HIRE TALENT  /  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & OPS  /  PROPOSAL MANAGER
Construction Recruiting

Hire Proposal Managers

Hire Proposal Managers who own the RFP response cycle — win-plan discipline, pursuit-team orchestration, and construction-industry compliance. Sits between BD and Precon; is the difference between a win and a submission.

Hire Proposal Managers → How it works
Photo of a Vetted Proposal ManagerExample profile
Kavita N.
Vetted Specialist
Business Development & Ops
Proposal Manager
SMPS · DBIA · Cosential
Firm types
GC · CM · Owner · Developer
General contractor, CM, owner, developer offices
Role families
BD · Marketing · Ops
Business development, marketing, operations
Geography
US + EMEA
Active proposal-team network in both markets
Placement warranty
Replacement guarantee
Every model, every placement
How It Works

Hire Proposal Managers in 3 steps

A structured process for the hire that owns the RFP response cycle — where a broken proposal team turns a winnable pursuit into a compliance mess that goes nowhere.

Step 01

Talk to our team

30-minute call. Align on firm type, annual RFP volume, pursuit-team structure, BD / Precon interface, and start date.

Step 02

Review hand-selected talent

Within 2 weeks we introduce 3–5 Proposal Managers with delivered construction-industry RFP history. References from prior Directors of BD, Chief Estimators, and pursuit teams included.

Step 03

Hire with confidence

Every placement carries a replacement guarantee. If the hire fails within the warranty window, we run a no-fee replacement search.

Why iRecruit.co for Proposal Manager Hires

What makes our Proposal Manager shortlist different

Proposal Managers own the moment when BD hands off to pursuit-response. Win-plan discipline, pursuit-team orchestration, and construction-industry compliance separate a Proposal Manager who converts pursuits into wins from one who ships a compliant submission that loses on strategy.

01

Delivered win-rate history

Every Proposal Manager on the shortlist has reference-verified pursuit-win history — not submission counts. Verified from prior Directors of BD, Chief Estimators, and pursuit-team members.

02

Pursuit-team orchestration

Reference-verified orchestration across BD, Precon, Chief Estimator, technical SMEs, and executive review team. Kick-off, color-team reviews, and final QC discipline.

03

Construction-industry compliance

DBIA templates, federal compliance (SF 330, USACE), state DHS requirements, hyperscale operator RFP formats, health-system procurement compliance. Sector-specific fluency.

Meet Vetted Proposal Managers

The caliber of Proposal Manager you’ll interview

Every candidate is credential-verified, win-rate referenced, and matched to your firm type. Anonymized examples below reflect real placement profiles.

Vetted SpecialistFemale PM - GC pursuit teamExample profile

Camila V.

National GC Proposal Manager
  • Ran 120+ pursuits annually, 42% qualified-pursuit win rate
  • Led 4 Proposal Coordinators + graphic designer
  • DBIA / federal compliance across GC pursuit portfolio
SMPSDBIACosential
Vetted SpecialistMale PM - healthcare CMExample profile

Hector M.

Healthcare CM Firm Proposal Manager
  • Ran 60 healthcare pursuits annually, 55% win rate
  • Owned Joint Commission-facing compliance content
  • Progressive DB pursuit-team lead
SMPSDBIAASHE
Vetted SpecialistFemale PM - federalExample profile

Denise M.

Federal Proposal Manager
  • SF 330 + USACE compliance lead on 80+ annual pursuits
  • Kicked off, ran color-team reviews, delivered QC
  • APMP-certified proposal-team discipline
APMPSF 330SBA-8a
Proposal Manager Specializations

Match the Proposal Manager specialty to your firm

“Proposal Manager” means different things across firm types and pursuit portfolios. Below are the specializations we recruit for:

Proposal Coordinator
Individual-contributor proposal role
Hire for this specialty
Senior Proposal Manager
Multi-pursuit & mentor track
Hire for this specialty
GC Proposal Manager
General contractor pursuits
Hire for this specialty
CM Firm Proposal Manager
Construction management pursuits
Hire for this specialty
Healthcare Proposal Manager
Health-system RFP pursuit
Hire for this specialty
Life Sciences Proposal Manager
cGMP / EPCM pursuits
Hire for this specialty
Federal Proposal Manager
SF 330 / USACE / DoD pursuits
Hire for this specialty
Design-Build Proposal Manager
Progressive DB pursuit response
Hire for this specialty
Director of Proposals
Proposal-department leader
Hire for this specialty
Pursuits / Capture Manager
Pursuit-team lead role
Hire for this specialty
BD Manager (peer)
BD-side pursuit sourcer
Hire for this specialty
Marketing Director (peer)
Marketing-side content leader
Hire for this specialty

Not sure which Proposal Manager specialty fits?

We’ll help you scope the role on the call — firm type, annual RFP volume, pursuit-team structure, and compliance model.

Hire Proposal Managers →
Vetting Criteria

What we verify on every Proposal Manager candidate

Proposal Manager hires live and die on win-rate history, orchestration discipline, and compliance fluency. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:

Delivered win-rate history

Reference-verified pursuit-win history from prior Directors of BD and Chief Estimators. Not submission counts.

Pursuit-team orchestration

Verified kick-off, color-team review, and final QC discipline. Referenced from pursuit-team members.

Compliance fluency

DBIA templates, federal SF 330 / USACE, state DHS, hyperscale RFP formats. Matched to your pursuit portfolio.

Credentials verified

APMP certification, SMPS credentials, DBIA where applicable. Not just proposal-tenure resume.

Software stack fluency

Cosential / Unanet, Salesforce, InDesign, Bluebeam, SharePoint. Matched to your environment.

Compensation alignment

Proposal Manager, Sr Proposal Manager, Director of Proposals comp bands aligned before finalist interviews.

FAQ

Hiring a Proposal Manager: frequently asked questions

How long does it take to hire a Proposal Manager?

Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–4 weeks.

What does it cost to hire a Proposal Manager?

Pricing depends on engagement model. Per-role recruiting is a defined fee. Embedded is a monthly retainer. Director-level searches route through executive search.

Do you place Proposal Coordinators in addition?

Yes. Proposal Coordinator (IC role, promotion track to Proposal Manager) is core coverage. Anchor section on this page covers it.

Can you verify pursuit win rate?

Where obtainable. We reference-verify with prior Directors of BD, Chief Estimators, and pursuit teams on qualified-pursuit win rate.

Do you recruit for federal proposal compliance specifically?

Yes. SF 330, USACE, DoD, GSA fluency is core coverage. Referenced from prior federal pursuit teams.

Do you offer a placement guarantee?

Yes. Every Proposal Manager placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.

Can you build a full proposal team from scratch?

Yes. Multi-hire proposal builds (Director + Sr PMs + PMs + Coordinators + Graphic Designer) route through embedded recruiting or RPO.

How is iRecruit.co different from a generalist proposal recruiter?

Generalist recruiters treat all “proposal writer” experience as interchangeable. iRecruit.co Proposal Manager recruiters verify construction-industry compliance and orchestration — every candidate is matched to your pursuit portfolio.

Related Role

Proposal Coordinator

Proposal Coordinators are the individual-contributor role on the proposal team — kick-off logistics, section-writer coordination, graphic and layout production, and QC support. Sits below Proposal Manager, often the promotion track.

Hiring a Proposal Coordinator?

Individual-contributor proposal-team role. Common early-career and mid-career hire.

Hire a Proposal Coordinator →
Ready to hire

Talk to a construction proposal-team recruiter

30-minute scoping conversation. We’ll review the Proposal Manager role you need, firm type, annual RFP volume, pursuit-team structure, and compliance model — then recommend the right hire path and start sourcing.

Hire Proposal Managers →
Related: Director of BD hiring  ·  Marketing Director hiring
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