Senior Manager, Business Development Operations

Description

The Senior Manager, Business Development Operations ensures that qualified opportunities become high-quality, well-scoped, well-priced proposals that win, as efficiently and consistently as possible.

This role owns each proposal from intake to submission: understanding the requester’s needs, positioning West Cary Group as the right solution, and getting the response written, reviewed, approved and submitted on time. It also owns the operational side of business development: identifying opportunities, coordinating RFP responses, facilitating scoping and pricing, and continuously improving the systems, tools and processes that support agency growth.

The role works closely with Account Management, Creative, Strategy, Project Management, Finance, agency leadership and other subject-matter experts. It has no direct reports.

This is not a quota-carrying sales role and does not own client relationships. It is a hands-on role for someone with business development experience who enjoys turning complex opportunities into organized, compelling, well-coordinated proposals that win more business.

Own Proposal & RFP Development

• Own the process for qualified new-business opportunities, including proposals, RFP responses, Statements of Work (SOWs) and Task Orders, from intake through final submission.
• Study each opportunity’s requirements and the requester’s underlying business need, and shape the response so it presents West Cary Group as the right solution.
• Review each RFP for ambiguities, gaps and risks, decide which clarifying questions to ask, and manage the Q&A process and its deadlines.
• Coordinate timelines, contributor assignments, reviews, approvals and deliverables.
• Ensure final submissions are accurate, compliant, on brand, polished and delivered on time.

Identify & Evaluate Opportunities

• Monitor and track qualified opportunities from agency relationships, referrals, marketing efforts, RFP intake, procurement marketplaces and other business development channels, across both commercial and government clients.
• Review sources such as SAM.gov, eVA and other opportunity channels to identify opportunities aligned with agency capabilities and growth priorities.
• Prepare the information leadership needs to make bid/no-bid decisions.
• Maintain visibility into active opportunities, submissions, outcomes and next steps.

Coordinate Scoping, Estimation & Pricing

• Work with Account Management to understand business goals, client requirements and desired outcomes.
• Work with Creative, Strategy, Project Management, Production, Technology and other subject-matter experts to define scope, deliverables, timelines, effort estimates, staffing requirements, assumptions and dependencies.
• Identify gaps, risks, conflicting assumptions and unresolved questions before proposals are finalized.
• Use rate cards, pricing models, prior proposals, historical estimates and comparable work as starting points. Pricing is set by the Account Management leadership team and approved by agency leadership; this role coordinates inputs and keeps the proposal consistent with the approved price.
• Coordinate updates as scope, timing, staffing or pricing assumptions change, and obtain required reviews and approvals before submission.

Develop Proposals, SOWs & Task Orders

• Draft, assemble, edit and coordinate proposals, RFP responses, SOWs, Task Orders and related business development documents.
• Translate input from agency leaders and subject-matter experts into clear, compelling client-facing materials.
• Apply a consistent way of thinking about scope, pricing, assumptions, deliverables and timelines wherever it makes sense, while tailoring every proposal to its opportunity.
• Coordinate required commercial,…