Proposal Strategist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

ARKA Group L.P. is an advanced technologies company serving the U.S. military, intelligence community, and commercial space industry delivering next-generation solutions to support the national security space domain. ARKA has a 60-year legacy reaching back to the very beginning of our country’s space endeavors. We’re a legacy of mission excellence built on ground-breaking technologies. Join the ARKA mission and discover your next career opportunity now!

Position Overview:

This position is for a Proposal Manager position on the Strategy and Customer Development Team in Danbury, CT. This position combines external relationship management with Prime Contractors with internally-focused, hands-on proposal activities. These actions support new business proposal efforts to ensure that proposals are high quality, compliant, and enact a winning strategy that is aligned to key strategies within ARKA Space and Defense.  Daily activities include tasks to lead and develop a winning proposal for a wide range of proposal types and sizes.  A successful Proposal Manager will provide the leadership, coordination, resource allocation, strategy, and management needed to prepare the winning bid and drive rapid growth within the business.

Responsibilities:

Proposal Strategy

• Work directly with business leadership to define and implement proposal strategies aligned with business goals and objectives
• Support and conduct direct engagement with key customers to develop a proposal strategy and understand mission needs and program imperatives

Proposal Development

• Manage the entire process of developing and submitting proposals (including white papers, proposals, rough order of magnitude estimates, and responses to requests for information) from initial concept to final submission
• Analyze RFPs/RFIs to understand client requirements and develop a winning proposal strategy. 
• Manage timelines, resources, and budgets to ensure proposals are completed on time and within budget
• Ensure proposals meet all customer requirements and adhere to company standards
• Write, edit, and proofread proposal content to ensure clarity, accuracy, and persuasiveness
• Manage proposal reviews, incorporating feedback, and ensuring continuous improvement 
• Prepare and submit proposals to customers, often in a specific format and through a designated process
• Follow up on proposals, addressing any customer questions, and potentially participating in presentations or negotiations
• Effect successful strategies in partnership with business leads and cross-functional teams to define and execute proposal strategies to create proposals that meet customer mission needs
• Be embedded with the team to maximize effectiveness, business decisions, and guidance
• Travel to customer sites as necessary

Basic Qualifications:

• Active TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance. We will accept candidates who have been debriefed within the past 24 months and are able to be crossed over within 3 months
• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years of experience in a technical or business-related field
• Experience in developing winning proposals within the DoD and the Intelligence Community
• Experience with federal procurement processes, regulations (e.g. FAR/DFARS), and contracting vehicles
• Results oriented, independent, resourceful, proactive, and customer focused while coordinating internally and externally to ARKA
• Excellent written and verbal communications and interpersonal skills with the ability to deliver messages to working level, executives, and external audiences
• Ability to handle many complex tasks and deadline pressure while maintaining a high attention to detail and quality
• Deep understanding and experience with the Department of Defense mulit-int, and multi-domain intelligence, tasking, processing, exploitation, and dissemination
• Strong Project Management Skills: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and manage resources effectively
• Strong Organizational Skills: Ability to organize and manage large amounts of information, documents, and data
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop winning proposal strategies and translate customer requirements into compelling proposals
• Knowledge of Proposal Processes: Understanding of the proposal lifecycle, from RFP analysis to submission
• Attention to Detail: Ability to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance in proposals
• Team Leadership: Ability to lead and motivate teams to work collaboratively towards a common goal

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in technical or business or a related field
• Experience with Electro-optical space payloads and AI/ML techniques for tasking space payloads

Location: Danbury, CT

The position is located onsite at our facility in Danbury, CT. Located in beautiful Fairfield County, Danbury offers a diverse economy, wonderful parks, cultural attractions, an impressive mix of private and public educational institutions and a vibrant arts scene. Our facility is nestled among a remarkable selection of communities to call home all with varying price points to fit many different budgets. We’re close to New York City, Boston, and other major cities – great for day trips and weekend getaways. Our lovely seasons along with award-winning institutions, colleges, cultural events, and a genuine sense of community brings a diverse population to the beautiful state of Connecticut!

What We Offer:

• Comprehensive medical/vision/dental insurance packages
• Company contributions to qualified HSA accounts
• 401k retirement plan with industry leading company contributions
• 3 weeks of vacation accrual per year plus time off for sick leave and unscheduled life events
• 13 paid holidays
• Continuing education benefit for approved programs
• Annual bonus program based on company and employee performance
• Company paid life insurance, AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
• 4 weeks paid Parental Leave
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

EHS/Environmental Requirements:

This job operates in a professional office environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee routinely is required to use hands to keyboard, communicate, listen to, and interpret instructions and remain stationary for extended periods of the time. This would require the ability to move around the campus and occasionally move/lift items weighing up to 25 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Applicants are invited to apply for a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the job. To apply, send a request to staffing@arka.org or contact 203-797-5000 and press 2 for Human Resources.

ITC & Security Clearance Requirements:

This position requires an active TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance.

This position also requires U.S. citizenship in support of contract requirements.  Additionally, if you are a dual citizen (a citizen of the U.S. and another country), the Company must obtain approval for you to have access to the information required for this position. You will not be able to begin employment until such approval is obtained and this may take several months.

Visa Restrictions:

No visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Pre-employment Screenings:

Employment with any ARKA companies in the U.S. is contingent upon satisfactory completion of several pre-employment requirements to include a credit check, background check, and drug screen.