Director of Proposal & Pursuit Strategy

The Director of Proposal & Pursuit Strategy is responsible for leading the company's pursuit strategy, proposal development, interview preparation, and presentation excellence initiatives. This role serves as a strategic partner to executive leadership, business development, operations, preconstruction, and project teams to position Wharton-Smith for sustained growth and successful project acquisition across all business units.

What You Will Do

The Director provides leadership throughout the entire pursuit lifecycle, including market intelligence, capture planning, proposal strategy, qualifications development, shortlist presentations, interview coaching, and post-pursuit analysis. This position is responsible for ensuring all pursuit-related materials effectively communicate Wharton-Smith's value proposition, technical expertise, operational capabilities, and commitment to client success.

Why It Might Be a Fit

The Director of Proposal & Pursuit Strategy drives continuous improvement in pursuit processes, team development, branding consistency, and win performance while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, English, Business Administration, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience leading strategic proposals, presentations, and pursuit efforts within the construction, engineering, architecture, or infrastructure industries
• Proven success managing complex, high-value pursuits from capture planning through contract award
• Experience supporting Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), and other alternative delivery delivery methods preferred
• Exceptional verbal, written, presentation, and facilitation skills
• Strong storytelling, editing, proposal writing, and persuasive communication abilities
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with executive leadership, clients, operations teams, technical professionals, business development teams, and external partners
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing teams, mentoring staff, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
• Proven ability to manage multiple pursuits simultaneously while prioritizing competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Expert-level proposal writing, editing, and content development skills
• Advanced knowledge of public and private sector procurement processes
• Strong understanding of construction delivery methods, including Design-Bid-Build, CMAR, Design-Build, and Progressive Design-Build
• Experience with capture planning, pursuit strategy development, market intelligence, and competitive analysis
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, preferred
• Experience utilizing CRM systems, proposal management platforms, and content management systems
• Strong organizational, analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to influence decision-making and build consensus among diverse stakeholder groups
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as needed to support proposal deadlines, interviews, strategic planning initiatives, and business development activities
• Ability to travel up to 20% for client interviews, strategic planning sessions, industry conferences, business development events, and company meetings
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry office materials and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds

Benefits

• Equal opportunity employer
• Veterans/disability
• Wheelchair accessibility
• Website accessibility