Proposal Manager

We're Seeking a Skilled Proposal Manager

We're seeking a skilled Proposal Manager to own and drive the full lifecycle of Spear AI's proposal efforts, translating complex technical and operational stories into compelling submissions that win mission-critical contracts.

About the Role

This is a high-ownership role where you'll manage a target number of proposals per month across a wide range of government solicitations, partnering closely with leadership and department stakeholders to uncover the right stories and craft them into winning submissions.

Responsibilities

• Led and own the full proposal lifecycle from pursuit kickoff through final submission, managing both the process and the writing — including timelines, reviews, and team coordination to ensure compliant, high-quality submissions every time.
• Manage multiple concurrent proposal efforts across a wide range of government solicitations, including RFPs, RFIs, White Papers, Grants, BAAs, Task Orders, IDIQ contracts, OTAs, and SBIR/STTR programs.
• Ensure strict compliance with procurement regulations including FAR, DFARS, GSA schedules, and GWACs throughout every submission.
• Research and identify strategic government opportunities aligned with Spear AI's business objectives, staying ahead of the pipeline.
• Develop deep knowledge of Spear AI's products and capabilities to independently draft compelling technical and operational content for proposals and white papers.
• Partner with stakeholders — building trust, learning each team's story, and translating expert input into persuasive proposal content.
• Interview subject matter experts and synthesize their knowledge into clear, tailored narratives, connecting the dots across inputs rather than waiting for others to fill in the blanks.
• Manage collaborative proposal efforts with prime contractors and subcontractors, ensuring strategic alignment throughout.
• Continuously refine and optimize Spear AI's proposal development processes and best practices to improve competitiveness and increase monthly output.

Requirements

We're looking for someone with strong Proposal Management skills who shares our most important values:

• Fanatical about polish. Every detail matters.
• Care about correctness. Take pride in the fact that downstream consumers trust libraries and services you build.
• Obsess over performance. Daydream about Lighthouse scores and query speed.
• Dive deep. Know how things work and build prototypes to reinforce understanding.
• Live on the bleeding edge. Have a long list of upcoming platform features you're excited about and can't wait for the next nightly to drop.
• Great teacher. Know how to break down a concept for a specific audience and make it click with them in a way that gets them excited.

Who You Are

We're looking for someone with:

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• 4+ years of experience managing local, state, and federal government proposals.
• Extensive knowledge of government procurement processes and contract vehicles, including RFP, RFI, RFQ, SBIR/STTR, IDIQ, GWAC, BAA, OTA, and CRADA.
• Deep familiarity with regulatory frameworks including FAR and DFARS.
• Prioritizing compliance and meeting deadlines.
• Expertise in proposal writing and editing, including structuring narratives that connect technical expertise to evaluation criteria.
• Strong stakeholder partnership and interviewing skills — you know how to earn trust, ask the right questions, and translate expert input into compelling prose.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical ideas to a range of audiences.

Nice to Have

• Experience with maritime defense, intelligence, or national security agencies.
• Familiarity engaging government contracting officers and procurement officials.
• Experience managing proposals involving prime contractors and complex government solicitations.
• Familiarity with cooperative purchasing agreements and various procurement processes.
• Familiarity with PRISM or similar proposal management platforms.
• Advanced degree in business, communications, defense technology, maritime operations, or a related field.

What You'll Do

We're a small team wearing many hats, and you'd have a wide variety of responsibilities that include:

• Lead and own the full proposal lifecycle from pursuit kickoff through final submission, managing both the process and the writing — including timelines, reviews, and team coordination to ensure compliant, high-quality submissions every time.
• Manage multiple concurrent proposal efforts across a wide range of government solicitations, including RFPs, RFIs, White Papers, Grants, BAAs, Task Orders, IDIQ contracts, OTAs, and SBIR/STTR programs.
• Ensure strict compliance with procurement regulations including FAR, DFARS, GSA schedules, and GWACs throughout every submission.
• Research and identify strategic government opportunities aligned with Spear AI's business objectives, staying ahead of the pipeline.
• Develop deep knowledge of Spear AI's products and capabilities to independently draft compelling technical and operational content for proposals and white papers.
• Partner with stakeholders — building trust, learning each team's story, and translating expert input into persuasive proposal content.
• Interview subject matter experts and synthesize their knowledge into clear, tailored narratives, connecting the dots across inputs rather than waiting for others to fill in the blanks.
• Manage collaborative proposal efforts with prime contractors and subcontractors, ensuring strategic alignment throughout.
• Continuously refine and optimize Spear AI's proposal development processes and best practices to improve competitiveness and increase monthly output.

Why Work with Us

We ship — We don't work on 18-month projects that are irrelevant before they're even finished. Our work has impact — We build products that are deployed to U.S. submarines and integrate with the sonobuoys we manufacture. We're growing responsibly — We have the resources to hire a lot more people, but we don't want to build a massive team of people who don't share our values. We're profitable — We aren't burning through cash trying to make the business work. But we also have investors who believe in us and are committed to our success. We care about doing great work — You don't need permission to sweat the details here. We don't take ourselves too seriously — We're building products that make the world safer. But we don't let that get to our heads.

Important Skills

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• 4+ years of experience managing local, state, and federal government proposals.
• Extensive knowledge of government procurement processes and contract vehicles, including RFP, RFI, RFQ, SBIR/STTR, IDIQ, GWAC, BAA, OTA, and CRADA.
• Deep familiarity with regulatory frameworks including FAR and DFARS.
• Proven ability to simultaneously manage multiple proposal submissions and consistently meet deadlines.
• Expertise in proposal writing and editing, including structuring narratives that connect technical expertise to evaluation criteria.
• Strong stakeholder partnership and interviewing skills — you know how to earn trust, ask the right questions, and translate expert input into compelling prose.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical ideas to a range of audiences.

Nice to Have

• Experience with maritime defense, intelligence, or national security agencies.
• Familiarity engaging government contracting officers and procurement officials.
• Experience managing proposals involving prime contractors and complex government solicitations.
• Familiarity with cooperative purchasing agreements and various procurement processes.
• Familiarity with PRISM or similar proposal management platforms.
• Advanced degree in business, communications, defense technology, maritime operations, or a related field.