Proposal & Capture Manager

Proposal & Capture Manager

This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast-growing startup in the aerospace/defense industry as their Proposal & Capture Manager, leading and driving the strategic development, capture, and proposal execution of high-priority defense opportunities. The Proposal & Capture Manager will own the full business development lifecycle from early opportunity shaping and customer engagement, to proposal development and contract submission.

You will lead high-value pursuits from start to finish—developing and executing customized capture strategies, building relationships with key customers, managing strategic partnerships, and guiding internal teams through every phase of the process. In parallel, you will direct the proposal lifecycle from kickoff to delivery, ensuring compliance, persuasive content, and alignment with win strategies. Success in this role requires balancing technical, operational, and financial factors while collaborating across business functions to secure critical contracts.

Responsibilities:

Oversee the entire capture lifecycle, steering strategic opportunities from initial identification to contract award while ensuring company is optimally positioned to win.
Act as the primary author and strategist for major business development initiatives, creating compelling narratives, technical deliverables, and customer-facing materials that fuel growth.
Manage opportunities from early discovery and solution shaping through proposal creation, submission, and final award.
Design and execute comprehensive capture strategies, working with business development, engineering, finance, and executive leadership to align solutions with customer priorities and company’s long-term objectives.
Build relationships with customers, stakeholders, and acquisition offices to understand mission objectives, gather insights, and shape procurement requirements ahead of solicitations.
Direct the complete proposal development process, including kickoff coordination, timelines, outlines, compliance checks, writing assignments, and reviews to ensure on-time, compliant, and competitive submissions.
Develop and oversee responses to RFPs, RFIs, white papers, technical questions, quotes, and capability statements, tailoring all content to customer requirements and opportunity specifics.
Partner with subject matter experts to craft and refine solutions across diverse document formats, including competitive proposals, research responses, and executive-level briefings.
Draft and edit proposal sections such as executive summaries, technical approaches, management plans, and past performance narratives to effectively convey unique value and differentiators.
Integrate technical, operational, and pricing elements into unified proposals that reflect win strategies and fully meet solicitation requirements.
Conduct competitive analysis, develop price-to-win models, and define customer positioning strategies to guide solution design, teaming, and pricing decisions.
Identify, negotiate, and formalize teaming agreements with strategic partners to create cost-effective, high-value solutions.
Define and embed win themes, differentiators, and value propositions throughout the capture process and proposal documents.
Collaborate with finance and capture leadership to develop pricing strategies and supporting narratives that ensure cost and technical volumes are fully aligned.
Manage multiple simultaneous RFPs, RFIs, white papers, and unsolicited proposals, balancing immediate needs with long-term growth plans.
Enhance and maintain proposal processes, templates, and content libraries to drive efficiency, consistency, and scalability in future pursuits.
Deliver final proposals that are accurate, visually polished, and fully aligned with evaluation criteria, customer expectations, and brand voice.
Apply lessons learned to refine capture and proposal practices, continuously improving processes to boost future win rates.

Requirements and Desired Experience:

At least 7 years of experience in proposal and/or capture management, or business development within the aerospace, defense or government services sectors
5+ years of direct experience working within and/or supporting U.S. Department of Defense programs or customers
Proven track record managing the full capture and proposal lifecycle, from opportunity identification through contract award, for competitive acquisitions
Able to lead and contribute to technical and non-technical writing efforts, with experience developing complex, multi-volume proposal submission
Strong understanding of federal acquisition processes (FAR, DFARS); including RFPs, RFIs, BAAs, OTAs, and FMS
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to influence internal and external stakeholders across discipline
Experience with solution development, win theme creation, price-to-win analysis, and competitive positioning
Excellent project management and organizational skills; able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
U.S. Citizenship is required, must be able to obtain a DoD security clearance
Willing and able to travel up to 25%, as needed or required for customer / partner engagement
Familiarity with emerging defense technologies, including autonomous systems, UAVs, AI/ML, or advanced sensors is preferred
Some knowledge of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and international defense procurement processes is a plus
Experience managing capture efforts for contracts valued at $20M+ preferred
Experience negotiating and managing teaming agreements and strategic partnerships is preferred
Knowledge of Shipley or other industry-standard capture/proposal methodologies is a plus
Strong expertise in competitive intelligence, market analysis, and identifying new opportunities in the defense industry is preferred
Proven success building and improving scalable capture and proposal processes in startup or high-growth environments a plus

Compensation (DOE): $135k - $185k annual base salary