Senior Proposal Manager

About the role

Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest, providing high-end technical services, R&D, and prototype solutions to the country’s most challenging technical problems. All opportunities require U.S. Citizenship.

The Senior Proposal Manager serves as the organization’s most senior proposal professional, responsible for planning, directing, and executing complex, multi-volume proposal efforts for large-scale lifecycle acquisitions, enterprise IDIQ vehicles, and high-visibility task order competitions. This role oversees the full proposal lifecycle, shapes proposal strategy in partnership with business development and capture leadership, and leads the proposal team to ensure consistent, compliant, and competitive submissions across the enterprise. The position coordinates and integrates activities across Riverside Research’s R&D and mission assurance business units and all corporate service centers including finance, procurement, contracting, security, IT, facilities, business development, human resources, recruiting, and program management. Responsibilities span proposal planning and resourcing, solution and volume development, color team execution, and post-submission activities including EN responses and orals preparation.

The ideal candidate brings extensive experience managing complex Federal Government proposal efforts, including large DOD and Intelligence Community (IC) R&D, engineering, mission assurance, and enterprise-level acquisitions, with a proven record of developing proposal strategies, leading multi-discipline teams, managing proposal managers and writers, and producing compliant, compelling, and fully integrated proposal products.

Responsibilities

• Proposal Team Formation – Lead identification and assignment of proposal teams by analyzing pre-solicitation and solicitation artifacts (historic RFPs, DRFPs, industry day materials, Q&A matrices, amendments) to determine resource requirements and align technical, management, financial, contracting, IT, facilities, security, HR, graphics, and recruiting stakeholders to the pursuit.
• Solution & Strategy Development – Partner with capture leadership to shape and refine R&D and mission-assurance solutions, organizing key technical and management points into coherent strategies, win themes, strengths with evidence, discriminators, value propositions, differentiators, competitive ghosting opportunities, and integrated volume messaging for DOD and IC solicitations.
• Proposal Strategy Leadership – Direct proposal strategy development by determining which BD and capture outputs evolve into core proposal messages, refining strengths and weaknesses, and elevating the most resonant capture insights into focused, defensible win themes across all volumes.
• Proposal Management Planning – Develop comprehensive proposal management plans by integrating capture artifacts, structuring solution storyboards, and preparing formal response frameworks for RFIs, Sources Sought notices, RFPs, and prototype proposal requests.
• Compliance Management – Oversee formal and expanded compliance matrices to guide section development, identify compliance gaps, and support disciplined milestone reviews including pink, red, gold, and executive compliance checks.
• Price-to-Win Integration – Support PTW strategy development by analyzing solicitation requirements, customer budgets, historical pricing, competitor tendencies, and should-cost perspectives, ensuring alignment between technical solutioning, competitive positioning, and pricing strategy.
• Teaming Strategy Development – Lead teaming strategy planning by evaluating historical data, industry outreach, and solicitation requirements to determine subcontracting and small business goals, shaping teaming constructs that strengthen Riverside’s solution and initiating and formalizing teaming discussions and agreements.
• Proposal Schedule Leadership – Build, publish, and manage comprehensive proposal schedules covering all requirements, stakeholders, internal and customer milestones, stand-ups, executive updates, Gate 4/Gate 5 reviews, Q&A cycles, kickoff, partner engagements, color team reviews (black hat, pink, red, gold, green, white glove, white hat), internal approvals, and final submission.
• Knowledge & Version Control Management – Oversee proposal knowledge management and version control using enterprise IT tools (e.g., R3 WinCenter, MS Teams, classified/unclassified share environments) to ensure disciplined configuration control across all volumes.
• Document Quality & Compliance Review – Responsible for overall quality and compliance of the submitted proposal; provide senior-level review to ensure content progresses through Shipley-aligned development stages with increasing compliance, clarity, and evaluative strength.
• Production & Submission Oversight – Lead planning and execution of proposal production and submission activities by coordinating all Section L requirements, ensuring complete, compliant, and timely delivery of all volumes and artifacts.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in Federal Government proposal management, strategy development, and lifecycle proposal operations supporting DOD and/or Intelligence Community acquisitions; bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree preferred (12 years of direct proposal management experience if in possession of Master’s Degree).
• At least 2 years of experience applying formal proposal management methodologies supported by certifications such as APMP Practitioner or Professional, PMI, or PMP (Foundational-level acceptable; higher-level strongly preferred).
• Deep knowledge of proposal lifecycle standards and best practices (Shipley, APMP, PMI), including compliance management, solution development, volume integration, color team execution, and production.
• Demonstrated success leading proposal strategy, planning, development, and production for complex, multi-volume solicitations, including large IDIQ vehicles, enterprise task order competitions, and full lifecycle R&D or mission-assurance procurements.
• Demonstrated success developing and presenting oral proposals.
• Demonstrated success establishing trusted working relationships with technical staff, leaders, peers, and outside organizations.
• Demonstrated success managing large-scale, complex, high dollar value programs/efforts.
• Demonstrated success working with and leading large teams including team members from other organizations.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple project tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Active Top Secret clearance required; TS/SCI strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel to support efforts across the organization.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Pay

Global Comp $130,900–$243,100 (typical compensation range based on experience, location, and other factors).