Senior Capture and Proposal Leader - Department of Defense

RTI International (RTI) is both a global research institute and a leading international development organization based out of North Carolina. At RTI, you will find work you believe in, tackling some of the most complex global challenges of our time. Our mission is to impact the wellbeing of 1 billion people by 2030 through science-based solutions in climate, education, health, and equity. Our staff promote meaningful change around the world helping people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives.

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you. Join us in our commitment to teamwork, belonging, and the passion to change the world.

RTI is currently recruiting for a Senior Capture and Proposal Leader to support our current and future work with the Department of Defense.

This position will provide visionary leadership to craft and implement tailored capture and proposal plans that position RTI as the client's preferred partner in highly competitive opportunities. This role will lead strategically critical DoD captures and proposals across engineering, social science, and technology domains, leveraging advanced skills throughout the business development lifecycle. The candidate must effectively balance a deep understanding of DoD value drivers and pain points, the competitive landscape, and RTI's unique scientific capabilities.

This role demands strong business acumen, relevant technical education or experience, and a resourceful, resilient, customer-focused mindset oriented towards both internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of winning new and repeat business exceeding $50M, along with demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary teams. The successful candidate will take ownership of developing and executing comprehensive capture and proposal strategies designed to maximize win probabilities for new projects.

The successful candidate will embrace internal processes for business development growth, capture and proposal management and possess an understanding of technical project execution. This leader will work closely with other business functions dedicated to growth and technical writers to assemble capture and proposal response teams to create a successful journey to contract bid and win. Additional responsibilities include developing solutions for assigned opportunities (with technical support); managing relationships with external partners and internal BD staff to refine proposed solutions; participating in business planning activities; creating capture and proposal journey boards and maps; providing feedback and approvals during opportunity gate reviews; and driving execution of value propositions and strengths. As DoD Capture and Proposal Leader, the candidate will be responsible for managing all activities necessary to convert qualified opportunities into wins. The successful candidate will have a working knowledge of US Government contracting, specifically DoD contract types and procurement processes and must be team-oriented and demonstrate strong reasoning and communications skills, both oral and written.

• Serve as the lead for capture and proposal strategy development.
• Develops the compelling bid specific solution and approach that satisfies solicitation requirements.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of DoD objectives, aims, goals, structure and various funding mechanisms, desired solutions, and the preferred technical approach and market price.
• Facilitate discussions with writers and technical SMEs to extract critical information that drives the bid's strategic solution and approach.
• Guide and execute competitive pricing strategies and negotiate teaming arrangements.
• Provide oversight and approval on the technical and business volumes of final proposal.
• Collaborate with leadership and proposal writing team to produce thorough and consistent proposals that continuously lead to wins.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with technical staff, understanding key technical capabilities and how they align with the DoD.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and at least 12 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree and at least 10 years of relevant experience, or a PhD and at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• Deep expertise in translating complex scientific goals into successful DoD-aligned technical approaches.
• Proven business development acumen and client engagement with DoD within the past five years.
• Track record of leading winning DoD proposals and collaborating with partners on DoD pursuits.
• Exceptional research, technical, and financial analytic skills relevant to DoD.
• Possess excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Recognized as an industry SME and leads by hard work and exemplary BD outcomes.
• Must be adaptable and able to work creatively.
• Flexible to work evenings, weekends and holidays as deadlines require.
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.