Business Development / Capture Manager - Northern, VA Area - Rem

Business Development / Capture Manager

Northern, VA
Full-Time | 100% Remote | Actively Hiring

Department: Business Development

Reports To: Vice President, Business Development

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Remote with travel to corporate office, client sites, and conferences

Clearance Required: Active Secret clearance (minimum); Top Secret/SCI preferred

Experience: 6-10 years in federal government capture and proposal development

Who We're Looking For

We're not looking for someone who's done it all. We're looking for someone who's done enough to be dangerous and wants to do more.

This is a hybrid role - part capture manager, part proposal writer, part whatever-needs-to-get-done on any given day. You'll own pursuits from the moment we decide to go after a contract through the moment we hit submit. You'll write the proposals yourself, not manage a team of writers. You'll build the win strategy, identify the competition, shape the technical approach with SMEs, write the volumes, manage the reviews, and drive the whole thing across the finish line.

We're a small company that punches above its weight in the DoD and Intelligence Community space. We don't have layers of bureaucracy. You won't be writing memos about writing proposals. You'll be in front of customers, in the weeds on solicitations, and building the proposals that win work. If you're the kind of person who thrives when you own the whole process end to end, this is your job.

We use AI aggressively. AI handles the 80-85% baseline draft. You bring the 15-20% that wins - customer knowledge, mission context, the language that makes evaluators say "these people get it." If you're excited about AI as a force multiplier and not threatened by it, you'll fit right in.

What You'll Do

Capture Management

• Own assigned pursuits from qualification through award. You are the capture manager - the pursuit lives or dies on your execution.
• Leverage existing capture plans and develop new ones as needed - including win strategy, competitive assessment, teaming strategy, price-to-win positioning, and customer engagement approach - to guide win strategy, improve PWin, and submit compelling proposals.
• Identify and research competitors, incumbents, and customer environments using GovWin, Bloomberg Government, SAM.gov, FPDS, and your own network.
• Build and maintain customer call plans - know who the decision makers are, who the contracting officer is, who the COR is, and what the customer cares about.
• Coordinate with potential teaming partners and subcontractors. Draft teaming agreements and define work share arrangements.
• Attend industry days, SBA events, conferences, and customer meetings. You're not just behind a desk - you're in front of customers building relationships.
• Conduct gate reviews and bid/no-bid analysis. Make recommendations to leadership with data, not gut feel.
• Track pipeline opportunities across SAM.gov, eBuy, OASIS+ task order explorer, and small business office procurement forecasts.

Proposal Writing

• Leveraging AI tools, lead the writing and production of technical, management, past performance, and staffing volumes for DoD and IC proposals. AI generates the baseline draft; you refine it with customer-specific language, mission context, and domain expertise to produce a winning product.
• Analyze RFPs, RFIs, and Sources Sought notices. Build compliance matrices, develop outlines, and create response strategies that map directly to evaluation criteria.
• Write original proposal content - technical approaches, transition plans, staffing plans, quality control narratives, risk mitigation strategies. You're the primary author, not an editor.
• Work directly with subject matter experts and program managers to extract technical content and translate it into clear, compliant, compelling narrative.
• Develop win themes and discriminators for every proposal. Make sure evaluators understand why we're the best choice, not just a qualified one.
• Tailor every proposal to the specific customer and mission. DoD doesn't read like IC. Army doesn't read like Air Force. SOCOM doesn't read like anyone. You know the difference.
• Manage proposal production schedules, coordinate color team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold), and incorporate review feedback under deadline.
• Ensure full compliance with Section L/M, page limits, font restrictions, file naming conventions, and submission portal requirements.

AI-Augmented Workflow

• Use AI tools to accelerate every phase of the capture and proposal process - competitive research, outline generation, first drafts, compliance checking, content refinement.
• Apply domain expertise, customer-specific language, and mission context on top of AI-generated content. AI builds the frame; you make it win.
• Continuously improve AI prompts, templates, and processes. Share what works with the team. Be the person who makes everyone faster.

Post-Submit and Continuous Improvement

• Prepare and support oral presentations when required - develop slides, talking points, and facilitate dry runs.
• Draft responses to Evaluation Notices and Clarification Requests during the evaluation period.
• Lead debrief analysis after award or loss notifications. Document lessons learned and feed them back into the next pursuit.
• Build and maintain a reusable content library - past performance citations, corporate qualifications, management approaches, and proven win themes.

What You Bring

Required

• 6-10 years of experience in federal government capture management, proposal writing, or a combination of both, with a focus on DoD and/or IC customers.
• Demonstrated experience managing captures and writing proposals for IDIQ task orders (OASIS+, SITE III, ALLIANT, SEWP, GSA MAS, or similar vehicles).
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain Top Secret/SCI.
• Strong understanding of FAR/DFARS, government source selection processes, and evaluation methodologies (best value, LPTA, trade-off).
• Excellent writing skills - clear, concise, persuasive, and adaptable to different government audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple pursuits simultaneously and meet hard government deadlines without someone standing over your shoulder.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat. Comfort with AI writing and research tools.
• A track record of winning. You don't have to bat 1.000, but you need to show us proposals you wrote that won and captures you managed that resulted in awards.

Preferred

• Top Secret/SCI clearance.
• Experience with Intelligence Community customers - ODNI, DIA, INSCOM, NGA, DCSA, or CIA.
• Experience with Combatant Command proposals - INDOPACOM, CENTCOM, SOCOM, SPACECOM, SOUTHCOM.
• Military experience or deep familiarity with DoD organizational structure, terminology, and culture. We want someone who knows what a J2 does, what a PEO is, and why an Army proposal sounds different from a Navy proposal.
• APMP Foundation or Practitioner certification, or experience with Shipley methodology.
• Experience supporting oral proposal presentations.
• Familiarity with pricing concepts, labor categories, and cost volume structures in government contracting.
• Existing relationships with DoD/IC customers or industry partners.

What We Offer

This is a growth role in a growing company. We're not hiring you to fill a seat. We're hiring you because we're building something and we need people who want to build it with us.

• Direct access to executive leadership - you're not buried in a hierarchy. The CEO and VP of BD know your name and care about your development.
• Ownership of your pursuits from start to finish. No handoffs, no "someone else writes the proposal." You own it.
• Exposure to the full business development lifecycle - capture, proposal, pricing discussions, teaming strategy, customer engagement, and post-award transition.
• AI-forward environment. We're investing in AI tools that make you faster and more effective. You'll be on the leading edge of how proposals get written in this industry.
• A path to senior capture leadership as the company grows. If you prove you can win work, there is no ceiling here.
• A team that works hard, supports each other, and doesn't tolerate politics or bureaucracy. We're mostly veterans. We move fast, speak directly, and take care of our people.

Working Conditions

• Primarily remote with travel to corporate headquarters, client sites, partner facilities, and conferences (estimated 15-25% travel).
• Must be able to work in a SCIF or classified environment when required.
• Extended hours and weekend work will be required during active proposal periods. Government deadlines don't move. Neither do we.
• Fast-paced, high-accountability environment. Multiple concurrent pursuits are the norm, not the exception.

This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the role. We're a small company - everyone wears multiple hats, and we expect this role to evolve as the company grows.

Equal Opportunity Employer | Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

This position requires current eligibility of a Secret clearance. Employees may need to complete a successful pre-employment background screening conducted by an FCRA company and a successful clearance crossover. Employment must commence within 45 days of the employee being granted eligibility for access to classified information at a level that allows them to perform the tasks or services associated with the contract or USG requirement for which they were hired.