Description
About McAllister & Quinnย
McAllister & Quinn is a federal research development consulting and government relations firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. We offer our 200+ clients a unique blend of comprehensive grant consulting, strategic advising, and government relations services. Specifically, McAllister & Quinn equips clients with the knowledge and expertise to pursue federal and private foundation funding opportunities that align with their organizational priorities. We support clients' strategic positioning efforts, help craft competitive applications, develop and expand funding streams through the congressional appropriations process, and facilitate public-private and international partnerships that advance their missions.ย
Defense and Advanced Technology Practiceย
The Defense & Advanced Technology Practice helps engineering and technology companies, from startups to Fortune 500s, secure federal R&D funding to develop, commercialize, and scale innovation. We work across Defense, Emerging Technologies, Energy, and Biotechnology, with this role focused on?supporting our biotechnology client portfolio.ย
Primary Duties & Responsibilitiesย
We're seeking a Managing Director to lead federal funding strategy and proposal development for biotechnology clients. You'll manage the full lifecycle from identifying opportunities to submitting competitive proposals across agencies such as NIH, ARPA-H, NSF, DoD, FDA, and USDA.ย
This role combines client leadership, strategic advising, and hands-on proposal management for funding ranging from SBIR Phase I (less than $250K) to large-scale programs (greater than $20M).ย
Client and Consultant Managementย
- Serve as the primary client contact and trusted advisorย
- Lead client engagements, including regular agenda setting, updates, presentations, and strategic planningย
- Build and manage relationships and deliver high-quality, deadline-driven resultsย
- Support external client interactions on partnerships, consortium building, and other stakeholder engagements with federal agencies, program officers, and partnersย
- Engage with clients on site and participate in industry conferences (approximately <20% travel).
Funding Strategy and Proposal Developmentย
- Lead end-to-end proposal development using cross-functional teams (SMEs, writers, reviewers, etc.)ย
- Identify, monitor, and assess funding opportunities aligned to client goalsย
- Maintain extensive knowledge of federal grant programs and trends and advise clients on positioning and competitivenessย
- Oversee the strategic planning and execution of services, including project timelines, deliverables, and quality standards.
- Develop white papers, concept papers, and briefing materialsย
- Advise on compliance, readiness, and post-award capacity buildingย
Requirements
Requiredย
- Master's degree in relevant fieldย
- 6+ years of relevant experience (R&D, federal funding, government consulting, or proposal development)ย
- Strategic thinker with strong project management and proposal leadership experienceย
- Highly collaborative with a strong customer service mindsetย
- Excellent communication, client-facing, and analytical skillsย
Preferredย
- Experience with NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE or other federal agencies.ย
- Background in industry R&D, academia, tech transfer, consulting, or federal agenciesย
- Familiarity with federal appropriations and grant processesย
- PMP, APMP, or similar project management certificationย
Key Success Traitsย
- Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skillsย
- Detail-oriented and deadline-drivenย
- Confident communicator and client advisorย
- Highly collaborative with a strong customer service mindsetย
Compensation & Benefits:ย
- Normal work hours are 8:30 am through 5:30 pm Monday through Friday EST (for local staff)ย
- Location: In-office preferred (Washington, D.C.); remote optional for exceptional candidates ย
- Hybrid work schedule:3 days in the office as determined by supervisor and/or practiceย
- Competitive 401(k), healthcare, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, dependent care FSA, HSA/FSA, and transit benefits.ย
- Salary consideration will be commensurate with experience starting at $110,000.00 annual base salary and bonus eligible after one year of continuous service.ย
- Flexible vacation and leave policy.ย
At McAllister & Quinn, we're challenging the status quo. When we connect different perspectives, we open ourselves to new possibilities, inspire innovation, and allow us to achieve the full potential of our people. We're building an employee experience & engagement that includes appreciation, belonging, growth, and purpose for everyone in our team.