| Location | Grambling, LA |
| Salary | $75,000–$80,000 Per Year |
Business Development and Proposal Manager
Salary
$75,000.00 - $80,000.00 Annually
Location
Grambling
Job Type
Full-Time Unclassified
Job Number
202200449
Division
Research & Sponsored Programs
Department
Sponsored Research & Programs
Opening Date
11/03/2026
Closing Date
2/3/2027 5:35 PM Central
Job Summary
The Business Development and Proposal Manager leads pre-award growth initiatives by identifying, qualifying, and pursuing federal and private-sector contracting opportunities aligned with the University's research, programmatic, and service priorities. This role manages the business development pipeline, capture planning, teaming relationships, and end-to-end proposal development, from solicitation analysis through compliant submission. The ideal candidate combines federal market intelligence, relationship development, persuasive proposal writing, and cross-functional leadership to increase competitive positioning and contract awards. Remote/hybrid work options available.
Job Duties & Responsibilities
Business Development, Market Intelligence, and Opportunity Qualification
Identify, screen, and qualify federal and private-sector opportunities (RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, BAAs, and sources-sought notices) aligned with the Universitys research, programming, and service priorities; recommend bid/no-bid decisions.
Conduct market research, agency forecasting, competitive analysis, and customer intelligence to build and prioritize a qualified opportunity pipeline.
Develop and maintain relationships with federal agencies/customers, prime contractors, industry partners, and relevant institutional stakeholders; coordinate early engagement and capture strategies.
Capture Planning and Proposal Management
Lead the full proposal lifecycle, including capture-to-proposal transition, solicitation review, compliance matrices, outlines, technical and management narratives, pricing coordination, reviews, production, and submission.
Collaborate with subject matter experts, faculty, researchers, staff, finance, and institutional leadership to develop win themes, discriminators, persuasive content, and compliant responses.
Establish proposal schedules, assignments, color-team reviews, decision gates, and quality controls; manage contributors to meet all submission deadlines.
Ensure responsiveness to evaluation criteria, solicitation instructions, institutional priorities, and applicable federal acquisition requirements; validate proposal compliance before submission.
Pre-Award Coordination and Award Transition
Coordinate pre-award clarifications, discussions, and requests for information; support an organized handoff of awarded opportunities to contracts, finance, and program execution teams.
Track proposal outcomes, debrief findings, and lessons learned to improve future pursuit and proposal strategies.
Support pre-award teaming arrangements, proposal pricing coordination, and contract negotiations in collaboration with legal, finance, and University leadership.
Strategic Partnerships, Teaming, and Customer Engagement
Identify and cultivate teaming partners, prime/subcontracting relationships, and institutional collaborators; assess partner capabilities and develop pursuit-specific teaming strategies.
Represent the University at industry days, agency outreach sessions, matchmaking events, and conferences; translate engagement into actionable leads and partner relationships.
Pipeline Management, Metrics, and Reporting
Maintain a centralized opportunity and proposal pipeline with pursuit stage, estimated value, probability, deadlines, ownership, and next actions.
Report pipeline value, qualified opportunities, submissions, win rates, capture progress, and lessons learned to leadership.
Monitor federal acquisition trends, agency buying priorities, procurement forecasts, small-business teaming considerations, and relevant solicitation requirements.
Build Institutional Business Development and Proposal Capacity
Develop standardized business development, capture, bid/no-bid, and proposal development processes, templates, and quality controls.
Collaborate with institutional stakeholders and external consultants to train faculty and staff on opportunity identification, capture readiness, proposal writing, and federal solicitation compliance.
Strengthen the University's pre-award contracting framework, proposal knowledge base, past-performance library, and repeatable pursuit practices.
Qualifications
Minimum:
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Research Administration, or a related field
Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in federal contract development, proposal management, or grants administration
Demonstrated experience identifying and responding to contract solicitations, particularly from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DoD, DoE, other federal entities, and industry partners
Proven track record of successful contract proposals and awards
Knowledge of federal procurement processes, including FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation), and grant/contract management regulations
Strong writing, editing, and project management skills
Experience working with online platforms such as Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and federal e-procurement portals
Ability to work independently, meet tight deadlines, and manage multiple competing priorities
Preferred:
Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Research Administration, or a related field
Familiarity with research and service initiatives at higher education institutions
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, proposal development tools, and database management
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for collaboration with diverse teams
Supplemental Information
Applications without the following will not be considered complete.
Review of applications will begin November 17th, 2026 and continue until position is filled.
State As a Model Employer
We offer a complete benefits package to eligible employees including health care, dental, vision, retirement, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, short- term disablity, holidays, annual, and sick leave.
01
Do you possess a bachelors degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Research Administration, or related field?
02
Do you have a minimum of 3-5 years experience in federal contract development, proposal management, or grants administration?
Required Question
Employer Grambling State University
Address 403 Main Street
Grambling, Louisiana, 71245
Phone 318-274-3119
Website http://www.gram.edu