! Open Positions Ready to pursue profound systems transformation and reach new career heights? Browse open roles for an opportunity that fits your interests, talents, and goals. In addition to the positions listed here, you can also view the same AHP job opportunities on LinkedIn and Indeed . If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please contact Jim Klepper, Senior Director, Total Rewards and People Operations, at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io. Advocates for Human Potential, (AHP) is seeking a strategic, collaborative and results-driven Director of Proposal Operations to lead and continuously improve our enterprise proposal function. This role serves as the architect of AHP’s proposal excellence through establishing standards, processes, coaching and operational discipline that will enable AHP to consistently deliver compelling and competitive proposals across federal, state and municipal government opportunities. AHP currently produces over one hundred proposals on an annual basis. The Director will have professional experience commensurate with that level of production at a successful level and will be able to demonstrate how AHP can scale its production and success rates upward. Working within AHP’s Strategic Development department, the Director will work closely with Managing Directors, Program Directors, subject matter experts, finance and executive leadership to build proposal excellence across the organization. This individual will champion Shipley-based best practices while ensuring proposal strategy, win themes, pricing, storytelling and production are integrated into a seamless proposal development process that maximizes AHP’s probability of winning. Further, this position will develop an annual strategic plan for proposal operations outlining goals, objectives and strategies for the year to ensure ever greater overall success, leveraging all of the assets, expertise and technology available to them at AHP The Director will lead the Proposal Operations team while serving as an internal advisor and coach to proposal managers, capture leaders and technical experts. Beyond managing individual pursuits, this leader will continuously strengthen AHP’s proposal capability by standardizing processes, developing reusable assets, improving proposal quality, identifying opportunities for innovation and the integration of technology best practices, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. This position is responsible for designing, building, and continuously improving the enterprise proposal system that enables proposal managers to consistently produce higher-quality proposals with greater efficiency and higher probability of win. The ideal candidate is a steady leader with a proven track record in leading proposal operations in a business-to-government consulting firm serving behavioral health, public health, healthcare or related human-services markets. They possess deep expertise in federal and state procurement processes, Shipley methodology, proposal strategy, pricing considerations, and persuasive government-focused writing. This individual must be a trusted leader who can align diverse stakeholders, coach technical experts, navigate competing priorities, and help multidisciplinary teams tell a compelling story that resonates with government evaluators. Key Responsibilities Operational Oversight Lead the strategic direction, continuous improvement, and day-to-day operations of AHP's Proposal Operations function, ensuring the organization consistently delivers high-quality, compliant, and competitive proposals. Implement, and continuously refine proposal operations policies, standard operating procedures, templates, tools, and governance that create a Shipley-aligned, scalable, repeatable proposal development process across the enterprise. Lead proposal reviews and quality assurance processes, including compliance, color team, executive, and final production reviews, ensuring proposals meet the highest standards of quality and responsiveness. In partnership with the Data Office, monitor proposal performance metrics, including win rates, proposal quality, cycle times, resource utilization, and lessons learned, using data to drive continuous improvement across the proposal function. In partnership with Digital Solutions, evaluate and implement emerging technologies, including AI-enabled proposal tools and automation, to improve proposal quality, efficiency, knowledge management, and organizational competitiveness. Pricing Strategy Partner with Strategic Development, Finance, Executive Leadership, and technical leadership to develop pricing strategies that balance competitiveness, profitability, and long-term business objectives, and ensure those strategies are consistently applied across proposal efforts. Staff Development & Organizational Leadership Develop, mentor, and manage a high-performing team of Proposal Managers by maintaining clear expectations, fostering professional growth, promoting collaboration, and building organizational proposal expertise. Serve as a trusted advisor to capture managers, proposal managers, and subject matter experts by facilitating proposal strategy sessions, identifying discriminators and win themes, strengthening proposal messaging, and ensuring technical solutions are translated into compelling, customer-focused narratives. Oversee proposal planning and execution from pre-proposal through submission, ensuring effective resource allocation, schedule management, compliance, quality assurance, and risk mitigation across the proposal portfolio. Partner closely with Strategic Development leadership to strengthen the connection between capture planning, proposal strategy, pricing, and proposal execution, increasing AHP's overall probability of win, using Shipley methodology. Foster a culture of trust, respect, and professional growth. Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Communications, English, Public Administration, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Human Services, or a related field required. Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, public health, social work or a related discipline strongly preferred; extensive experience may be considered in place of formal education. Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) or Project Management Professional (PMP) preferred Experience: Required: A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in proposal management within a business-to-government consulting firm serving federal and/or state health, behavioral health, healthcare, or human services agencies. Candidates without direct proposal management experience in this market will not be considered. Demonstrated experience redesigning or significantly improving proposal operations across an organization producing high volumes of government proposals. Track record of success in leveraging Shipley #J-18808-Ljbffr Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.