Federal Proposal Manager

APTNEXUS•Washington, DC

10d•$115,000 - $145,000•Remote

About The Position

As a Federal Proposal Manager, you will own the end-to-end proposal lifecycle for AptNexus pursuits across the federal IT and cybersecurity market. Reporting to executive leadership on a small, fast-moving team, you will be the single accountable owner of compliance, schedule, and narrative quality on every bid, and you will translate complex cybersecurity and IT solutions into clear, evaluator-friendly prose.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience managing federal proposals, with a demonstrated record of on-time, compliant submissions.
Demonstrated proficiency in the Shipley proposal development methodology or a comparable structured framework, including formal color team review discipline.
In-depth working knowledge of the FAR and agency supplements, and of federal contract vehicles including IDIQs, GWACs, BPAs, GSA Multiple Award Schedule, and 8(a) sole source and competitive set-aside procurements.
Information technology and/or cybersecurity background sufficient to interrogate subject matter experts and independently draft credible technical content.
Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and to maintain calm, decisive control under compressed deadlines, paired with exceptional writing and single-voice editing skills under hard page limits.
Advanced Microsoft Word skills, including styles, section breaks, cross-references, and automated tables of contents; experience with proposal collaboration platforms such as SharePoint, Privia, or Responsive; and experience applying generative AI tools with sound judgment on source verification and protection of proprietary information.
Federal government contracting experience is mandatory.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief executives concisely and give direct, constructive feedback to authors.
Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment with minimal supervision, with exceptional attention to detail and discretion in handling proprietary and competition sensitive information.
U.S. Citizenship and the ability to sign a non-disclosure agreement are required.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with NIST Risk Management Framework, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-171, FISMA, and FedRAMP is highly desirable.
Prior support to a small business or 8(a) contractor, oral presentation coaching, and capture or price-to-win experience are strong pluses.
Shipley Proposal Management certification or documented formal training in a comparable structured proposal methodology, is strongly preferred.
Shipley Certified Proposal Manager, or completion of Shipley federal proposal coursework
APMP Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional certification; Project Management Professional (PMP); or CompTIA Security+ or a comparable IT or cybersecurity certification

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end proposal lifecycle for assigned pursuits, from solicitation release through submission, evaluation notices, and award or debrief.
Shred RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs, deconstructing Sections B, C, L, and M into an ironclad compliance matrix that maps every requirement and evaluation factor to a named author, section, and page allocation.
Build and enforce reverse-timeline schedules with defined milestones, production windows, and risk buffers, and re-baseline the matrix and schedule as amendments and bidder question responses are issued.
Develop annotated outlines, storyboards, and writing assignments; plan and facilitate Pink, Red, and Gold Team reviews and drive comment adjudication to closure.
Drive inputs from technical subject matter experts, capture, pricing, contracts, executives, and teaming partners, holding all contributors to deadline without direct line authority.
Thread win themes, discriminators, and customer pain points through every volume, and perform substantive single-voice editing to unify content from multiple authors.
Manage document architecture and final production, including templates, strict page limits, cross-references, and graphics integration, and submit through SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, and agency portals.
Coordinate teaming and pricing inputs, support post-submission clarifications, discussions, and orals, and maintain reusable assets including the past performance repository and key personnel resumes.