Proposal & Capture Manager - Space & Defense Startups

Job Description

Job Description

Proposal & Capture Manager - Write the Proposals That Put Frontier Technology Into the Field

Remote | United States

Opportunity Summary

Approach Venture is hiring a Proposal & Capture Manager to lead the proposals that turn breakthrough space, defense, and deep tech into funded programs. You will own proposal development for a portfolio of venture-backed startups building autonomy, propulsion, spacecraft, advanced manufacturing, energy, and communications systems, taking each bid from solicitation release to a compliant, persuasive, on-time submission. Where most proposal professionals spend years on one program at a large prime, you will see a new technology, a new customer, and a new solicitation every few weeks.

This role is built for a writer and proposal manager who also thinks like a capture lead. You will shape win themes before the RFP drops, sit with founders and engineers to pull the strongest story out of their work, and run the process that gets it across the finish line. Base salary is paired with commission and a performance bonus, so the awards you help win show up in your pay.

About Us

Approach Venture is a frontier technology consulting firm that partners with aerospace, defense, and deep tech startups across business development, capture and proposals, fundraising, recruiting, and technology scouting. Our clients range from seed-stage teams preparing their first SBIR to growth-stage companies pursuing production contracts and strategic partnerships. We work alongside founders as an extension of their team, helping them navigate government funding pathways, build relationships with customers and partners, and hire the engineers who make it all happen.

Job Duties

• Own proposal development end to end for multiple startup clients, from solicitation analysis and outline through final production and submission
• Break down RFPs, BAAs, CSOs, and SBIR/STTR topics into compliance matrices, annotated outlines, and clear writing assignments
• Write and edit technical, management, past performance, and cost narrative volumes, turning engineering detail into content evaluators can score quickly
• Run kickoff meetings, proposal schedules, storyboards, and color team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold) across several concurrent bids
• Interview founders, engineers, and program leads to capture technical approach, risk mitigation, and transition plans
• Develop win themes, discriminators, and ghosting strategy in partnership with capture planning, and carry them consistently through every volume
• Track solicitations and funding vehicles across DoW, NASA, DOE, and other agencies, and help founders decide where to bid
• Prepare white papers, quad charts, pitch decks, and other pre-proposal material that position clients before a formal solicitation
• Coordinate letters of support, teaming agreements, customer memos, and CRADA packages with partners and end users
• Work with client teams on pricing narratives, milestone plans, and budget justifications that align with the technical approach
• Build and maintain a reusable content library of boilerplate, resumes, past performance, and graphics to speed up future bids
• Lead debriefs after every submission and turn evaluator feedback into better templates, playbooks, and win rates

Qualifications

• 5+ years writing or managing proposals for aerospace, defense, or government technology programs
• Track record of winning awards across vehicles such as SBIR/STTR, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, and RFPs
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to make complex technical work clear, compelling, and compliant
• Deep understanding of solicitation structure, Section L and M requirements, and how proposals are evaluated and scored
• Proven ability to manage several proposals and deadlines at once without losing quality
• Experience running proposal processes, including compliance matrices, schedules, and color team reviews
• Comfort working directly with technical founders and engineers to draw out and shape content
• Strong command of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, with an eye for clean formatting and graphics
• Self-directed and effective on a fully remote, distributed team

Preferred Experience

• Engineering, physics, or other technical degree, or a hands-on technical background
• Proposal experience in autonomy, propulsion, space systems, energy, or advanced manufacturing
• Capture planning experience, including customer engagement, competitive analysis, and teaming strategy
• Familiarity with defense innovation organizations and dual-use funding programs such as DIU, AFWERX, SpaceWERX, NavalX, and Army xTech
• APMP certification or formal proposal management training
• Experience supporting startups, small businesses, or venture-backed teams

Why Join Us

• Variety you will not find anywhere else: multiple startups, multiple technologies, and multiple proposals in motion at any time
• Direct access to founders and a real voice in bid strategy, not just formatting documents
• Visible wins: your proposals fund prototypes, flight tests, and the next stage of a company's growth
• Meaningful upside through commission and a performance bonus on top of base salary
• 100% remote, with flexibility and ownership over how you work
• Quarterly team events and biannual team offsites
• Small, fast-moving team where good ideas get adopted quickly
• Room to grow as the firm expands its capture and proposal practice
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits, plus a 401(k) plan
• Unlimited PTO and 11 paid holidays

Compensation Details

$110,000 - $150,000 base + commission + performance bonus

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