Proposal Manager: End-to-End Pursuits + InDesign (Hybrid)

What if you could lead pursuits for a 100% employee‑owned commercial GC that's actively expanding its marketing function, with the autonomy to build proposals the way you've always believed they should be built? This is a Proposal Manager seat on a tight‑knit team where your work directly shapes how the firm wins.

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a 100% employee‑owned, ENR‑ranked Southern California commercial general contractor with 400+ professionals and six regional offices across California. Founded over 50 years ago, the firm builds across eight market sectors including K‑14, higher education, healthcare, civic and government, sports and entertainment, hospitality, mixed‑use, multi‑family, and senior living. Notable past projects include a major stadium renovation, a flagship roller coaster build, an iconic mixed‑use destination, and multiple OSHPD‑compliant healthcare facilities.

This is not a coordinator role being stretched into a manager title. You'll own the full pursuit lifecycle end to end for a specific Center of Excellence, partnering directly with business unit leadership on strategy. The marketing team is small and focused (4 to 5 people), which means real influence and real visibility from week one. You'll also mentor a Proposal Coordinator on the same team.

Most GCs run their pursuits like factories, templated, formulaic, indistinguishable. This firm is investing in the opposite approach. They want pursuits that win the room: custom layouts, client‑specific design palettes, narratives that actually argue a position. The hiring leader has been explicit that "eye‑catchy" and strategically sharp is the bar, not generic compliance.

You're already good at this. You may be at a top‑tier GC right now, comfortable, well‑compensated, and quietly aware that you're boxed into one market sector or one delivery method. The pitch here is breadth and ownership: eight Centers of Excellence, real Design‑Build work, full lifecycle authority including interview coaching, and a Center of Excellence that's actively scaling. If you've been waiting for a seat where your pursuit philosophy actually shapes the work, this is it.

You’ll report into marketing leadership and partner directly with the business unit leader who runs your Center of Excellence. The team is intentionally compact (no large corporate marketing department), and you’ll have a Proposal Coordinator working alongside you, plus a 14+ year industry veteran on the team as a resource.

Responsibilities

Full pursuit lifecycle from go
o‑go and capture planning through kickoff, win‑theme development, content creation, color reviews (pink, red, gold), compliance, final production, and hand‑delivered submission

Prequalification packages, SOQs, and RFP/RFQ responses for public and private sector clients

Shortlist interview strategy: building presentations, coaching technical teams on delivery, rehearsing responses, and winning the room (not just the paper)

Custom visual storytelling in Adobe InDesign with callouts, client‑specific palettes, and custom graphics, no template factory

Marketing strategy for your Center of Excellence, case studies, thought leadership, market research, and competitive analysis

Mentoring the Proposal Coordinator and supporting cross‑COE knowledge sharing

This is a working seat, not a director‑of‑strategy seat. You'll be in InDesign daily, owning the deliverable, not just directing it. The team is small by design, which means there's no large corporate marketing function to hide behind. The hiring leader said it directly: pursuits win projects, and the person in this seat needs to genuinely understand the importance of being engaged, present, and accountable to the work. Candidates allergic to occasional office time, strategy meetings, project celebrations will not be a fit, even if the day‑to‑day schedule is hybrid or flexible.

Qualifications

5 to 10+ years in construction marketing or proposal management at a sophisticated commercial GC or large architecture firm.

Advanced Adobe InDesign as a daily user (not "familiar with"). Illustrator and Photoshop a plus.

Full proposal lifecycle ownership: pre‑qual, SOQ, RFP/RFQ, plus shortlist interview coaching.

Demonstrated team leadership or mentorship.

Stable tenure track record, ideally 2 to 3 employers across the last 15 years with at least one 5+ year tenure.

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field.

CPSM, SMPS membership, or APMP credential

Unanet CRM by Cosential experience (this is where the firm is heading) or Deltek Vision

Design‑Build delivery method experience.

Joist AI, OpenAsset, or Canto familiarity.

Apply via LinkedIn and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation. Confidential search; your application is fully private.

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