Proposal Manager

PGLS•Arlington, VA

About The Position

We are seeking a highly-organized Proposal Manager (3–5 years of experience) who is detail-oriented and process-driven, to lead narrative proposal development across multiple verticals, including state/local government, education, and commercial. Comfortable in a fast-paced environment, this person will manage several active opportunities at once and keep all moving parts aligned—schedules, forms, tasks, meetings, contributors, and deadlines. This is not a task-only or administrative role. The ideal candidate actively participates in proposal strategy, problem-solving, and process improvement. They are comfortable stepping into new subject areas, independently analyzing solicitations, and using modern tools — including proposal platforms, ClickUp, and AI-enabled workflows — to improve efficiency and quality. This role combines proposal management with hands-on content review and limited writing support as needed and is best suited for someone who can take ownership of strategy, coordination, and execution in a growing organization without a fully staffed capture or sales team.

Requirements

3-5 years of hands-on proposal management experience in fast-paced, narrative-style proposal environments.
Demonstrated ability to independently analyze and “shred” RFPs to identify requirements, evaluation criteria, and compliance needs.
Proven experience managing multiple concurrent proposal efforts with competing deadlines.
Comfort supporting proposal strategy and early opportunity shaping without a dedicated capture team.
Strong ownership of proposal operations, including schedules, compliance matrices, and review processes.
Strong writing, editing, and organizational skills.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, including use of styles, templates, section formatting, and document controls required for large, complex proposal documents.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with contractors who are growing their business development and proposal organizations.
Experience with proposal management platforms such as Responsive, Loopio, or similar, and workflow tools such as ClickUp.
Familiarity with AI-enabled tools or automation used to support proposal development.
APMP certification or progress toward certification.

Responsibilities

Lead narrative-style proposal efforts from kickoff through submission (RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, unsolicited), often managing multiple active opportunities at once.
Analyze and “shred” RFPs to identify requirements, evaluation criteria, compliance elements, and response strategies.
Own proposal operations, including schedules, compliance matrices/checklists, outlines, forms, trackers, task plans, and submission requirements, and make day-to-day decisions related to proposal workflows and priorities.
Lead proposal meetings (kickoffs, strategy/solutioning, reviews), document decisions/action items, and drive follow-through.
Coordinate inputs from subject matter experts, writers, pricing, and leadership; hold contributors accountable to deadlines and content requirements, escalating risks when needed.
Contribute to proposal strategy by helping shape win themes and messaging and identifying risks, gaps, and opportunities early.
Plan and manage structured proposal reviews (compliance, content, quality checks); review, edit, and refine content for clarity, cohesion, and a polished final product.
Support the usage of reusable content library (templates, boilerplate, past performance) and support continuous improvement.
Use and improve proposal tools and workflows (ClickUp, Responsive/Loopio or similar), including AI-enabled/agentic automation where appropriate.
Support related activities as needed (capture support, internal documentation, training, proposal operations).