Director of Plans & Proposals

Key Responsibilities

• Run the single enterprise intake for proposal and marketing support and maintain one priority list, reviewed weekly at the business-unit pursuit calls; log side-channel requests as exceptions.
• Facilitate the go/no-go decision record at Stage 2 (Opportunity) with the Client Account Manager and business-unit leader, using the multi-gate enterprise form; confirm a documented decision.
• Ensure every Staged pursuit above a set net fee carries a capture plan — full capture plan at one limit and above, short below — opened at separate stage, updated at shortlist and selection, and closed with cost-to-pursue; back-fill live pursuits.
• Support Client Account Managers on Client Account Plans: quarterly data refresh (financials, backlog, pipeline, contract basis), formatting to the enterprise template, and submission to leadership.
• Prepare tailored task-order capture plans for awarded on-call programs with the responsible CAM.

• Lead and manage the end-to-end proposal process for RFQs, RFPs, SOQs, letter proposals and other competitive pursuits across the business units and Atakapa Services.
• Partner with Client Account Managers, capture leads, business-unit leaders and technical staff to develop pursuit strategy, positioning, win themes and proposal approach.
• Facilitate kickoffs, set schedules and compliance matrices, assign responsibilities, and manage deadlines through submission; route RFP contract terms for legal review before certification.
• Lead development of compliant, compelling, client-focused content; provide strategic editing and quality control for narratives, resumes, project sheets and cover letters.
• Oversee interview and presentation preparation for shortlisted pursuits, including content, messaging and rehearsal.
• Manage competing deadlines and allocate proposal resources across business units based on the priority list and business-unit needs.

• Maintain the enterprise proposal log; report proposal volume, workload, cycle time, hit rate by business unit and pursuit outcomes monthly to the Chief Clients & Markets Officer and business-unit leaders, and weekly during the controlled-operation period.
• Keep pursuit records in Deltek Vantagepoint current with the CRM stage standard — stage, probability, Client Account Manager, dates and fees — with the Deltek administrator, and flag records that fail the standing rules.
• Conduct win/loss debriefs on every decided pursuit and feed lessons into the content library and the next capture plan for that client.
• Represent Waggoner in the Trilon proposal community; adopt tools and shared resources where they shorten proposal cycle time.

• Own the enterprise experience archive — people, credentials, projects, clients, roles and outcomes — built from the company database; keep it the single source for resumes, project sheets and SF-330 content.
• Coordinate periodic resume updates with employees and operational leaders; partner with Chief People’s Office to validate titles, tenure, education and licensure; keep priority-one resumes current within 90 days.
• Operate the departure gate: change resume status and check live proposals at separation so no departed key person is named in a submission.
• Maintain current SF-330 Part II data, project sheets, boilerplate and reusable qualifications material; tailor resumes and qualifications to specific pursuits.

• Serve as the primary leader for proposal operations and establish clear ownership, accountability and expectations across the pursuit process within the Company model.
• Lead, coach, develop and manage workload for the matrixed proposal and marketing team; set standards and professional-development plans in coordination with business-unit leaders.
• Identify process improvements, technology and automation opportunities that improve proposal efficiency and quality, introducing tools only where the process they support is proven.
• Support annual planning and resource forecasting for proposal and marketing needs; promote consistent brand standards and messaging across all proposals and qualifications material.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Eight or more years of progressive experience in proposal development, marketing or business development in the architecture, engineering, construction or environmental industry; APMP certification preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex RFQ/RFP responses, qualifications-based selection procurements and SF-330 submissions, and/or managing multiple concurrent pursuits.
• Experience leading and developing proposal or marketing professionals, including in a matrixed or multi-office structure.
• Strong writing, editing, proofreading and quality-control skills; strong project management, prioritization and deadline discipline.
• Working knowledge of CRM and proposal systems; Deltek Vantagepoint experience preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat; Adobe InDesign preferred.
• Ability to work effectively with executives, technical professionals, project managers, client account managers and business-unit leaders.

• Strategic thinker able to translate technical information into clear, persuasive, client-focused messaging.
• Leadership and interpersonal skills that influence across business units without direct authority.
• Exceptional attention to detail while holding the overall pursuit strategy and business objectives in view.
• Ability to manage high-volume, deadline-driven work without sacrificing quality, and judgment about when to escalate risks, resource constraints or compliance concerns.
• Ability to build repeatable processes and drive accountability across cross-functional teams.

• On-time, compliant submissions; every submitted version archived and the fee reconciled in Vantagepoint.
• 100% of Stage pursuits above set targets carry a capture plan.
• Proposal log current weekly; hit rate, workload and cycle time reported by business unit monthly.
• Priority-one resumes current within 90 days; SF-330 data updated at least annually; zero departed key personnel named in a submission.
• Win/loss debrief completed on every decided pursuit at targets and above, with lessons recorded in the content library.
• Development and performance of the matrixed proposal team; user-readiness and adoption measures from the opperating model.

Why Join Our Team

• WEI Incentive Program
• Healthy Workplace Program
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Competitive Health Benefits
• Career Development and Training
• Flexible/Hybrid Schedule
• Community Service Opportunities