Proposal Manager

ABOUT US

Sequoia Ecological Consulting, Inc. (Sequoia) is a small, woman-owned environmental consulting firm that specializes in environmental and biological planning, permitting, and field services. We serve federal, state, and local public agencies, as well as private clients throughout California. Sequoia's team develops creative solutions to complex projects through proactive planning, collaboration, and attention to detail.

At Sequoia, we believe in providing a great place to work by living our shared core values of Respect, Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Teamwork. As a member of the Sequoia team your unique talents and contributions will be recognized and appreciated, and your work will truly make an impact as we provide the highest level of service to our clients on projects that our staff are passionate about.

YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE...

As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Proposal Manager will partner with the Marketing Director, Principals, and other leadership to drive Sequoia's vision and success as a company. We are looking for an experienced Proposal Manager who shares our values to join the Sequoia team, supporting our Marketing Director and our team with all aspects of proposals and marketing collateral. Our ideal candidate will leverage their in-depth understanding of proposal writing and management in the AEC industry to quickly come up to speed on Sequoia's services, expertise, and unique value proposition to create high-impact proposals. Our proposals range from on-call consultant lists to complex, multi-volume federal proposal packages, and the successful candidate will bring the expertise to confidently manage these proposal processes from start to finish with strategic direction and review input from the Marketing Director, Principals and Managers. Work can be remote for the right candidate, or local candidates may work from one of our California offices (Walnut Creek, Sacramento, Pleasanton, and San Diego). This individual will be a member of the Sequoia leadership team and may supervise up to 5 direct reports who support the proposal development process.

Proposal Manager Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the proposal development process from initiation to submission leveraging our Responsive RFPIO as much as possible.

• Analyze RFPs (Request for Proposals), RFQs (Request for Qualifications), RFIs (Request for Information), and other solicitation documents.
• Participate in Go/No-Go decision-making discussions
• Coordinate with technical teams, consultants, and subcontractor.
• Facilitate strategy sessions to identify win themes, differentiators, and key selling points.
• Author and perform quality review of proposal content.
• Support the interview team and prepare interview materials.
• Train and guide team members on best practices in proposal development.
• Identify growth and engagement opportunities for staff.
• Lead or co-lead business development efforts, attend key meetings, and represent Sequoia at relevant conferences.
• Identify and pursue new market opportunities.
• Support technical staff by driving conference preparation, conference materials, and overall conference opportunity awareness.
• Lead development of internal and external company newsletters and advertisement campaigns and support our social media content development and strategy.
• Provide other business development and marketing support, as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an environmental science field, Marketing, English, Business Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in proposal management in environmental consulting or a related consulting industry.
• Strong understanding of the biological and/or environmental sector and its regulatory landscape, preferred.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex proposals under tight deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a keen eye for detail.
• Supervisory experience preferred.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications and Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop).
• Experience working in Deltek Vantagepoint and Airtable preferred.
• Experience leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Responsive RFPIO a plus.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work under pressure and under own initiative.
• Ability to work under multiple tight deadlines and respond to last minute requests and compressed production schedules.
• Clear and thorough communication style.
• Remote work is acceptable if Pacific standard time work hours are followed.

We recognize that not all people have had the same career experiences and that a single individual may not possess all the skills listed above. That's ok! If this position excites you, please apply.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT SEQUOIA ECOLOGICAL CONSULTING, INC:

We provide a collaborative, employee-forward working environment. We provide a space that encourages building and maintaining long-term relationships in your work and finding satisfaction in making a lasting impact in protecting our biodiversity. Sequoia is looking for a self-motivated individual who is eager to steer the direction of their career in a company that promotes and supports professional development. We don't hire candidates to suit the job, we find the work that fulfills our employees and helps them meet their professional goals.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging:

At Sequoia, we create a safe space culture focused on fostering employee well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity. We are committed to a more inclusive and diverse workforce, where each employee can reach their full potential without the burden of discrimination or harassment. We strive to maintain a strong culture built upon our shared core values of Respect, Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Teamwork.

Sequoia is an equal opportunity employer. We understand that diversity, including human diversity, is the key to the success of all healthy ecosystems. We are a forest of remarkable individuals, standing tall as our authentic selves and as one. At Sequoia, we grow together to form a stable community that is diverse in character and content.

We are an at-will employer, which means that either the company or the employee may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.