Proposal Manager

We are seeking a Proposal Manager to support strategic growth across Florida by leading the development of high-quality, compliant, and compelling proposals within our Transportation, Construction Services, and Buildings & Places markets. This role is ideal for a skilled AEC proposal professional who thrives in a collaborative environment and brings a balance of proposal leadership, capture support, and partnership with client service teams.

You will play a key role in managing complex pursuits, shaping win themes, and translating technical input into clear, persuasive messaging that aligns with client priorities and procurement requirements. With experience supporting FDOT and municipal pursuits across Florida, you will partner closely with capture managers, technical teams, and business development leaders to drive pursuit excellence from pre-positioning through interview delivery.

This position may also include mentoring junior staff and contributing to a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and high-performance across the BD & Marketing team.

At GFT, we're not just pursuing projects-we're strategically capturing opportunities that shape our communities. The Strategic Growth Office is the engine behind GFT's enterprise-wide growth. It fuels our most significant pursuits by aligning talent, insights, and strategy to win complex, high-impact projects. From vision through delivery, we partner across all Business Groups to develop compelling, competitive proposals that reflect our core values and technical excellence.

What you'll be challenged to do:

The Proposal Manager expands their complex proposal and interview skills while continuing to build on capture planning and client service skills. The Proposal Manager role may include people management.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Capture Planning

* Working closely with the capture manager/team, facilitate kick-off and update meetings, identify and validate win themes and strategic messaging, and lead the development of pre-RFP proposal sections.

* Support teaming efforts by coordinating with internal and external partners and contributes to strategy development through active participation in major-level pursuits, including IFBP meetings, client relationship mapping, and content drafting.

* Determine the level of effort for the pursuit team.

* Estimate own workload and task durations to support effective resource planning and execution.

Proposal Management

* Manages major and priority-level pursuits, serving as Proposal Manager.

* Ensure full RFP compliance by verifying and documenting adherence across all proposal elements.

* Oversee standard and agile-level pursuits, particularly those involving cross-team coordination with other BD units.

* Lead multi-level category proposals and contribute to proposal excellence through peer compliance reviews, not only for own pursuits but also for those of other teams.

* Assist with teaming outreach and relationship development, strengthening both internal and external connections.

* Develop and maintain detailed proposal plans and assigning or reviewing tasks for team members.

* Participate in client held pre-proposal meetings and debriefs to inform future strategy and enhance proposal effectiveness.

* Mentor junior BD staff; reviewing their work, and offering constructive feedback to support their growth and the success of the overall team.

Writing

* Lead author for major-level proposals.

* Craft executive summaries and non-technical sections that articulate the firm's strengths and align with client goals.

* Develop detailed content outlines and storyboards for technical sections, integrate win themes and strategic messaging identified during capture planning and kick off sessions.

* Edit and refine technical approaches, providing input on layout, graphics, callouts, and key messaging to ensure clarity and consistency.

* Develop core content such as firm histories, qualifications, cover letters, personnel bios, project descriptions, and subconsultant qualifications.

Interview Development

* Lead interview strategy and development for major-level pursuits.

* Guide the proposal team in presenting win themes and messages throughout the presentation process.

* Work closely with graphic designers to visually translate proposal strategies into impactful, on-brand presentation materials.

Client Service Team Support

* Serve as the Client Service Team's (CST's) BD Partner for one or more Tier I clients, working alongside a strong Client Service Leader (CSL).

* Responsible for supporting and analyzing pipeline and client data, coordinating with operations staff to ensure accuracy and alignment.

* Research client history, contract awards, CIPs, budget documentation, and industry news to provide strategic insights for CST planning.

* Support the development of client meeting materials, capability briefings, and targeted marketing campaigns-coordinating with the Mar Com team to ensure alignment with broader strategic initiatives.

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