Associate Proposal Manager
The Associate Proposal Manager supports Confidential Client's business development efforts by researching new opportunities, coordinating proposal development, and managing bid support activities. This entry-level role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to produce compliant and compelling proposals, contributing to the full business development lifecycle, and preparing the candidate for advancement into senior proposal management positions.
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.
Position Overview
Confidential Client is seeking an Associate Proposal Manager to support business development and capture activities for government and commercial opportunities. This is an entry-level to early-career role that provides exposure to the full proposal lifecycle, including opportunity research, RFI/RFP support, proposal production, and maintenance of proposal assets.
- Location: Newport News, VA
- Employment type: Full-time
- Salary: $60,000 - $75,000 per year
- Clearance: US Citizen required; ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance
What You Will Be Doing
The Associate Proposal Manager will work under the guidance of the Proposal Manager to plan, coordinate, and produce compliant, persuasive responses to RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs. Key responsibilities include:
- Conducting bid opportunity research using SAM.gov, GovWin, agency forecasts, and other sources
- Writing opportunity synopses and supporting bid/no‑bid analyses
- Drafting, editing, and formatting RFI/RFP/RFQ responses and proposal sections
- Maintaining compliance matrices, requirement traceability, and version control
- Coordinating kickoff meetings, review cycles (color teams), and internal communications
- Collecting and organizing inputs from SMEs, subcontractors, and teaming partners
- Building and maintaining proposal templates, boilerplate libraries, resumes, and past-performance summaries
- Assisting with post-submission archiving, debriefs, and updates to opportunity pipelines and CRM systems
- Using SharePoint, Teams, and proposal-management tools to track tasks and assets
Who We're Looking For (Minimum Qualifications)
- 1–4 years supporting business development, capture, proposal development, marketing, or related functions within government contracting, aerospace/aviation, defense, or professional services
- Strong written communication skills with the ability to convert technical content into clear proposal language
- Detail-oriented with experience tracking requirements and ensuring responsiveness to solicitations
- Comfortable managing multiple priorities and meeting tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Strong organizational and time-management skills
- Collaborative approach and ability to work effectively with SMEs and executive leadership
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and collaboration platforms (Teams, SharePoint)
- US Citizen with ability to obtain and hold a Secret clearance
Preferred / Nice-to-Have
- Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, English, technical writing, or similar
- Prior experience supporting proposals for government contracts
- Familiarity with federal acquisition lifecycle (FAR/DFARS), Shipley methodology, or similar
- Experience with proposal management software and AI-assisted drafting tools
- Prior military or civilian government experience
- Background in aviation services, aircraft engineering/integration, ISR/EW platforms, maintenance/sustainment, or air medical services
Training & Conditions
- New hire training on internal systems, proposal best practices, and capture tools (GovWin, Wolverine/Badger, etc.)
- Employment contingent on successful background check consistent with applicable laws; some roles may require drug testing
- This position may require on-site work in Newport News, VA and occasional travel for meetings or capture activities
Benefits & Culture
Confidential Client offers a competitive compensation and benefits package and a collaborative, problem-solving culture. This role is structured to develop talent into senior proposal/capture roles as the organization grows.
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.
Negotiate a higher salary! Check the salary ranges for this job type in your area.
View My Salary Range