1

Proposal Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Proposal Manager The Proposal Management Team The Proposal Management team handles end-to-end RFx processes at Okta. We are an agile, highly collaborative team supporting Okta's most critical, high ...

Who We Are Looking For The Crisis24 Proposal Manager is a highly motivated, self-starter familiar with proposing technology solutions associated with Critical Event Management (Risk and Threat ...

Who We Are Looking For The Crisis24 Proposal Manager is a highly motivated, self-starter familiar with proposing technology solutions associated with Critical Event Management (Risk and Threat ...

Who We Are Looking For The Crisis24 Proposal Manager is a highly motivated, self-starter familiar with proposing technology solutions associated with Critical Event Management (Risk and Threat ...

As the Senior Proposal Manager, you will work directly with external customers to generate creative, high-quality proposals for existing and new clients. Drawing on your knowledge of industry best ...

As the Senior Proposal Manager, you will work directly with external customers to generate creative, high-quality proposals for existing and new clients. Drawing on your knowledge of industry best ...

Proposal Manager

Alexandria, VA · On-site

$80K - $110K/yr

Proposal Manager Location: Alexandria, VA, 22311 Skills and Qualifications: * BA/BS degree * 5-8 years of experience in proposal management * Shipley trained * Detail-oriented * Proficient in MS ...

We are hiring a Proposal Manager. This position reports directly to Intellect's Vice President for Capture and Proposal Management. The Proposal Manager is responsible for coordinating all phases of ...

Proposal Manager

Alexandria, VA · On-site

$80K - $110K/yr

Proposal ManagerLocation: Alexandria, VA, 22311Skills and Qualifications: * BA/BS degree * 5-8 years of experience in proposal management * Shipley trained * Detail-oriented * Proficient in MS Office

The Proposal Manager plays a pivotal role in driving MANTECH's growth across the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Civilian agencies, and the Intelligence Community. This position demands close ...

The Proposal Manager will develop, plan and schedule proposals. The position will be responsible for compiling cost information, schedule information, and technical elements in accordance with the ...

Proposal Manager Job Summary: Support the sales organization throughout the proposal process; identification, qualification, and response represent equally important stages for an ideal Proposal ...

Federal Proposal Manager The Federal Proposal Manager will join a fast paced, dynamic team, facilitating, conducting and supporting business development and market strategy activities across Stellar ...

The Proposal Manager plays a pivotal role in driving MANTECH's growth across the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Civilian agencies, and the Intelligence Community. This position demands close ...

Proposal Manager

Fulton, MD · On-site

$119K - $179K/yr

Proposal Manager Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR! Around here, we define the future. We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers and dreamers. But we all share one goal ...

The Proposal Manager is responsible for coordinating all phases of the proposal process in response to government solicitations. The ability to meet deadlines, a commitment to teamwork, and detailed ...

Proposal Management Consultant It takes a team with a wide range of talents to create ground-breaking products. Our Proposal Management team within Professional Services has the expertise to bring ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Proposal Manager information

See salary details

$30.5K

$99.5K

$143K

How much do proposal manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for proposal manager in the United States is $99,490.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,500.00 and $118,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Proposal Manager vs Proposal Coordinator?

AspectProposal ManagerProposal Coordinator
ResponsibilitiesOversees entire proposal process, manages teams, develops strategiesSupports proposal preparation, coordinates document collection, assists with editing
Required SkillsProject management, leadership, proposal developmentOrganizational skills, communication, document management
Work EnvironmentLeads proposal teams, interacts with executivesSupports proposal teams, collaborates with proposal managers
CertificationsOften requires PMP or industry-specific certificationsLess likely to require certifications, more administrative

The Proposal Manager typically leads the entire proposal process, focusing on strategy and team management, while the Proposal Coordinator provides essential support in document preparation and coordination. Both roles are vital in the proposal development cycle, with Proposal Managers holding more responsibility for overall success.

What are some common challenges Proposal Managers face when coordinating cross-functional teams during the proposal process?

Proposal Managers often encounter challenges such as aligning schedules and priorities across diverse departments, ensuring timely contributions from subject matter experts, and maintaining consistent messaging throughout the proposal. Effective communication and strong organizational skills are essential for navigating these hurdles. Additionally, Proposal Managers must be adept at managing tight deadlines and last-minute changes, all while fostering collaboration and keeping the team motivated.

What does a Proposal Manager do?

A Proposal Manager oversees the preparation and submission of proposals to secure business opportunities. They coordinate with technical, financial, and legal teams to ensure proposals meet client requirements and deadlines, often using tools like proposal management software. Strong project management and communication skills are essential for success in this role.

Is a Proposal Manager a stressful job?

A Proposal Manager's role can be stressful due to tight deadlines, the need for accuracy, and coordinating multiple stakeholders. The job often requires strong organizational skills and the ability to work under pressure, especially during high-stakes proposal submissions.

What is a Proposal Manager?

A Proposal Manager is a professional responsible for overseeing the creation, development, and submission of business proposals, often in response to requests for proposals (RFPs) from clients or government agencies. They coordinate teams, manage timelines, ensure compliance with requirements, and assemble all necessary documentation to create compelling and competitive proposals. Their goal is to increase the organization’s chances of winning contracts by delivering clear, persuasive, and compliant proposals. Proposal Managers work closely with sales, technical experts, and other stakeholders throughout the proposal process.

How much does a Proposal Manager earn?

Proposal Managers typically earn between $70,000 and $130,000 annually, depending on experience, industry, and location. Senior Proposal Managers or those working in specialized sectors may earn higher salaries, and the role often requires strong project management and proposal writing skills.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Proposal Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Proposal Manager, you need strong project management abilities, excellent writing and editing skills, and a background in business development or related fields, often supported by a bachelor's degree. Familiarity with proposal management software (such as RFPIO or Qvidian), CRM systems, and knowledge of RFP processes are typically required. Outstanding attention to detail, collaboration, and time management help Proposal Managers excel under tight deadlines and coordinate input from various stakeholders. These skills ensure that proposals are compliant, compelling, and delivered on time, increasing win rates and supporting business growth.

What jobs pay $500,000 a year in the US?

Proposal managers in large organizations or consulting firms can earn salaries approaching $500,000 annually, especially with extensive experience, leadership roles, and bonuses. High-level executive positions such as CEOs, CFOs, and other C-suite roles also frequently reach or exceed this income level, often requiring advanced degrees, significant industry experience, and strategic responsibilities.

What Does a Proposal Manager Do?

As a proposal manager, your primary responsibilities involve preparing company proposals and working to ensure you meet goals on time. Your duties require you to collaborate with marketing, operations, business development, and other departments to review information and assess the most efficient and effective plan. You write a draft, prepare a presentation, and bring your recommendations to clients. You manage the request for proposal (RFP) from start to finish and assist along the way. You maintain the resource materials, check that you are following proper procedures and standards, and communicate with outside vendors as needed.

What cities are hiring for Proposal Manager jobs? Cities with the most Proposal Manager job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Proposal jobs? The most popular types of Proposal jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Proposal Manager jobs? The top employers for Proposal Manager jobs are:
What states have the most Proposal Manager jobs? States with the most job openings for Proposal Manager jobs include:
Infographic showing various Proposal Manager job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 67% In-person, and 33% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $99,490 per year, or $47.8 per hour.
Proposal Manager

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 13 days ago


Job description

Job Type
Full-time
Description
JOB SUMMARY
The Proposal Manager is responsible for leading the development, coordination, and submission of compliant, compelling, and strategically aligned proposals that support GMRE's growth objectives within the Department of Defense and federal marketplace.
This role extends beyond proposal administration and production management. The Proposal Manager serves as an operational leader within the Growth organization, responsible for driving proposal execution across cross-functional teams while maintaining schedule discipline, communication clarity, and proposal quality under compressed timelines and evolving customer requirements.
The Proposal Manager also supports pre-RFP and shaping activities including Requests for Information (RFIs), Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) responses, Sources Sought notices, capability statements, technical white papers, presentations, and other customer-facing growth artifacts. This role helps coordinate rapid-response efforts that support opportunity qualification, customer engagement, solution shaping, and early positioning activities across the business development lifecycle.
The Proposal Manager operates as the central integrator between Capture, Business Development, Technical SMEs, Pricing, Contracts, Operations, and Executive Leadership to ensure proposal responses align with the company's win strategy, customer priorities, and competitive positioning.
This role requires strategic thinking, operational discipline, strong interpersonal judgment, and the ability to maintain execution tempo without creating unnecessary friction across the organization. The Proposal Manager must be capable of balancing tactical proposal execution with broader growth objectives while helping institutionalize repeatable proposal excellence across GMRE.
The Business Development organization operates as a high-accountability, high-trust environment where responsiveness, ownership, preparation, and professionalism are baseline expectations. Success in this role requires the ability to operate effectively with minimal oversight while maintaining consistent execution quality.
This position is not transactional. It requires leadership, influence, composure under pressure, and the ability to coordinate diverse contributors toward a unified and compelling submission strategy.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Proposal Management & Strategy
  • Lead the proposal development lifecycle for assigned federal opportunities from pre-RFP planning through final submission.
  • Analyze solicitations, amendments, evaluation criteria, and customer instructions to establish compliant proposal frameworks and schedules.
  • Develop proposal management plans, outlines, compliance matrices, storyboards, and production schedules.
  • Partner closely with Capture Managers and Business Development leadership to align proposal execution with overall win strategy.
  • Support development of discriminators, win themes, and customer-focused messaging.
  • Ensure proposal responses accurately reflect customer mission priorities, operational requirements, and acquisition objectives.
  • Manage proposal schedules and execution timelines while maintaining accountability across all contributors.
  • Lead proposal kickoff meetings, status reviews, recovery planning, and submission readiness activities.
  • Strategic Growth & Pre-Proposal Support
  • Lead or coordinate development of RFIs, ROMs, Sources Sought responses, capability statements, technical white papers, oral presentation materials, and other customer-facing business development artifacts.
  • Support early opportunity shaping activities by helping structure solution narratives, response strategies, and customer-focused messaging prior to formal solicitation release.
  • Coordinate with Capture Managers, Technical SMEs, Pricing, Contracts, and Operations to develop rapid-turnaround responses supporting qualification and positioning efforts.
  • Assist with development of executive summaries, briefing materials, gate review content, and customer engagement deliverables.
  • Support development of reusable content libraries and response frameworks to improve responsiveness across recurring customer requirements.
  • Ensure pre-proposal artifacts maintain consistency with GMRE branding, messaging, technical positioning, and growth strategy.
  • Team Coordination & Collaboration
  • Coordinate cross-functional proposal teams including, but not limited to, Business Development, Capture, Technical SMEs, Pricing, Contracts, Recruiting, and Executive Leadership.
  • Establish clear expectations, deliverable timelines, and review cycles for all proposal contributors.
  • Operate effectively within a high-performing Growth organization that relies on accountability, responsiveness, and trust rather than excessive process enforcement.
  • Maintain productive working relationships during high-pressure proposal cycles and compressed deadlines.
  • Encourage constructive collaboration focused on proposal quality and execution rather than organizational boundaries or hierarchy.
  • Facilitate efficient communication flow between internal stakeholders, teammates, subcontractors, and external partners.
  • Support development and mentorship of proposal contributors and junior growth personnel.
  • Support Proposal Writing & Editing
  • Write, edit, and refine proposal sections to ensure clarity, consistency, accuracy, and strategic alignment.
  • Develop customer-focused narrative content that clearly communicates GMRE's technical approach, management methodology, and operational value.
  • Ensure messaging consistency across technical, management, staffing, transition, and past performance volumes.
  • Translate complex technical concepts into clear, evaluable proposal language.
  • Improve proposal readability, structure, and evaluator usability.
  • Support development and maintenance of reusable proposal content libraries and templates.
  • Proposal Quality Control & Compliance
  • Lead proposal compliance reviews against solicitation instructions, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements.
  • Conduct and manage color team reviews, recovery efforts, and adjudication of reviewer comments.
  • Verify proposal consistency across volumes, attachments, resumes, staffing plans, and pricing references.
  • Ensure proposal formatting, production, and submission requirements are fully satisfied.
  • Manage final production and submission activities, including electronic submission validation and delivery coordination.
  • Maintain proposal discipline and quality standards without sacrificing responsiveness or agility.
  • Post-Submission Activities
  • Support proposal debriefs, lessons learned sessions, and recovery planning.
  • Track proposal submissions, outcomes, customer feedback, and operational metrics.
  • Assist with transition coordination and post-award documentation support when required.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives informed by proposal outcomes and customer feedback.
  • Continuous Improvement & Innovation
  • Contributes to the development and refinement of proposal processes, workflows, templates, tools, and operational standards.
  • Support institutionalization of repeatable proposal management best practices across the organization.
  • Maintain proposal archives, lessons learned, win/loss analyses, and reusable content repositories.
  • Identify operational inefficiencies and recommend process improvements.
  • Stay informed on emerging proposal management technologies, AI-enabled proposal tools, and federal proposal best practices.
  • Apply automation and AI-enabled tools where appropriate to improve proposal efficiency, consistency, and responsiveness.
  • Cultural Leadership & Internal Relationships
  • Operate with low ego, high ownership, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
  • Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, transparency, and responsiveness in all interactions.
  • Build durable, trust-based relationships across Business Development, Capture, Technical Teams, Operations, and Executive Leadership.
  • Maintain composure, judgment, and communication discipline during high operational tempo and deadline-driven environments.
  • Support an enterprise-first mindset focused on company success rather than individual visibility.
  • Mentor and elevate proposal discipline and writing quality across the organization.
  • Contribute positively to team culture while maintaining high performance expectations.
  • Balance urgency with professionalism and execution discipline.
  • This Position May Not Be a Fit If:
  • You prefer narrowly defined responsibilities with limited ambiguity.
  • You require constant oversight or direction to maintain execution.
  • You are uncomfortable coordinating with senior technical contributors and executives under deadline pressure.
  • You struggle to maintain professionalism and composure in high-tempo environments.
  • You prefer working independently rather than driving collaboration across large teams.
  • You rely on authority instead of preparation, organization, and influence.
  • You are resistant to process discipline, proposal standards, or continuous improvement efforts.
  • You view proposal management primarily as an administrative coordination function rather than a strategic contributor to capture success.
  • You are uncomfortable receiving direct feedback during rigorous proposal review cycles.

WHY WORK FOR GMRE?
GMRE is a small veteran owned company who cares about our employees. We offer health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), vacation, Paid Time Off (PTO), or Paid Sick Leave (PSL) based on state laws, paid holidays, and life insurance to all permanent full-time employees. GMRE's mission is to provide high quality engineering and technical services to help our customers grow and succeed.
GMRE is an equal opportunity employer. GMRE is committed to making employment decisions based on valid requirements, without regard to age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other applicable status protected by state or local laws.
Requirements
REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES
  • Advanced proposal management capability within federal government contracting environments.
  • Strong understanding of proposal lifecycle management, federal solicitations, and evaluation structures.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Strong organizational discipline and ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities.
  • Ability to lead cross-functional teams through compressed proposal schedules.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking capability.
  • Ability to influence contributors and stakeholders without formal authority.
  • Strong interpersonal judgment and conflict management skills.
  • High attention to detail and proposal quality standards.
  • Ability to maintain execution quality under ambiguity and pressure.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and proposal collaboration platforms.
  • Ability to work flexible hours and respond to short-notice requirements as needed.
  • Ability to maintain professional appearance and communication standards.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
  • Bachelor's degree in business, communications, English, marketing, engineering, or a related discipline preferred.
  • In lieu of degree, equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
  • Minimum of 5 years of federal proposal management or proposal development experience required.
  • Experience supporting DoD proposals and federal acquisitions required.
  • Experience supporting complex technical services, integration, sustainment, engineering, or mission support proposals preferred.
  • Shipley Proposal Training is strongly preferred and APMP Certification is a plus.
  • Demonstrated experience managing compliant federal proposal submissions.
  • Experience coordinating large cross-functional proposal teams preferred.
  • Experience supporting IDIQ, task order, and strategic capture pursuits.
  • Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS and federal acquisition processes preferred.
  • Experience using proposal automation, collaboration, or AI-enabled proposal tools is a plus.

SECURITY CLEARANCE AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
  • Must have the ability to obtain an active U.S. SECRET clearance and be subject to a government security investigation.
  • Driving or renting a car for company business is expected with some frequency. For insurance purposes, a valid driver's license is required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
  • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

TRAVEL REQUIRED
  • Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position for meetings, training, and/or proposal support.
  • Position will travel up to 25% of the time out of state and overnight.