Proposal & Capture Manager
Professionals in this role orchestrate federal contract pursuits for AI-enabled defense and national security solutions, leading capture strategy and proposal execution from opportunity identification through contract award. They synthesize competitive intelligence, customer engagement across DoD and intelligence agencies, and proposal lifecycle management to build winning narratives around breakthrough autonomous systems and mission-critical software. Unlike commercial account executives focused on enterprise sales velocity, these specialists operate in the complex federal procurement environment, translating cutting-edge AI capabilities into compelling responses to RFx processes while partnering closely with engineering, program management, and executive teams to shape opportunity strategy upstream.
Skills
What companies are looking for in this role.
Leading cross-functional proposal teams and orchestrating bid lifecycle execution from opportunity identification through contract award
Developing win themes, discriminators, and strategic narratives that translate complex technical capabilities into persuasive customer-focused content
Writing technical and non-technical proposal content, white papers, and RFx responses that communicate complex concepts clearly
Conducting market research and opportunity monitoring to identify and qualify potential business prospects and emerging customer needs
Managing proposal compliance, ensuring all submissions meet government procurement regulations, evaluation criteria, and solicitation requirements
Translating customer requirements and technical jargon into clear, persuasive content that resonates with target evaluators and decision-makers
Developing pricing strategies, cost estimation, and price-to-win analyses for proposals and government contracts
Performing bid-no-bid evaluations and opportunity qualification to prioritize pursuits with high win probability
Building and refining scalable bid management processes, tools, and content libraries to support organizational growth
Conducting competitive analysis to understand market dynamics, competitor positioning, and differentiation opportunities
Shaping early-stage opportunities and developing transition pathways from research and development to operational deployment
Leveraging AI-powered tools and generative capabilities to accelerate proposal development and content creation workflows
Monitoring advanced R&D funding channels including BAAs, Small Business Innovation Research programs, and government lab solicitations
Collaborating across engineering, program management, finance, legal, and executive teams to align on strategy and ensure consistent messaging
Managing concurrent proposal efforts and competing priorities while maintaining quality standards in high-growth environments
Communicating complex technical and commercial concepts effectively across diverse organizational and external audiences
Developing and maintaining relationships with government stakeholders, military customers, and decision-makers
Operating with autonomy and taking ownership of multiple concurrent initiatives in fast-paced startup environments
Facilitating discovery calls, technical demos, and customer engagement meetings to inform capture strategy
Synthesizing information from disparate sources to develop actionable market intelligence and opportunity assessments
Technology
The tools and technologies that define this role.
Open Jobs
24 open Proposal & Capture Manager jobs across 6 companies.
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