HDR
Proposal Manager Team Lead, Strategic Pursuits
HDR, Berkeley, California, United States, 94709
Overview
HDR is seeking a Proposal Manager Team Lead, Strategic Pursuits within the Transportation Business Group. This role partners with the Transportation Business Group Strategic Pursuit Leaders (SPL); reports to the Strategic Pursuits Team Lead; oversees a team of proposal managers to produce winning, professional, competitive proposals on high-visibility opportunities.
Responsibilities
Work with all Transportation Business Group Strategic Pursuit Leaders to understand needs and provide support during pre-positioning and proposal production phases.
Lead the workload execution and management of proposal managers across all strategic pursuits, including deciding whether travel is necessary.
Understand active pursuit and proposal schedules to make work assignments and ensure coverage of all activities.
Manage the proposal managers to coordinate and complete any parts of a pursuit or proposal phase deliverables, including adding staff when deliverables are voluminous, complex, and/or under tight deadlines.
Mentor proposal managers on improving proposal execution processes and procedures while enhancing the use of production tools and software, covering interpersonal communication, personal time management, and conflict management strategies.
Conduct routine performance appraisals for team members.
Serve as a Proposal Manager where appropriate (see Proposal Manager position).
Proposal Management & Coordination
Foster a self-directed, accountable team culture by delivering high-quality, review-ready and client-ready materials.
Lead the full proposal lifecycle from kickoff through final production and interview, owning all deliverables and driving a smooth, efficient process.
Develop and manage pursuit organization tools including schedules, compliance matrices, templates, and assignment dashboards; capture meeting notes and action items and translate client priorities into a focused capture plan.
Review and interpret RFPs to create clear, actionable compliance matrices guiding proposal development.
Coordinate input from internal teams and external subconsultants, maintaining alignment and clear communication throughout.
Track progress, manage deadlines, and adjust priorities to keep the team and deliverables on schedule.
Support content development by preparing early drafts, capturing meeting notes, and distilling key themes and differentiators into a focused capture plan.
Proactively communicate workload needs and availability.
Content Development & Quality
Write, edit, and format non-technical proposal content to ensure clarity and consistency.
Collaborate with specialized experts to write and visualize technical approaches and project understanding information.
Work with staff to develop qualifications, bios, data, forms, and terms to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Support the creation of storyboarding, benefit statements, message development, project profiles, and other data to demonstrate aligned qualifications and differentiators.
Research project background and tailor content accordingly.
Author and review draft proposal text for consistency, brand voice, and grammar to remove errors and redundancy.
Integrate risks and issues identified by the pursuit team into the PSOE (problem, solution, outcome, evidence) table and work with graphic designers to present visuals that make this information reader-friendly.
Identify gaps in draft proposal text based on capture planning, PSOE exercises, RFP requirements and other resources.
Visual & Layout Skills
Compose and format documents with reader-friendly graphic/layout skills using InDesign; maintain an intermediate level with a goal to advance.
Coordinate with marketing resources, graphic designers, data keepers, and layout artists as needed; communicate progress with the pursuit lead.
Collaborate with technical leads to develop draft presentation materials and work with graphic designers to transform complex technical content into clear, engaging visuals.
Provide clear direction and timely communication to achieve high-quality deliverables.
Develop materials such as interactive presentations, leave-behinds, and other brand-specific deliverables to communicate key messages and differentiators.
Quality Control & Compliance Checks
Create schedules and time blocks to conduct appropriate reviews of content and graphics throughout production.
Monitor progress of the proposal process, with timely follow-up, to ensure internal deadlines and quality processes are met.
Work with Strategic Pursuit leaders to meet expectations of quality-driven materials, including graphics and formatting of proposal elements.
Perform or request technical editing and compliance reviews to ensure grammatical accuracy and alignment with RFP requirements.
Continuously improve and evolve efficient processes for producing high-quality materials.
Pre-Positioning, Collateral & Material Management
Research project background, news articles, and board/council meeting materials; organize data in a collaborative platform.
Gather and refine resumes, project information, histories, photographs, and other data to ensure materials support differentiating sections of the proposal.
Develop materials such as interactive presentations and brand-specific deliverables to help team members communicate key messages.
Engage leadership in coordinating and analyzing marketplace, client, and project-specific research.
Partner with the marketing communications team to develop and promote sector qualifications and marketing collateral prior to an RFP release.
Continuous Process Improvements
Learn, apply, and teach current AI tools and other software to improve processes and deliverables.
Support proposal quality by monitoring against best practices and industry standards.
Contribute to continuous improvement through internal and external debriefs.
Act as a subject matter expert and adhere to HDR procedures, policies, protocols, and best practices, including standard file management and archiving.
Skills & Qualifications
Interpersonal skills: strong organizational ability, prioritization, and the capacity to complete multiple projects.
Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure; strong written and oral communication skills.
Attention to detail; adherence to HDR brand guidelines.
Self-starter, team-oriented; able to work with diverse personalities and professional styles.
Active listening to inform proposal strategy and content; adaptability to client needs; proactive communication of concerns or improvement ideas.
Interest in the transportation business and industry terminology.
Comfortable collaborating with all levels of the organization and working independently or in cross-functional teams.
Clear problem-solving approach and professional judgment; ability to build strong working relationships.
Enthusiasm for developing a professional proposal management career.
Technical Skills
Word, PowerPoint, Teams/SharePoint, OneNote — Advanced
InDesign, Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator; CRM tools (Salesforce, Oscar, Watson, Proposal Development Marketing System) — Intermediate to Advanced
Additional Position Details
Active participation in our employee-owned culture is a must.
Desire to join a high-caliber team and contribute to its growth and achievements.
Positive contributor to team culture; strives for best-in-class performance.
Anticipated travel: approximately 10-20%.
Reports to the Strategic Pursuits Proposal Manager Team Lead.
Required Qualifications
8+ years of relevant industry experience.
Self-starter with a track record of completing projects with limited oversight.
Experience in sales and developing effective win strategies.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign).
In-depth knowledge of the A/E/C industry's standard approach to procurement of professional services.
Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire others.
Proven success in winning high-value contracts in the A/E/C industry.
Experience writing compelling content based on technical staff input.
What We Believe HDR is our company. We build on each other’s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day, shaping our collaborative culture and connecting us with clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment As employee owners, we all contribute to an inclusive environment where everyone is welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work each day.
HDR is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.
Location & Posting Details
Primary Location: United States-Colorado-Denver
Other Locations: United States multiple locations across the country
Industry: Marketing/Communications
Schedule: Full-time
Employee Status: Regular
Business Class: Marketing and Admin
Job Posting: Aug 29, 2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Responsibilities
Work with all Transportation Business Group Strategic Pursuit Leaders to understand needs and provide support during pre-positioning and proposal production phases.
Lead the workload execution and management of proposal managers across all strategic pursuits, including deciding whether travel is necessary.
Understand active pursuit and proposal schedules to make work assignments and ensure coverage of all activities.
Manage the proposal managers to coordinate and complete any parts of a pursuit or proposal phase deliverables, including adding staff when deliverables are voluminous, complex, and/or under tight deadlines.
Mentor proposal managers on improving proposal execution processes and procedures while enhancing the use of production tools and software, covering interpersonal communication, personal time management, and conflict management strategies.
Conduct routine performance appraisals for team members.
Serve as a Proposal Manager where appropriate (see Proposal Manager position).
Proposal Management & Coordination
Foster a self-directed, accountable team culture by delivering high-quality, review-ready and client-ready materials.
Lead the full proposal lifecycle from kickoff through final production and interview, owning all deliverables and driving a smooth, efficient process.
Develop and manage pursuit organization tools including schedules, compliance matrices, templates, and assignment dashboards; capture meeting notes and action items and translate client priorities into a focused capture plan.
Review and interpret RFPs to create clear, actionable compliance matrices guiding proposal development.
Coordinate input from internal teams and external subconsultants, maintaining alignment and clear communication throughout.
Track progress, manage deadlines, and adjust priorities to keep the team and deliverables on schedule.
Support content development by preparing early drafts, capturing meeting notes, and distilling key themes and differentiators into a focused capture plan.
Proactively communicate workload needs and availability.
Content Development & Quality
Write, edit, and format non-technical proposal content to ensure clarity and consistency.
Collaborate with specialized experts to write and visualize technical approaches and project understanding information.
Work with staff to develop qualifications, bios, data, forms, and terms to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Support the creation of storyboarding, benefit statements, message development, project profiles, and other data to demonstrate aligned qualifications and differentiators.
Research project background and tailor content accordingly.
Author and review draft proposal text for consistency, brand voice, and grammar to remove errors and redundancy.
Integrate risks and issues identified by the pursuit team into the PSOE (problem, solution, outcome, evidence) table and work with graphic designers to present visuals that make this information reader-friendly.
Identify gaps in draft proposal text based on capture planning, PSOE exercises, RFP requirements and other resources.
Visual & Layout Skills
Compose and format documents with reader-friendly graphic/layout skills using InDesign; maintain an intermediate level with a goal to advance.
Coordinate with marketing resources, graphic designers, data keepers, and layout artists as needed; communicate progress with the pursuit lead.
Collaborate with technical leads to develop draft presentation materials and work with graphic designers to transform complex technical content into clear, engaging visuals.
Provide clear direction and timely communication to achieve high-quality deliverables.
Develop materials such as interactive presentations, leave-behinds, and other brand-specific deliverables to communicate key messages and differentiators.
Quality Control & Compliance Checks
Create schedules and time blocks to conduct appropriate reviews of content and graphics throughout production.
Monitor progress of the proposal process, with timely follow-up, to ensure internal deadlines and quality processes are met.
Work with Strategic Pursuit leaders to meet expectations of quality-driven materials, including graphics and formatting of proposal elements.
Perform or request technical editing and compliance reviews to ensure grammatical accuracy and alignment with RFP requirements.
Continuously improve and evolve efficient processes for producing high-quality materials.
Pre-Positioning, Collateral & Material Management
Research project background, news articles, and board/council meeting materials; organize data in a collaborative platform.
Gather and refine resumes, project information, histories, photographs, and other data to ensure materials support differentiating sections of the proposal.
Develop materials such as interactive presentations and brand-specific deliverables to help team members communicate key messages.
Engage leadership in coordinating and analyzing marketplace, client, and project-specific research.
Partner with the marketing communications team to develop and promote sector qualifications and marketing collateral prior to an RFP release.
Continuous Process Improvements
Learn, apply, and teach current AI tools and other software to improve processes and deliverables.
Support proposal quality by monitoring against best practices and industry standards.
Contribute to continuous improvement through internal and external debriefs.
Act as a subject matter expert and adhere to HDR procedures, policies, protocols, and best practices, including standard file management and archiving.
Skills & Qualifications
Interpersonal skills: strong organizational ability, prioritization, and the capacity to complete multiple projects.
Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure; strong written and oral communication skills.
Attention to detail; adherence to HDR brand guidelines.
Self-starter, team-oriented; able to work with diverse personalities and professional styles.
Active listening to inform proposal strategy and content; adaptability to client needs; proactive communication of concerns or improvement ideas.
Interest in the transportation business and industry terminology.
Comfortable collaborating with all levels of the organization and working independently or in cross-functional teams.
Clear problem-solving approach and professional judgment; ability to build strong working relationships.
Enthusiasm for developing a professional proposal management career.
Technical Skills
Word, PowerPoint, Teams/SharePoint, OneNote — Advanced
InDesign, Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator; CRM tools (Salesforce, Oscar, Watson, Proposal Development Marketing System) — Intermediate to Advanced
Additional Position Details
Active participation in our employee-owned culture is a must.
Desire to join a high-caliber team and contribute to its growth and achievements.
Positive contributor to team culture; strives for best-in-class performance.
Anticipated travel: approximately 10-20%.
Reports to the Strategic Pursuits Proposal Manager Team Lead.
Required Qualifications
8+ years of relevant industry experience.
Self-starter with a track record of completing projects with limited oversight.
Experience in sales and developing effective win strategies.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign).
In-depth knowledge of the A/E/C industry's standard approach to procurement of professional services.
Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire others.
Proven success in winning high-value contracts in the A/E/C industry.
Experience writing compelling content based on technical staff input.
What We Believe HDR is our company. We build on each other’s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day, shaping our collaborative culture and connecting us with clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment As employee owners, we all contribute to an inclusive environment where everyone is welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work each day.
HDR is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.
Location & Posting Details
Primary Location: United States-Colorado-Denver
Other Locations: United States multiple locations across the country
Industry: Marketing/Communications
Schedule: Full-time
Employee Status: Regular
Business Class: Marketing and Admin
Job Posting: Aug 29, 2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr