Sr. Federal Proposal Coordinator/ Jr Proposal Manager

Vantor•Herndon, VA

8d•$83,000 - $122,100•Hybrid

About The Position

Vantor is hiring an Associate Proposal Manager, an ideal growth opportunity for a strong Federal Proposal Coordinator, Proposal Specialist, or junior Proposal Manager ready to take on greater ownership of complex federal pursuits. In this role, you will support the development of compliant, compelling proposals for DoD, Intelligence Community, and other federal customers, including enterprise and large-dollar opportunities. You will partner with Capture Managers, proposal leaders, technical SMEs, pricing/cost teams, graphics, production, and business leaders to coordinate proposal activity from pre-RFP planning through final submission. This is a high-visibility role within Vantor’s sales and growth organization. You will gain exposure to senior leaders, technical experts, and mission-focused federal programs while building the skills to manage proposal efforts independently over time.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, English, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
3-5 years of federal proposal experience in a coordinator, specialist, writer, business development, or junior proposal management capacity.
Experience supporting or coordinating formal color-team reviews, such as Pink, Red, Gold, or similar review processes.
Familiarity with federal solicitation structure, including Sections L, M, and C, and ability to translate requirements into outlines, matrices, schedules, and assignments.
Demonstrated experience coordinating and leading major sections of all proposal volumes (technical, solution, management, cost) for large/enterprise opportunities.
Demonstrated experience developing and applying formal proposal management artifacts and processes: proposal schedules, outlines, compliance matrices, kick-offs, storyboards, mockups, and color review in-briefs/de-briefs.
Strong time management, prioritization, attention to detail, and sound judgment under deadline pressure.
Experience supporting proposal development for federal RFPs, RFIs, white papers, ROMs, task orders, IDIQs, BPAs, GWACs, or similar opportunities.
Understanding of the federal proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, schedules, assignments, compliance matrices, outlines, kickoffs, drafts, reviews, production, and submission.
Experience coordinating internal stakeholders, SMEs, writers, reviewers, graphics, pricing/cost teams, and proposal leadership under deadline pressure.
Strong organization, follow-through, attention to detail, and judgment in a deadline-driven environment.
Advanced Microsoft Word and Office skills; familiarity with proposal production tools and Adobe Acrobat for final production.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to present to senior executives.
Willingness to work onsite in Herndon, VA 3 days per week.
U.S. citizenship required.
Must be willing to possess an active Secret clearance.

Nice To Haves

Formal proposal training and/or certifications (e.g., Shipley, APMP)
Experience collaborating with Senior/Corporate leadership
Background in geospatial services/products, digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud, or related technical domains
Experience supporting large, complex federal proposals (e.g., IDIQs, GWACs, BPAs) including opportunities over $100M.
Proposal experience within a large systems integrator or federal contractor
Familiarity with AI tools, workflows, and processes
Experience with DoD, Intelligence Community, or other federal customers.
Familiarity with Sections L, M, and C, FAR/DFARS concepts, and federal procurement terminology.
Experience maintaining proposal repositories, templates, content libraries, reusable artifacts, or lessons learned.
Formal proposal training or certification such as Shipley or APMP.
Experience in geospatial, space, digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud, systems integration, or related technical domains.
Interest in using AI-enabled tools and workflows to improve proposal quality, speed, and knowledge management.

Responsibilities

Support the full lifecycle development of complex federal proposals for enterprise and large opportunities from pre-proposal phase through post-proposal submittal phases.
Support proposal strategy development and translate capture direction into compliant, compelling content and translate capture objectives into high-quality, compliant proposal content across all volumes (technical, management, cost, past performance, etc.).
Work closely with executives, leadership teams, business development staff, partners, and subject matter experts to lead and guide proposal efforts, providing strategic direction and support throughout.
Support and increasingly own compliance and submission readiness: manage and control all proposal activities against the proposal schedule and RFP requirements within Vantor’s complex business environment.
Drive storyboarding, proposal mock-ups, and iterative drafts from concept through final submission; ensure cost volume integration and alignment with technical/management volumes.
Plan and conduct structured kick-offs that set expectations, responsibilities, and schedules for all contributors.
Lead and/or coordinate color reviews that produce actionable feedback (in-briefs / de-briefs) and ensure reviewer accountability.
Coach SMEs, authors, and proposal contributors in persuasive writing and proposal best practices; collaborate closely with production, graphics, and desktop publishing teams to ensure high-quality deliverables.
Communicate progress, risks, and decisions effectively with senior leadership, capture teams, and program leadership.
Operate effectively under pressure and tight deadlines, maintaining composure and ensuring proposal quality when proposals have CEO visibility.
Coordinate contributors, SMEs, writers, reviewers, graphics, pricing, and production teams to gather inputs, track assignments, resolve gaps, and keep proposal artifacts moving through deadlines.
Maintain proposal workspaces, content repositories, templates, prior proposal artifacts, and reusable content to support efficient proposal development.