Proposal Manager I

This is an exciting time at Empower AI. Formerly known as NCI, Inc., our company has been helping our Federal Government customers solve complex mission challenges in the Federal Civilian, Health and Defense environments for nearly 35 years. While building on our heritage, we have also invested and evolved to deliver against tomorrow’s mission needs, including Applied AI – artificial intelligence pragmatically applied against real-world challenges. With new investor ownership and a refreshed growth strategy, we are excited about the future – and about attracting and retaining top-tier talent.

We are continually evolving and building on our six solution areas:

1. Artificial Intelligence
2. Application Development
3. Engineering & Integration
4. Infrastructure Modernization
5. IT Service Management
6. Mission Support

Learn more about our company at www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking collaborative, entrepreneurial, flexible team members who will help broaden our existing footprint and expand into new areas of Government service. You should be growth-minded with a desire to make a mark on the proposals that are developed for our Government customers.

The Proposal team will be a diverse tight-knit group of collaborators who are able to apply proposal best practices, while still being flexible enough to move quickly and make sound decisions. You must have an ownership mindset with an eye toward producing high-quality, tailored proposal content that meets our customers where they are. We offer an opportunity to continue your APMP membership (or start a new membership) and participate in events and conferences. We work in a SharePoint and MS Office environment and use a pipeline management tool that is user friendly and interfaces with systems across the business lifecycle.

You will report directly to the Vice President of Proposals and Growth Operations and interact regularly with other leaders and members of the Growth organization. You are a key to the success of the organization, and you should come prepared to contribute to individual proposals and the team in a meaningful way.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Proposal Level:

• Lead proposals end-to-end with little direct oversight – making sound decisions and pushing business leaders to adhere to best practices.
• Conduct color reviews that focus not only on compliance but offer insights and suggestions that directly impact the quality and scoring potential of the proposal.
• Take an ownership mindset working with the BD, Capture, Solution, Pricing, and Contracts teams to deliver material on time.
• Manage other team members such as alliance or partnership members to ensure they deliver content when needed.
• Engage regularly with teams through stand-up, check-in and other calls.
• Oversee the design and development of graphics and tailored materials for proposals.
• Drive production and delivery to meet due dates.

Growth Team Level:

• Develop and maintain a library of proposal knowledge (e.g., reuse material, lessons learned, past performance, graphics).
• Participate in Black Hat, Capture and other Gate reviews.
• Collaborate with teams in developing win themes, bid strategy, and bid decisions.
• Identify and take action on areas of improvement for the team.
• Participate actively in the growth and design of the proposal and growth operations organization.
• Support the maintenance of the pipeline and actively contribute to bid decisions.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
• Passion and energy to delivery high quality results
• Resilient and resourceful to solve problems independently and with good judgement.
• Ability to organize information and requirements in a compelling storyline.
• Proven competency in answering Federal Government RFPs, RFIs, and other market or source selection materials.
• Excellent written and communication skills with proven ability to deliver high quality actionable intelligence to leaders.
• Entrepreneurial mindset to drive, refine, and grow the proposal function.
• Strong interpersonal, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to negotiate with teams to “get to yes.”
• Deep expertise in MS Word, Excel, SharePoint and other proposal development tools.

Education and ExperiencE

• 2+ years of relevant proposal management experience.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of Government procurement practices.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college
• Shipley knowledge, practice, certification is a plus

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to do the following:

• Communicate verbally and respond to verbal communications in person and over the phone.
• Communicate clearly and succinctly in writing, primarily utilizing a keyboard.
• Engage in intermittent physical activity, including bending, reaching, lifting, filing, and prolonged periods of sitting.
• Travel minimally, via car or plane, which requires ability to manage luggage, laptop, and briefing materials (up t0 25 pounds)

It is the policy of Empower AI to provide equal opportunity in recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting individuals in all job categories without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected class or category as may be defined by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. In addition, we affirm that all compensation, benefits, company-sponsored training, educational assistance, social, and recreational programs are administered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It is our firm intent to support equal employment opportunity and affirmative action in keeping with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.