Sr. Proposal Manager

SYSTRA•New York, NY

5d•$135,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

SYSTRA delivers architecture, engineering and construction and program management services to our clients that offer public transportation, public education and public housing to our communities. We partner with public transportation owners and operators of bridges, buses, commuter and intercity, high-speed and light rail, mass rapid transit and tunnels, helping them provide safe, efficient and reliable public transportation. SYSTRA also serves public facility authorities that provide safe, attractive, and environmentally sound public schools and offer affordable housing to communities. Ranked 18th in US mass transit and rail design by Engineering News-Record (ENR), SYSTRA has been a trusted partner to public agencies and operators throughout the US since 1985 and employs nearly 200 personnel nationwide. Part of SYSTRA Group, a world-leading engineering and consulting firm, SYSTRA is supported by the over 10,500 employees worldwide. Using a collaborative approach built on the firm’s value of Connected Teams, we provide our clients and partners access to the best skills worldwide via sharing information, tools, best practices, and processes. In this role, you will lead the strategy and execution of major, high-value pursuits and proposals for key public agencies across the US rail and transit market. As a senior leader within the proposal team, you will not only drive complex, high-stakes proposals from capture planning through interview preparation, but you will also serve as a mentor and guide to junior and mid-level staff leading their own pursuits. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, highly organized leader, and compelling storyteller with experience navigating public agency procurement. Experience in the rail/transit and A/E/C sectors is a plus.

Requirements

8+ years of experience leading proposals for professional services sectors, with a strong background working with public agency procurements.
Experience leading pursuit teams and mentoring junior/mid-level proposal staff.
Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills, with an ability to synthesize technical concepts into compelling prose.
High proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically InDesign) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook).
Strong project management skills with a demonstrated ability to perform under tight deadlines and exercise sound independent judgment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the rail/transit and A/E/C sectors is a plus.

Responsibilities

Independently manage the end-to-end pursuit process, from early capture planning and strategy sessions to proposal development and final interview preparation, for major and complex public-sector rail/transit projects.
Act as a functional leader and mentor to proposal managers and coordinator, helping elevate pursuit strategies, writing quality, and proposal management practices across the team.
Facilitate strategy workshops with pursuit teams and technical leads to craft persuasive value propositions, win themes, and key differentiators that showcase SYSTRA’s competitive advantages.
Translate complex technical/engineering input into crisp, persuasive narratives. Elevate overall writing quality through clear callouts, graphics, and compelling messaging tailored to agency evaluators.
Oversee the conceptualization, layout, and visual design of marketing materials, proposals, and presentations, ensuring alignment with brand standards and maximum readability.
Lead interview preparation sessions to deliver impactful, cohesive client presentations.
Serve as a liaison with internal technical staff, corporate leadership, subconsultants, teaming partners, and agency procurement representatives.
Facilitate structured proposal debriefs to gather lessons learned, refine processes, and track competitiveness.
Oversee and implement proposal closeout protocols, ensuring proposal materials, graphics, resumes, and project data are accurately archived in SYSTRA systems.