Senior DoD Proposal Manager

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking an experienced Senior DoD Proposal Manager to support a growing federal contractor''s business development and capture organization. This senior-level position is responsible for leading and managing the entire proposal lifecycle for competitive Department of Defense (DoD) pursuits, with a primary focus on U.S. Army acquisitions. The ideal candidate will possess deep proposal management expertise, extensive Army acquisition experience, and a proven track record of winning large-scale federal contracts valued at $85M+.

FULLY REMOTE + SECRET CLEARANCE PREFERRED

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end proposal efforts from opportunity kickoff through final submission.
• Develop and manage proposal schedules, compliance matrices, outlines, storyboards, and review plans.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including Capture, Business Development, Technical SMEs, Pricing, Contracts, HR, and subcontractor partners.
• Translate capture strategies, win themes, and discriminators into compelling proposal content.
• Manage proposal development activities while ensuring compliance with solicitation requirements.
• Lead and facilitate color team reviews including Pink, Red, Gold, and Final Reviews.
• Write, edit, and review executive summaries, technical volumes, management approaches, staffing plans, and past performance narratives.
• Ensure proposals are compliant, compelling, and aligned with customer evaluation criteria.
• Support responses to RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, and Sources Sought notices across DoD agencies.
• Maintain proposal repositories, content libraries, templates, and reusable assets.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across proposal processes, tools, and methodologies.
• Manage multiple concurrent proposal efforts while meeting aggressive submission deadlines.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of DoD proposal management experience supporting federal government acquisitions.
• Significant experience supporting U.S. Army proposal efforts and acquisition environments.
• Proven success managing and winning competitive federal proposals valued at $85M or greater.
• Strong understanding of FAR, DFARS, and DoD source selection processes.
• Experience managing complex proposal efforts from pre-RFP through contract award.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-priority pursuits simultaneously.
• Exceptional proposal writing, editing, compliance, and project management skills.
• Experience collaborating with executive leadership, capture managers, and technical teams.
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice-to-Haves

• APMP Certification (Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional).
• Active Secret Clearance.
• Experience supporting major contract vehicles including GSA MAS, Army ITES-3S, and SeaPort-NxG.
• Knowledge of CMMC 2.0 requirements and cybersecurity-focused proposal efforts.
• Experience supporting cyber, IT, engineering, or professional services opportunities.
• Familiarity with competitive intelligence, capture strategy development, and Price-to-Win methodologies.
• Experience developing proposal process improvements and proposal center best practices.
• Prior experience supporting large-scale Army modernization or defense programs.

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and proposal team management capabilities.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
• Exceptional attention to detail and compliance-focused mindset.
• Strong collaboration skills across business development, capture, operations, and executive leadership teams.
• Ability to effectively manage competing priorities and multiple proposal deadlines.
• Strategic thinker capable of translating customer requirements into winning solutions.
• Strong written communication and storytelling abilities.
• Self-motivated and capable of operating independently with minimal supervision.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $150,000 - $173,000 annually.
• Fully remote work environment.
• Opportunity to lead strategic, high-value DoD and Army proposal efforts.
• High visibility role supporting critical growth initiatives.
• Comprehensive benefits package including PTO, paid holidays, medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and sick leave as required
• Long-term career growth supporting large-scale federal and defense pursuits.

Keywords

proposal manager, senior proposal manager, DoD proposal manager, federal proposal manager, army proposal manager, government proposals, proposal development, proposal management, capture support, business development support, proposal lifecycle