Proposal Studio Manager

About Us

Larson Design Group (LDG) is an award-winning, employee-owned Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting Firm. Guided by our core values, we're expanding our team, opening new offices, and adding new offerings to provide responsive, innovative solutions to clients nationwide.

Being 100% employee-owned directly impacts our culture: it drives our decision-making, motivates our teams, increases our productivity, improves retention, and contributes to the future success of our company. Our culture is one where we work hard for our clients and for each other - and we have fun collaborating, sharing experience and expertise, and learning along the way. We're passionate about delivering exceptional quality, elevating client relationships, enriching the careers and lives of our employee owners, and enhancing the communities where we live and serve.

At LDG, we strive to create an organization where people want to work. We offer a flexible work environment, paid training for required licensures, competitive benefits, bonus plans, and a company-funded Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) while supporting your professional and personal growth.

Your Opportunity + Impact

The Proposal Studio Manager plays a critical leadership role within the Marketing and Business Development teams at Larson Design Group. This individual is responsible for leading the Proposal Studio, ensuring the timely and high-quality delivery of proposals, qualifications packages, presentations, and other market, client, and business development collateral and materials. The role requires a strategic mindset, exceptional organizational skills, and a deep understanding of proposal development processes within the A&E industry, including the specialized knowledge and expertise of preparing Federal SF 330 submissions. This is a hands-on leadership role-requiring a working manager who can both lead and actively contribute to the production of deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Leads, mentors, and manages a team of proposal coordinators and production specialists.
• Oversees workload distribution, performance management, and professional development of team members.
• Serves as a bridge to internal clients, making sure Proposal Studio staff are engaged with business development meetings, proposal and presentation kickoff sessions, and strategic internation with client and project pursuits.
• Fosters a collaborative and deadline-driven work environment with LDG business development and client management stakeholders.
• Manage the end-to-end proposal production process, including RFP/RFQ analysis, win strategies, content development, formatting, and final delivery across all levels including private sector, state, county, municipal authority, and Federal SF 330 submissions.
• Develops and maintains personnel resumes and qualifications in long-form, short-form, and SF 330 submissions.
• Develops and maintains project description sheets in long-form, short-form, and SF 330 formats.
• Develops and maintains project narratives and photography, infographics, and all other raw materials necessary to produce proposals and presentations.
• Supports strategic pursuits, proposals, and presentations, with hands-on production and coordination, including strategies, writing, graphics development, etc., serving as a "working manager" as an additional member of the daily Proposal Studio.
• Ensures proposals are compliant with internal and external requirements and reflect the firm's brand and messaging.
• Collaborates with operations technical staff, the marketing team, and senior leadership to gather content and develop compelling narratives.
• Implements and maintains proposal production standards, templates, and best practices.
• Conducts quality reviews to ensure accuracy, consistency, and visual appeal.
• Chairs After Action Reviews (AARs) as postmortems to assure continuous improvement for capture strategies by internal clients and proposals excellence by proposal studio staff.
• Continuously improves daily proposal workflows and tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, including the use of artificial intelligence to automate processes.
• Serves as a liaison among proposal studio staff, marketing, operation teams, and senior leadership to coordinate proposal efforts.
• Communicates deadlines, expectations, and progress clearly across departments.

Education and Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, English, architecture, engineering, or related field
• Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of job-related experience. Prior experience in the A/E industry and with Federal SF 330 is required. A minimum of two (2) years of experience managing a team or leading proposal efforts.
• Licensure/Certification: APMP certification or similar proposal management training, preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of A&E industry terminology, project types, and client expectations.
• Knowledge of Shipley, Miller Heiman, Mandeville, and other A&E industry proposal development techniques.
• Demonstrates a strong desire to expand knowledge and take on new responsibilities within the field.
• Skilled in graphic design with the ability to convey key concepts through compelling visuals.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Power Point, Outlook), Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop), and CRM Systems.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to interact professionally with clients, vendors, and other external sources.

EEO Statement

Larson Design Group, Inc. is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO) that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization.