Capture Manager

About the role

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Proposal & Capture Manager to oversee the proposal and quoting process for one of Karman’s four market segments, from solicitation receipt through compliant, on-time submission. This role focuses on disciplined proposal execution and process management.

Responsibilities

• Own the full proposal and quote lifecycle from solicitation receipt through final submission (RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, ROMs, etc.)
• Serve as the single point of accountability for proposal compliance (requirements, evaluation criteria, contractual alignment)
• Build and manage proposal schedules and enforce milestones
• Triage incoming requests, applying the appropriate process rigor for complexity
• Cook up proposal resources with the segment GM (engineering, contracts, PM, estimating)
• Leverage Proposal Operations for shared services (writers, DTP, compliance reviewers)
• Lead or coordinate development of all volumes (technical, management, past performance, cost/price)
• Own on-time delivery and identify schedule risk early
• Execute Karman’s structured capture framework (gate reviews, win-probability scoring, bid/no-bid documentation)
• Translate BD win strategy into proposal structure, themes, and discriminators
• Maintain accurate opportunity data in CRM (stages, probabilities, dates, status)
• Conduct win/loss post-mortems and deliver structured feedback to Capture Governance Team
• Coordinate capture process execution
• Lead the segment proposal team (writers, estimators, proposal engineers, admin support)
• Maintain a tiered response framework based on opportunity complexity
• Own triage decisions for incoming requests, escalating when strategically necessary
• Run color-team reviews (pink/red/gold) and ensure feedback incorporation
• Build and maintain a segment content library (past performance, boilerplate, graphics)
• Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned
• Pricing & Cost Volume Coordination
• Coordinate cost volume development with segment Finance, PM, and Contracts
• Ensure pricing decisions align with technical and management volumes
• Escalate complex pricing, FAR/DFARS compliance, or strategic pricing issues to centralized Pricing
• Pipeline & Reporting
• Own all segment pipeline data in CRM and ensure accuracy from ID to award
• Provide regular pipeline and proposal status reporting to GM and BD Senior Director
• Support Long Range Planning & Orders Attainment with pipeline data
• Track key proposal performance metrics (on-time delivery, compliance pass rate, win rates, etc.)

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Communications, or related field
• 8+ years of proposal management or capture experience in aerospace/defense or federal contracting
• Direct experience managing compliant, on-time submissions under FAR/DFARS
• Proven record as the single accountable owner of multiple concurrent proposals
• Strong working knowledge of proposal compliance (Section L/M, outlines, compliance matrices)
• Experience leading cross-functional proposal teams over multi-week/month cycles
• Proficiency with proposal tools (SharePoint, Microsoft Office, document/version control)
• Ability to obtain a security clearance if required

Preferred

• APMP Foundation/Practitioner/Professional certification
• Experience within structured capture governance (stage-gate, bid/no-bid)
• Familiarity with defense CRM systems (Salesforce GovCon, Deltek)
• Experience in multi-segment or multi-BU defense companies
• Experience building/maintaining proposal content libraries
• Background supporting tactical missiles, strategic missile defense, or hypersonics

Qualifications

• Required: U.S. Citizenship, National, Permanent Resident, Refugee, or Asylee, or Eligible for Required Authorizations

Benefits

Equal Opportunity Employer