We are seeking a Proposal Manager for our national Aviation practice to support strategic growth initiatives by leading the development of high-quality, compliant, and compelling pursuits for airport and aviation infrastructure clients nationwide. This role is ideal for a seasoned AEC proposal professional who thrives in a collaborative environment and brings a strong balance of proposal leadership, capture planning, interview development, and partnership with client service teams. You will play a critical role in managing complex pursuits, shaping strategic win themes, and translating technical concepts into clear, persuasive messaging that aligns with client priorities, procurement requirements, and evolving aviation industry needs. You will partner closely with capture managers, technical teams, business development leaders, and teaming partners to drive pursuit excellence from pre-positioning through interview delivery. This role may also include mentoring junior BD staff, contributing to proposal best practices and process improvements, and helping foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and high performance across the BD & Marketing team.

GFT Shared Service Services team, which includes Human Resources, Legal, Accounting & Finance, IT Services and Marketing & Communications, are essential for managing and supporting the company's global operations. Shared Services are part of a broader strategy to transform the business and improve efficiency. The support of this amazing team of professionals, is the backbone of our ability to deliver infrastructure consulting and design services.

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.

In this capacity, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

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

Serving as Proposal Manager, manage major and priority-level pursuits, leading proposal strategy discussions, GNGs, and kick-off meetings to oversee strategic win themes applied effectively throughout the proposal.
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 Pa

Proposal Manager - Aviation at Gannett Fleming, Inc.