Proposal Manager

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Business Development & Proposal Manager to lead opportunity identification, market intelligence, bid strategy, and end-to-end proposal management for our U.S. civil engineering and infrastructure business. The role will focus on identifying and qualifying U.S. federal, state, county, and municipal government opportunities; analyzing RFPs and RFQs; developing compliant and competitive proposals; coordinating with technical and commercial teams; and maintaining a strong pipeline of upcoming opportunities.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience managing U.S. government bids and proposals, a strong understanding of government procurement processes, excellent proposal-writing and analytical skills, and the ability to translate business opportunities into well-structured, competitive submissions.Prior hands-on experience supporting or managing U.S. government contracts at both federal and state/local levels is mandatory. Experience in civil engineering, infrastructure, construction inspection, geotechnical engineering, or engineering consulting is highly preferred.

1. Business Development & Opportunity Identification

· Identify, research, and qualify new business opportunities across U.S. federal, state, county, and municipal government agencies.

· Monitor government procurement portals, including SAM.gov and state/local procurement platforms, for relevant solicitations.

· Identify opportunities related to civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, construction inspection, infrastructure monitoring, and engineering consulting services.

· Develop and maintain a pipeline of upcoming, active, and potential business opportunities.

· Conduct market research to understand client requirements, upcoming projects, procurement trends, and competitor activity.

· Support management in evaluating new markets, target agencies, strategic accounts, and potential partnerships.

· Maintain opportunity trackers and provide regular pipeline updates to leadership.

2. Bid Strategy & Opportunity Qualification

· Review and evaluate RFPs, RFQs, Requests for Information (RFIs), Expressions of Interest (EOIs), and other government solicitations.

· Assess solicitation requirements, eligibility criteria, scope of work, evaluation methodology, submission deadlines, and contractual conditions.

· Coordinate bid/no-bid evaluations with leadership and relevant technical and commercial stakeholders.

· Identify proposal requirements, compliance risks, resource needs, and potential differentiators.

· Develop proposal schedules, compliance matrices, responsibility assignments, and submission plans.

· Track amendments, addenda, clarifications, and changes to solicitation requirements.

3. End-to-End Proposal & Bid Management

· Lead the complete proposal lifecycle, from opportunity identification and qualification through submission and post-submission follow-up.

· Manage the preparation of technical proposals, management approaches, project understanding, staffing plans, past-performance references, and supporting documentation.

· Develop proposal outlines, response matrices, submission checklists, and compliance documents.

· Coordinate with engineering, project management, operations, finance, legal, and leadership teams to collect proposal inputs.

· Ensure proposals address all solicitation requirements and evaluation criteria.

· Review submissions for accuracy, consistency, completeness, compliance, and overall presentation.

· Manage proposal deadlines and ensure timely submission through the appropriate procurement portals.

· Coordinate post-submission clarifications, interviews, presentations, and follow-up activities.

4. Proposal Writing & Content Development

· Develop clear, persuasive, and technically sound proposal narratives aligned with U.S. government solicitation requirements.

· Prepare and refine executive summaries, technical approaches, staffing methodologies, management plans, and project-specific responses.

· Maintain a centralized library of company qualifications, project descriptions, past-performance records, resumes, certifications, and standard proposal content.

· Develop and maintain company capability statements, corporate profiles, and agency-specific qualifications packages.

· Work with subject-matter experts to translate technical information into clear, compliant, client-focused proposals.

· Continuously improve proposal quality, consistency, and competitiveness.

5. Commercial & Pricing Coordination

· Coordinate with management, engineering, estimation, and finance teams to develop competitive commercial proposals.

· Review pricing inputs, labor categories, resource requirements, assumptions, and commercial terms.

· Ensure proposed pricing and supporting documentation align with solicitation instructions.

· Identify commercial risks, contractual exceptions, and compliance concerns for management review.

· Support responses to commercial clarifications and post-submission negotiations, where applicable.

6. U.S. Government Procurement & Compliance

· Apply practical knowledge of U.S. federal and state/local government procurement processes and solicitation requirements.

· Ensure compliance with proposal instructions, mandatory forms, representations, certifications, and submission procedures.

· Coordinate the collection and maintenance of corporate registrations, insurance documentation, relevant certifications, and other supporting records.

· Track contract requirements, amendments, submission milestones, and procurement-related communications.

· Work with internal stakeholders to identify and address proposal compliance gaps before submission.

7. Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis

· Research government agencies, procurement forecasts, infrastructure programs, and upcoming engineering projects.

· Analyze competitors, contract awards, incumbent contractors, market positioning, and available business intelligence.

· Identify potential clients and opportunities aligned with the company’s service portfolio.

· Maintain records of bid outcomes and analyze win/loss trends.

· Provide management with insights on market opportunities, competitive positioning, and potential areas for business growth.

8. Client & Stakeholder Coordination

· Coordinate with U.S.-based leadership, business development teams, technical personnel, and other stakeholders throughout the bid lifecycle.

· Support client communications, pre-bid meetings, clarification requests, and proposal presentations.

· Develop a clear understanding of client requirements and procurement priorities.

· Support the development of long-term client relationships and strategic partnerships.

· Coordinate with internal teams following contract awards to ensure an effective handover of relevant bid commitments and documentation.

9. Reporting & Performance Management

· Maintain accurate records of opportunities, active bids, submissions, awards, and lost opportunities.

· Prepare periodic reports on pipeline value, proposal status, submission deadlines, and bid outcomes.

· Track proposal turnaround time, submission compliance, and win rates.

· Provide regular updates and recommendations to management regarding pipeline development and proposal performance.

Required Skills & Competencies

· Demonstrated hands-on experience with U.S. federal and state/local government bids and proposals.

· Strong knowledge of U.S. government procurement processes and solicitation requirements.

· Proven experience managing end-to-end bid and proposal activities.

· Excellent technical and business proposal-writing skills.

· Strong analytical, research, and opportunity-evaluation capabilities.

· Experience preparing compliance matrices, bid schedules, and proposal response plans.

· Ability to coordinate multiple proposals and meet strict deadlines.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills.

· Excellent stakeholder-management, coordination, and follow-up skills.

· Strong attention to detail and a structured approach to documentation.

· Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with U.S.-based teams.

Technical & Software Skills

· Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

· Hands-on familiarity with SAM.gov and U.S. state, county, and municipal procurement portals.

· Experience with government solicitation documents, proposal templates, and compliance matrices.

· Familiarity with CRM platforms, opportunity-tracking tools, and bid/proposal management systems.

· Experience with proposal content libraries and document collaboration tools is preferred.

· Exposure to BOQs, cost estimates, and technical engineering documentation is an advantage.

Educational Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline preferred.

· A degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or Management may be considered for candidates with substantial relevant experience.

· PMP, proposal management, or relevant professional certifications are an advantage.

Experience Requirements

· 10+ years of relevant experience in bid management, proposal management, business development, tendering, or pre-sales.

· Mandatory hands-on experience supporting or managing U.S. government contracts at both federal and state/local levels.

· Experience in civil engineering, infrastructure, construction, geotechnical engineering, or engineering consulting is highly preferred.

· Experience coordinating technical and commercial proposals for professional services or engineering projects is strongly preferred.

· Candidates whose experience is limited to Indian government tenders or non-U.S. private-sector bidding will not meet the mandatory U.S. government contracting requirement.