Deputy Director of Proposals

We are seeking an experienced Deputy Director of Proposals to support the leadership, operational effectiveness, and continuous improvement of a high-performing proposal organization.

The Deputy Director will serve as a key partner to the Director of Proposals, providing operational leadership across proposal planning, resource coordination, pursuit governance, and quality assurance.

Proposal Operations and Execution

• Provide operational leadership and oversight across a portfolio of concurrent proposals, qualifications packages, and strategic pursuits.
• Coordinate proposal schedules, milestones, review cycles, and deliverables to support consistent execution.
• Monitor proposal activities, identify execution risks, and proactively implement mitigation strategies.
• Support proposal managers in resolving complex operational challenges and competing priorities.
• Establish visibility into active pursuits, proposal workload, resource constraints, and upcoming submission requirements.
• Ensure consistent application of proposal development methodologies, quality standards, and compliance practices.
• Serve as an operational escalation point for proposal execution challenges, elevating strategic or unresolved matters to the Director of Proposals.

Resource Planning and Capacity Management

• Develop and maintain visibility into proposal resource capacity, utilization, and forecasted demand.
• Coordinate proposal resource planning and recommend staffing allocations based on pursuit complexity, priority, and availability.
• Identify workload imbalances, resource conflicts, and potential delivery risks.
• Collaborate with proposal managers and functional leadership to develop practical resource solutions.
• Support long-range capacity planning and provide recommendations regarding resource needs, external support, and operational efficiencies.
• Provide data-driven assessments to inform pursuit prioritization and proposal investment decisions.

Pursuit Qualification and Bid/No-Bid Governance

• Support the Director of Proposals in implementing a disciplined and consistent bid/no-bid governance process.
• Coordinate pursuit qualification assessments to evaluate strategic alignment, customer relationships, competitive positioning, revenue potential, probability of winning, and resource requirements.
• Provide objective analysis of proposal development costs, resource availability, and execution feasibility.
• Identify pursuits that may not align with organizational growth objectives or represent an appropriate return on proposal investment.
• Partner with business development, capture, and operational leadership to ensure pursuit decisions are informed by meaningful qualification criteria.
• Track bid/no-bid outcomes, pursuit decisions, and associated proposal resource commitments.
• Support the Director in reinforcing a selective, strategic, and disciplined approach to opportunity pursuit.

Proposal Quality and Process Excellence

• Promote consistent proposal development practices, tools, templates, and review methodologies.
• Monitor adherence to established proposal standards, compliance requirements, and quality expectations.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden.
• Support implementation of proposal technologies, automation, and innovative approaches to improve efficiency and quality.
• Facilitate lessons-learned activities and translate findings into actionable improvements.
• Establish repeatable processes that improve proposal predictability, scalability, and execution.

Performance Metrics and Operational Reporting

• Monitor key performance indicators, including proposal volume, resource utilization, schedule adherence, quality, and delivery efficiency.
• Analyze proposal trends and provide actionable recommendations to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Prepare operational updates and executive-level briefings for the Director of Proposals.
• Support forecasting, workload planning, and proposal investment analysis.
• Identify systemic challenges and recommend corrective actions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Leadership

• Serve as a trusted operational partner to the Director of Proposals.
• Collaborate with business development, capture management, technical teams, pricing, contracts, and business operations.
• Facilitate alignment across stakeholders to support proposal execution and timely decision-making.
• Provide guidance and subject matter expertise to proposal professionals without direct supervisory responsibility.
• Influence outcomes through collaboration, credibility, sound judgment, and demonstrated proposal expertise.
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, communications, management, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in proposal management, capture support, business development operations, or related functions.
• Demonstrated experience supporting complex, high-value proposals in a large, matrixed organization.
• Extensive knowledge of proposal development processes, compliance requirements, review methodologies, and submission procedures.
• Experience coordinating multiple concurrent pursuits with competing deadlines and resource requirements.
• Strong understanding of bid/no-bid qualification, pursuit investment considerations, and proposal resource planning.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, manage ambiguity, and recommend practical solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working within a large enterprise or highly matrixed business environment.
• Familiarity with Shipley or comparable structured proposal development methodologies.
• SMPS or APMP certification or equivalent professional credentials.
• Experience implementing proposal process improvements, workflow automation, and resource planning tools.
• Experience supporting organizational growth initiatives, acquisitions, or integration of proposal operations.