Associate Proposal Manager with Security Clearance
The Associate Proposal Manager supports the end-to-end development of federal proposals, ensuring compliance, competitiveness, and alignment with solicitation requirements. This entry-level role involves coordinating multiple stakeholders, managing proposal schedules and reviews, and contributing to continuous process improvements, with training and mentorship provided to advance to Proposal Manager. The position requires strong organizational and communication skills, familiarity with federal procurement processes, and the ability to obtain a Secret security clearance, operating in a hybrid remote work environment within the Eastern Time Zone.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Energy, Oil & Gas.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
The Associate Proposal Manager supports the development of compliant, compelling, and competitive federal proposals from pre-RFP planning through final submission. Working for a Confidential Client, this is an entry-level, developmental role with formal training and mentorship (including Shipley-based processes and APMP certification pathways). You will partner with Capture Managers, business leaders, technical contributors, and proposal team members to coordinate content, ensure compliance, and deliver polished proposal submissions.
Primary responsibilities include:
- Manage assigned federal proposals from kickoff through submission, including amendments, Q&A responses, change pages, modifications, and Final Proposal Revisions (FPRs), as applicable.
- Develop compliant proposal outlines and structures aligned to Section L/M (or equivalent) instructions, evaluation criteria, and proposal strategy.
- Build and maintain proposal schedules, compliance matrices, cross-reference tools, and other proposal-management artifacts.
- Analyze solicitation requirements and translate them into actionable assignments, annotated outlines, and content-development plans.
- Incorporate win themes, discriminators, and strategic messaging into proposal content, graphics, and related deliverables in partnership with capture and technical leads.
- Coordinate with Finance, Contracts, HR, IT, Security, Legal, Quality, Small Business, and operational teams to gather inputs and approvals.
- Support proposal reviews (Pink, Red, Gold and other color teams) and ensure feedback is tracked and incorporated.
- Ensure final proposal products are compliant, accurate, consistent, and aligned across technical, management, past performance, and cost/price volumes.
- Coordinate with production resources to support final formatting, production, packaging, and submission.
- Identify and escalate proposal risks, gaps, inconsistencies, and schedule challenges.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of proposal processes, templates, standards, and tools.
Qualifications
Minimum requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 1–3 years supporting proposals, capture, contracts, or another deadline-driven function; federal proposal experience preferred but not required.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines with strong attention to detail.
- Familiarity with FAR-based solicitations (e.g., Section L/M, PWS/SOW) and proposal-development best practices.
- Experience with proposal schedules, compliance matrices, annotated outlines, and review processes.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to work effectively across organizational levels.
- Strong organizational, coordination, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Willingness to obtain APMP Foundation certification within the first 180 days of employment.
- Must be a U.S. citizen able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance within the first 90 days of employment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with Shipley proposal processes.
- Experience supporting oral presentations and discussion responses.
- Prior exposure to federal proposals, capture, or contracts.
- Active Secret security clearance is preferred.
Location, Clearance & Travel
- Work model: Remote / Hybrid options; candidates must reside in the Eastern Time Zone (ET).
- Security: Must be a U.S. citizen able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. Candidates without an active clearance must complete required paperwork within the first 30 days and obtain clearance within 90 days.
- Travel: Up to 20% travel may be required to support proposal activities and reviews.
Work Environment & Physical Demands
- Primarily computer-based office or remote work with extended periods of sitting and screen use.
- Periodic extended hours, including occasional evenings and weekends, to meet proposal deadlines.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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