Proposal Manager

Scout AI•Sunnyvale, CA

About The Position

Scout AI is seeking a Proposal Manager to drive world-class proposal execution across its portfolio of government and commercial opportunities. This role will own the end-to-end proposal lifecycle, coordinating cross-functional teams to produce compliant, compelling responses to RFPs, RFIs, SBIRs, BAAs, and commercial bids. The Proposal Manager will act as the connective tissue between BD, Sales, Programs, Product, Engineering, Legal, and Finance, ensuring teams are aligned, on schedule, and focused on winning narratives. Reporting into Scout's growth organization, this individual will work daily with domain managers, engineering leadership, and the CEO to ensure proposals are technically sharp, strategically positioned, and submitted on time.

Requirements

8+ years in proposal management, program management, or government contracting within defense tech, space, dual-use, or equivalent professional experience
Proven track record leading proposals from kickoff through submission for SBIRs, RFPs, BAAs, or similar government solicitations
Strong technical communication skills: ability to distill engineering and product concepts into clear, evaluator-friendly narratives without over-simplifying
Foundational understanding of engineering, product development, and systems architecture to support credible technical scoping and writing
CRM and pipeline tool proficiency for deal tracking, reporting, and workflow management
Familiarity with government procurement processes, FAR/DFARS compliance, and common submission portals and timelines
Comfort with process building: ability to create and refine templates, scorecards, checklists, and workflows that scale and improve over time

Nice To Haves

APMP, PMP, or Shipley certification (or equivalent proposal management credential)
Experience in space, defense, Earth observation, or robotics sectors
Deep SBIR/STTR expertise, including Phase I → Phase II positioning strategy and program structure
Hands-on pricing experience including rate structures, LOE estimation, risk/reserve methodology, and budget narrative development
Experience with proposal automation tools or proposal writing platforms (Deltek, Responsive, Proposal software ecosystems)

Responsibilities

Own proposal strategy and execution across all active pursuits: establish win themes, align technical approach, coordinate compliance review, and drive proposals to on-time submission
Serve as Proposal Lead on active opportunities: facilitate kickoffs, assign writing tasks, set detailed milestones, manage proposal schedules, and surface blockers early
Build and maintain a proposal asset library of reusable, high-quality templates including cover letters, SOWs, compliance matrices, cost volumes, organizational capability narratives, and past performance summaries
Translate technical concepts into evaluator-focused narratives: work with Engineering, Product, and Program teams to distill complex capabilities into clear, persuasive proposal language that resonates with government and commercial evaluators
Coordinate cross-functional reviews to stress-test win themes, validate compliance, confirm cost realism, and ensure all sections support a cohesive, differentiated story before submission
Manage proposal schedules and status tracking, including risk reporting, milestone tracking, and resource coordination across functions
Drive proposal operations and process improvement: establish scorecards, checklists, and workflows that enable consistent, scalable proposal execution as the company grows
Lead pricing and cost volume coordination between technical teams and Finance to ensure credible, competitive cost narratives that align with technical scope
Manage multiple concurrent proposals at varying stages of maturity, maintaining organized documentation, compliance artifacts, and version control
Ensure compliant submissions across government portals (SAM.gov, agency-specific systems) in partnership with BD and Sales