Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.  

Corporate Growth (CG) is responsible for all aspects of organic growth for a $650M private equity owned company. Scope includes marketing, pipeline management, business intelligence, opportunity capture, proposal development, differentiation and win strategies, company strategic plan and Annual Operating Plan.

SPA has a need for a seasoned Proposal Operations executive.

This role is onsite in Alexandria, VA. SPA’s Proposal Operations Center is responsible for designing, evolving, managing, and executing proposal best practices across the entire business development lifecycle. The Vice President, Proposal Operations is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing the proposal strategy and development process from start to finish. The position will work collaboratively with executive leadership, business development, and capture and delivery teams to execute the corporate strategy for growth. This includes overseeing all aspects of proposal operations to ensure submission of compelling, compliant proposals for more than $1B in competitive, prime, new business bids submitted annually. This position will be responsible for all activities related to proposal development and submission, including post-submission coordination of evaluation notice responses, final proposal revisions, and coordination of protest documentation, as required.

• Transformational Leadership: Define and implement an effective proposal management operating model and organizational structure that is scalable and addresses company-wide needs; Inspire and motivate others to achieve and exceed company-wide goals for proposal submissions and bookings
• Team Leadership: Recruit, hire, and train a team of skilled proposal professionals and provide oversight, supervision, guidance, professional development and mentoring of SPA's team of proposal professionals (e.g. book bosses, proposal managers, proposal coordinators, technical writers, editors, and graphic designers); Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment focused on winning; Responsible for ensuring the team is maintained at full staffing levels
• Proposal Management: Train, coach, mentor, and lead proposal development activities for prime, competitive proposals
• Stakeholder Relationship Management:  Collaborate with Growth and Division subject matter experts to understand client needs and develop winning proposal strategies; Build and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders; Facilitate communication across departments to ensure proposal alignment with needs and priorities; Foster collaborative relationships in all interactions and ensure expectations of service are met
• Process Improvement: Develop and continuously evaluate tailored processes, training, tools and templates to support proposal development efforts across a diverse base of competitive business; Lead and coach the team to ensure accuracy, effectiveness, and adaptability of proposal processes; Develop, maintain, and update proposal process documentation to drive a winning culture and disciplined process; Assess and fill gaps where needed
• Subject Matter Expert: Provide guidance in proposal development activities; Highly skilled in schedule development, proposal quality control, writing, strategy integration, reviews, and configuration management
• Reporting and Analysis: Track and analyze proposal win rates and other key performance indicators; Provide regular reports to senior management on proposal activity and outcomes.
• Third Party Resource Management: Develop and maintain a bench of consultants for all proposal functions to provide the capacity to support multiple concurrent proposals.

Required Qualifications:

• US. Citizen with ability to obtain DoD TS/SCI security clearance
• Bachelor's degree
• 8+ years of experience successfully managing teams in the preparation of engineering and professional services proposals supporting the DoD, DHS, and/or other national security entities
• Demonstrated ability to lead proposal operations to achieve more than $1B in prime, new business bids submitted per year
• Experience with large multiple award contract vehicle proposals, including self-scoring bids
• Experience with submission of General Services Administration (GSA), Assisted Acquisition Service (AAS) bids; FEDSIM experience a plus
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills (written and oral presentation) with high level of attention to detail
• Proven track record of leading diverse, geographically dispersed proposal teams who win complex federal contracts, including both proposals that are large and complex and deals that are quick turns
• Organized, aggressive, and highly skilled professional with proven success driving large winning proposals in highly competitive systems engineering and professional service markets
• Proven ability to apply organizational design/development/change management methods to build a high-performing proposal organization and upskill personnel to achieve win rates

Desired Qualifications: 

• Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance; TS/SCI a plus
• Knowledge and application experience in proposal best practices; Shipley and/or Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) certifications a plus
• Experience with developing winning traditional DoD proposals
• Deep familiarity with SharePoint, Virtual Proposal Center, and other industry proposal management software tools