Director of Proposal Development

Job Description

Summary/Objective

ME&A is seeking a Director of Proposal Development to be part of the Management & Proposal Team. The Director of Proposal Development is responsible for leading, planning, scheduling, and overseeing the timely development and delivery of high-quality responses to federal business opportunities, from pre-RFP to post-submission activities, in a fast-paced environment. This position will drive proposal development team planning and execution, develop, and edit proposal content, review RFP requirements, conduct analysis on RFPs, and assess strategies for responding to RFIs and RFPs. Additionally, the Director serves as a corporate subject matter expert on the Shipley proposal process. The ideal candidate is a thought leader, able to see the big picture without overlooking the details, fosters a positive and responsive team environment, and can quickly adjust to dynamic proposal development schedules and requirements.

Essential Functions

· Develop a proposal strategy that results in a high quality, compliant and compelling proposal that will score high have the optimal win probability.

· Manage and be accountable for compliance and the timely submission of the proposal by managing and controlling all proposal activities against the proposal schedule and the RFP’s requirements within ME&A’s complex business environment.

· Manage the successful development of compliant, competitive, cogent, and compelling proposals through effective collaboration across teams that include internal staff, corporate partners, consultants, and supporting vendors.

· Apply experience and best practices in proposal team management to ensure the timely delivery of proposal submissions that are fully compliant with solicitation instructions.

· Support the VP in the development and delivery of training materials for Proposal Development team and other staff to continuously improve our corporate proposal operations.

· Develop the proposal schedule, outline, compliance matrix, and Proposal Development Plan.

· Establish and maintain the SharePoint collaboration site for each proposal.

· Work with the proposal team and Capture Manager to determine author assignments and integrate win strategy, themes, and discriminators into proposal.

· Provide insight, leadership, and work guidance to authors on all proposal content.

· Take ownership of the quality of the proposal for color reviews and final delivery by performing rigorous quality assurance checks on draft and final documents.

· Prepare and lead efficient Proposal Kickoff meetings and daily status calls, ensuring activities adhere to the Proposal Development Plan.

· Conduct activities required to successfully perform color reviews and debrief to authors.

· Manage the development of oral presentations, discussions, and proposal revisions.

· Ensure the high-quality content and appearance of final proposal deliverables.

· Conduct and document proposal lessons learned and implement actions to improve process efficiency.

· Coordinate and support the production, reproduction, binding, and packaging in finalizing the proposal submission and response processes.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Representation: Serve as a subject matter expert on proposal development, improvement, and rollout of global policies and systems related to federal contracting, institutional strengthening and capacity building, and knowledge management and learning.
• Cost Proposal Development: Work with the proposal team, and country office staff, to collect budget inputs and develop a high quality, compliant, and competitive cost proposal, including a full detailed budget and budget narrative and all required Annexes and supporting documentation.
• Proposal Management: Prepares formal plans for responding to large and complex RFPs. Collaborates with consultants to develop themes, strategies, outlines, budgets, and work schedules. Assembles proposal teams and establishes proposal facilities. Uses various technologies to assure high-quality, finished product, completed and delivered to the client on schedule. Drives compliance with schedule and proactively communicates with proposal team throughout process.
• Institutional Knowledge: Understands internal teams and groups (service/sector teams, finance, legal, etc.) and utilize relationships in completing marketing requests; utilize internal programs and systems on a regular basis.
• Content Development: Posses the skills to create general marketing collateral, statements of qualifications, complete request for company information, draft proposals, client communications and presentations.
• Presentations: Helps pursuit team in developing a compelling message; facilitates presentation strategy meetings. Designs presentation plan (PowerPoint) with technical team (outline, concepts, media, etc.). Research/develops content for slides (company information, services, experience). Develops graphics to present information visually/data conceptually. Manages internal schedule, team assignments, and electronic files of overall presentation to meet client schedule. Facilitates dry runs with presentation team; provides input to improve quality. Oversees handout production and equipment coordination.
• Branding: Ensures compliance with company image, signature standards, approval levels, and guidelines.

Competencies

• Experience coordinating proposals for international development donors, in particular USAID and State Department funding.
• Strong organization and management skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others at varying levels of seniority and across departmental boundaries and to exercise influence to achieve a cohesive approach to business development.
• Integrity, judgment and discretion along with a professional and interpersonal demeanor that elicits trust and respect from colleagues, donors, and strategic partners.
• Ability to multi-task, manage multiple deadlines, and engage in decisive and effective decision-making.

Proposal Writing:

· Provide assistance to executive summaries and management volume sections. Ensure resumes are formatted and meet RFP instructions.

· Ensure single-voice editing occurs across all volumes.

· Provide writing guidance to authors, volume leads, and capture coordinators to ensure proposals are clear and concise

Post-Submittal Activities:

· Debrief teams after proposal submittal

Qualifications:

· Advanced degree (PhD, MS, MBA, MA, JD, etc.) in Communications, Organizational learning, Knowledge Management, Business, or other equivalent professional experience.

· Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and/or Shipley Associates or other relevant certification/training preferred.

· Understanding of managing and writing proposals using the Shipley processes and standards.

· Minimum 6 years proven successful experience managing proposal teams and leading them efficiently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment on moderate- to high-complexity federal opportunities.

· 10+ years of hands-on experience with creating proposal content, editing, and managing proposal development activities.

· Ability to use standard English writing styles to write proposal sections; this includes information research and synthesis from multiple sources (subject matter experts, previous proposals) into a cohesive, easy-to-read, and persuasive final product.

· High proficiency in the MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project), Adobe Acrobat, and SharePoint.

All applications and CVs must be submitted in English.

ME&A, Inc. is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. ME&A will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For our EEO Policy Statement and a copy of our EEO Policy Statement and information on your EEO rights under the law.

ME&A is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all applicants

About the Organization

ME&A is a qualified small business, dedicated to providing creative solutions for economic development and social development throughout the world. Our Core Areas of Concentration include Monitoring & Evaluations, Economic and Community Development, Public Administration and Governance, and Business Development and Technology Transfer.

ME&A’s staff of professionals are dedicated to pursuing excellence in the principles, practices and processes of their professions. We are a client-oriented organization committed to upholding the highest of professional standards and being a responsible corporate citizen.

We believe in creative teaming with other partners, maintaining strong professionalism and ethics in meeting our objectives, and utilizing our multicultural skills to better understand and communicate with our clients. ME&A pursues and embraces our client’s organizational and programmatic goals. We work as a team, whereever appropriate, to bring collective knowledge to bear in creating developmental solutions.

ME&A is an Equal Opportunity Employer.