Proposal Manager

AECOM•Arlington, VA

3d•$110,000 - $150,000•Remote

About The Position

This position offers the flexibility of a remote work schedule and can be based from a variety of locations in the US where AECOM has an office. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, those listed below: General As a Proposal Manager and writer, collaborate with regional and BL teams on identified priority pursuits, including pre-positioning, responses to requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP), as well as shortlist interviews. Foster a culture of communication and collaboration within the team, as well as with other marketing teams, client account managers, business lines, and regions; initiate appropriate mentoring and coaching for direct reports and others in the proposal team, in collaboration with other proposal team leads. Reports to the Director of Federal Marketing within our National Governments Marketing group. Leadership and Development Collaborate closely with other Proposal team leads to allocate workload effectively across the Federal portfolio and drive cross-skilling and upskilling of junior and mid-level proposal staff, helping to identify opportunities to bring efficiency to processes in the pursuit environment Manage team’s performance to drive compliant, quality deliverables across the Federal portfolio. Monitor and report on the progress of must-win pursuits to ensure adequate focus on win strategies, positioning and proposal progress, and leadership communication. This includes serving as a color team and/or compliance reviewer for must-win pursuits. Lead and/or support delivery of team initiatives and special projects, as assigned, including collaborative projects to streamline processes and integrate AI into prepositioning and proposal processes. Participate in strategic planning that includes evaluating marketing intelligence, identifying customer concerns and key issues, and developing win strategies, and developing this skill set in other team members through mentorship and job shadowing. Proposal Management Lead large, complex, priority must-win pursuits from capture through to interview stage, as required, which may include multiple disciplines/geographies. Provide leadership and direction for proposals, and take ownership of tasks such as developing schedules, templates, content plans, annotated outlines, initial drafts, compliance matrices, and production. Also, lead writing and editing of tailored executive summaries, resumes, experience/past performance, management and other non-technical sections for proposals. Actively participate in Go/No-Go, capture strategies and greenlight analyses and drive compliance with delegation of authority guidelines, capture planning and positioning activities, providing leadership and direction, where required. Facilitate color team reviews, quality reviews, and apply lessons learned to add value to proposals. Manage the implementation of proposal and presentation revisions based on direction from review teams. Review and support capture and proposal activities for pursuits led by other proposal managers within the Federal Proposal Team, as needed, and serve as a reviewer on color reviews (pink and red teams) for these pursuits, leveraging in-depth institutional knowledge. Conduct and analyze debriefs and applies lessons learned to add value to strategy and reviews. Provide strategic direction and leadership on proposals assigned to others, as needed, demonstrating a solid understanding of the Federal proposal pipeline, internal business development strategies, capture planning, proposal efforts, and debriefs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing, or a related field, plus 8+ years of relevant experience—or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
3+ years of people-management experience, with a demonstrated record of recruiting, developing, mentoring, and retaining talent.
Demonstrated interest in—and working knowledge of—the Architecture/Engineering (A/E) industry, with an emphasis on AECOM’s U.S. Federal clients, projects, teams, credentials, and competitors.
Proven ability to estimate level of effort across a range of pursuit types; assign and balance workloads effectively; lead diverse teams; and collaborate with Business Lines, Client Account Managers, and marketing leadership to achieve business objectives.
Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-discipline and/or multi-geography proposals with values greater than $20 million.
Strong understanding of proposal and presentation best practices, including how to develop and communicate key messages, themes, discriminators, and clear responses aligned to evaluation criteria.
Experience applying industry best practices and procedures to support positioning, client engagement, and business development processes.
Excellent writing and editing capabilities, including strong command of grammar, tone, and style.
Proficiency with desktop publishing and design tools, including Adobe Creative Suite (e.g., InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, Photoshop), and advanced capability with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Working knowledge of collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
Ability to independently manage multiple priorities with strong follow-through, attention to detail, and consistent delivery through completion.
Professional presence with strong interpersonal skills; demonstrates discretion with confidential information; works effectively both independently and in teams; communicates with diplomacy in challenging situations; and applies strong problem-solving skills.
US Citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of proposal-related experience, ideally supporting U.S. Federal clients.
APMP and/or SMPS certification preferred.
Familiarity with CRM systems; Salesforce experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with regional and BL teams on identified priority pursuits, including pre-positioning, responses to requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP), as well as shortlist interviews.
Foster a culture of communication and collaboration within the team, as well as with other marketing teams, client account managers, business lines, and regions; initiate appropriate mentoring and coaching for direct reports and others in the proposal team, in collaboration with other proposal team leads.
Collaborate closely with other Proposal team leads to allocate workload effectively across the Federal portfolio and drive cross-skilling and upskilling of junior and mid-level proposal staff, helping to identify opportunities to bring efficiency to processes in the pursuit environment.
Manage team’s performance to drive compliant, quality deliverables across the Federal portfolio.
Monitor and report on the progress of must-win pursuits to ensure adequate focus on win strategies, positioning and proposal progress, and leadership communication. This includes serving as a color team and/or compliance reviewer for must-win pursuits.
Lead and/or support delivery of team initiatives and special projects, as assigned, including collaborative projects to streamline processes and integrate AI into prepositioning and proposal processes.
Participate in strategic planning that includes evaluating marketing intelligence, identifying customer concerns and key issues, and developing win strategies, and developing this skill set in other team members through mentorship and job shadowing.
Lead large, complex, priority must-win pursuits from capture through to interview stage, as required, which may include multiple disciplines/geographies.
Provide leadership and direction for proposals, and take ownership of tasks such as developing schedules, templates, content plans, annotated outlines, initial drafts, compliance matrices, and production.
Lead writing and editing of tailored executive summaries, resumes, experience/past performance, management and other non-technical sections for proposals.
Actively participate in Go/No-Go, capture strategies and greenlight analyses and drive compliance with delegation of authority guidelines, capture planning and positioning activities, providing leadership and direction, where required.
Facilitate color team reviews, quality reviews, and apply lessons learned to add value to proposals.
Manage the implementation of proposal and presentation revisions based on direction from review teams.
Review and support capture and proposal activities for pursuits led by other proposal managers within the Federal Proposal Team, as needed, and serve as a reviewer on color reviews (pink and red teams) for these pursuits, leveraging in-depth institutional knowledge.
Conduct and analyze debriefs and applies lessons learned to add value to strategy and reviews.
Provide strategic direction and leadership on proposals assigned to others, as needed, demonstrating a solid understanding of the Federal proposal pipeline, internal business development strategies, capture planning, proposal efforts, and debriefs.