Job Description
The World at Abt
Solving the world’s most pressing issues and improving the quality of life for people worldwide is what we do every day at Abt Associates. Creating a more equitable world is no small task, but we are driven by big challenges.
We are a team of 3,000+ people in over 50 countries working in unison and focused on the bigger picture. Only by sharing our commitment and energy do we affect change and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We welcome diverse ideas, backgrounds, and viewpoints – joining Abt means access to exceptional thinkers at the top of their game.
To thrive at Abt is to embrace flexibility and collaboration. Our open culture allows you to balance your work and personal life as needed to optimize personal well-being. Creating a more equitable world starts from within – we look after people around the world, and we’ll do the same for you.
Ready to embrace rewarding and meaningful work? Now’s your chance.
The Opportunity
As a Capture (Senior) Manager you will partner with senior leadership to lead priority USAID captures efforts and support proposals. To be successful you will have experience in USAID business development lifecycle, experience managing capture for large global development projects and strong proposal management skills. You will be a team member of the Global Business Development Unit, and work closely with the Global Development Group. You will be one of two Capture (Senior) Managers hired to support the Global Development Group.
Core Responsibilities
- Have direct accountability for aspects of capture and proposal management operations:
- Manage “must-win” proposal opportunities, providing strategic and tactical advice and guidance to Opportunity Leads, senior leadership and division teams.
- Manage the capture and proposal team
- Make significant contributions to the development and continuous improvement of capture and proposal management processes, tools, and templates.
- Work directly with portfolio teams in the execution of best practice process to drive the development of compliant and compelling proposals
- Provide the leadership, methodologies, procedures, tools, and templates to support USAID proposal development efforts.
- Have responsibility across multiple, concurrent captures and proposals.
- Provide leadership to a diversity of matrixed capture and proposal teams.
- Act as the central point for the capture and proposal development process –
- Lead development of win strategy including win themes, competitive assessment, and pricing strategy discussion
- Prepare/complete strategic action plans
- Communicate overall capture progress to management
- Lead responses to Requests for Information
- Provide market analysis, competitor analysis, gap analysis, and teaming advice
- Help negotiate with partnership teams and prepare input for NDAs and TAs (working with Contracts)
- Prepare and deliver updates to senior leadership at specified milestones in the capture process
- Support the proposal development process including strategy, themes, solutions, writing, schedules, staffing, pricing, past performance, resumes, and other proposal actions
- Ensure the capture team’s strategy, themes, solution, and discriminators are reflected in the proposal
- Support transition and transfer of knowledge to the operations team upon contract award
- Utilize BD market intelligence accounts and subscriptions
- Maintain pipeline and opportunity records/information in the company’s CRM tool.
- Evaluate the solicitation requirements,
- Set and manage a timely process/schedule,
- Work with the technical teams to develop content that is clear, effective and consistent.
- Provide guidance, sample content, and boilerplate materials to writers, as needed
- Facilitate activities of supporting areas: contracts, subcontracts, small business, pricing, competitive intelligence, legal, and quality control
- Guide capture and proposal teams in developing a strategic approach –
- Act in a strategic role, from pre-RFP through final award determination.
- Brainstorm solutions providing tactical advice and guidance with the ability to drive strategy and solutions that result in winning submissions.
- Debrief teams after proposal submittal –
- Interview team members on successful or unsuccessful strategies and tactics,
- Share results as appropriate and refining future proposal strategies and training.
- Contribute to the development Abt’s new business function –
- Collaborate with other proposal team members,
- Support positive teambuilding,
- Take and conduct training as appropriate
- Continuously refine and improve proposal strategies.
- Provide guidance and mentoring to proposal team members, such as designers (graphics + formatting), writers/editors, and reviewers
- Mentor GBDU and Portfolio teams, as appropriate
- Develop and share leading practices
- Travel – Provides backstopping support to members of intelligence gathering trips; participates in trips as required.
- Information Gathering – Assists with a broad variety of ad hoc information gathering requirements from the pre-RFP stage through proposal submission.
- Ability to shift priorities and tasks – Ability to juggle multiple tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. Assist with the ability to analyze subcontractor budgets one minute, then proofread a technical draft, then possibly interview a key personnel candidate.
What We Value
- Experience in leading large complex proposals with values in excess of $25m
- Knowledge of USAID proposal costing/financial requirements
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel
- High attention to detail
- Willingness to travel
- Training in formal capture/proposal methodologies
- Knowledge of industry-wide best practices in proposal management
- Knowledge and understanding of Federal procurement regulations and practices (including FAR/AIDAR)
- Experience in project management and capture management
- Understanding of editorial practice and standards
- Manager- Bachelor’s Degree + Nine years of relevant experience, or Master’s Degree + Seven years of relevant experience, or PhD + Four years of relevant experience
- Senior Manager- Bachelor’s Degree + Twelve years of relevant experience, or Master’s Degree + Ten years of relevant experience, or PhD + Seven years of relevant experience
What We Offer
We foster an environment where you can Thrive Your Way. Our innovative total rewards programs are designed to help balance your work and personal life. The approach toward your wellbeing centers around comprehensive benefits, flexible schedules, and professional development.
Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.
This position offers an anticipated annual base salary range of approximately $105,120 to $168,192, and may vary by ten percent depending on candidate geographic location. Salary offers are made based on internal equity and market analysis.
Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.
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About Us
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates is regularly ranked as one of the top global research firms and one of the international development innovators. The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in more than 40 countries.
At Abt Associates, we are committed to creating a lasting culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that in order to achieve full participation, our practices must be free of prejudice, discrimination, and bias that result in inequitable outcomes. We are actively working to advance equity for everyone, and while we still have much work to do, we know that racial and cultural diversity are an asset to our business and the communities where we live and serve. Our ongoing commitment is focused on creating business practices that advance racial and social equity, investments in community impact programs for the benefit of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and expand upon project work related to racial equity and social justice.