About Bodwé Group

Bodwé is the Professional Services Group of Mno-Bmadsen, the investment enterprise and a wholly owned instrumentality of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. We are architects, planners, consultants, designers, engineers, scientists, and federal contractors, committed to growing the economy and legacy of the Pokagon Band and supporting its more than 6,000 citizens. We provide value by integrating expertise across the natural and built environment lifecycle—from pre-development and planning to design, procurement, construction, and operations. By integrating expertise across architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management, we deliver holistic, end-to-end solutions that drive efficiency and deliver distinctive outcomes.

Position Summary

The Proposal Team Leader role is responsible for owning and leading the proposal efforts across our Buildings and Infrastructure Services Branch’s. This role works in collaboration with designated branch leadership and colleagues across the companies to provide leadership to the proposal team and discernment in go/no-go decisions that align with strategic growth and market sector focus.  

This role leads the proposal team and will also own the proposal process for assigned federal architectural and civil engineering pursuits, alongside the branch leadership, subject matter experts, and other invested parties, with a whatever-it-takes attitude as proposal submission requirements and deadlines, marketing efforts, and opportunities often demand never-been-done-before thinking and extra effort outside of normal business hours.  

Accommodation Requests

We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, contact our HR Director (April Hawkins) at 269-927-0144 or careers@bodwegroup.com

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

This non-exhaustive list of duties represents a sample of work routinely performed by this role: 

Team Leadership + Development 

• Supervise and mentor a team of managers and coordinators to assign proposals, assign tasks, set deadlines, and ensure accountability for quality and timeliness. 

• Mentor team and provide feedback/guidance related to win-themes, tailored responses, and appropriate content to demonstrate to the client that our Company is the best solution.  

• In collaboration with the Proposal Director, manage the workflow of all proposal efforts across branches to delegate workload and resource allocation. 

• Provide the final quality assurance and quality control on all proposals ensuring a tailored, compliant, and personal proposal that demonstrates the Company’s expertise. 

• Liaise with the Proposal Director to develop processes and procedures to aid the department in collaborating more effectively and efficiently. 

Lead Proposal Development 

• Lead and develop federal architectural and civil engineering proposals, when assigned, for federal agencies.   

• Manage, collaborate, and execute proposals to articulate Bodwé Group's value for each targeted opportunity.  

• In partnership with marketing, develop qualifications, proposals, and presentation messaging and content while adhering to company branding efforts.  

• Manage, track, and analyze proposal win strategies, focusing on understanding metrics to increase win rate.   

Strategy + Relationship Development 

• Collaborate with Branch Executives, Proposal Managers, and Proposal Coordinators to establish Business Development strategies across the federal target market sector.  

• Collaborate with leadership, business development and marketing team, and project managers to research, identify, analyze, develop, and execute new business initiatives and partnerships to meet established goals.  

• Build relationships with clients, teaming partners, and target market influencers inside and outside the firm.  

• Lead/support the negotiation and coordination of contracting and delivery of client agreements.   

• Collaborate with clients and operational staff to ensure complete satisfaction, successful execution, and a continuation/recompete of contracts.   

• Obtain direct contact and nurture relationships with market sector decision-makers to drive new contract wins and revenue.   

Education, Experience, and Technical Skills

Required Education, Experience, and Technical Skills

• Must have Real ID or Passport in order to undergo commercial airfare travel
• Must have valid driver's license
• 15+ years of relevant federal proposal experience with varied architectural and civil engineering pursuits and projects 
• Deep experience leading and managing the federal proposal process from RFP to interview  
• Thorough understanding of AEC terminology and project delivery methods  
• Experience leading large-scale, complex proposals for various Federal agencies  
• Desire to lead a team and develop standards that ensure consistent quality and deliver successful selections   
• Keen attention to detail with the ability to review, edit, and improve proposal responses including spelling, grammar, and review of technical content  
• The ability to lay out and design graphic elements of proposal responses including overall format and theme, resumes, project sheets, public presentations, project interviews using InDesign, PowerPoint and other graphic design software as necessary  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational abilities, and technical skills  
• Demonstrated ability to interact in a cooperative and effective manner  
• Self-motivated, able to multi-task while managing various deadlines  
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, set priorities, and see projects through to completion 
• Strong service orientation  
• Ability to work with technical teams  
• Proficient in: 
• • Adobe Creative Cloud, specifically InDesign  
  • Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams   
  • Zoho CRM or other CRM platforms  
  • GovWin and/or GovTribe preferred  
  • Familiarity with asset management tools, systems, or processes to organize proposal content  

Preferred Education, Experience, and Technical Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field with a minimum of 10 years of AEC experience, with experience pursuing federal architectural and civil engineering projects   

• Experience managing the capture process  

• Graphic design experience 

• Prior business development experience, which can include experience with the capture process, growing a project team, or writing/editing proposals  

Work Environment

This is a remote position that will require some (≤ 5%) travel to headquarters, client sites, or conferences. If a locally selected candidate is achieved, this role will report to one of our physical office locations 2-3 days a week and can work remotely the remaining days.  

This position operates in a professional office setting. The role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, and photocopiers. The work environment is generally quiet and free from exposure to loud noise, hazardous materials, or heavy machinery. Employees are typically seated for extended periods and may occasionally move about the office to attend meetings or access equipment and supplies.

Physical Demands

Sitting/Standing: This role is generally sedentary, performing sitting work utilizing technological office equipment, including a laptop, mouse, keyboard, computer monitors, telephones, scanners, and copiers.

Walking: This role requires the ability to move about inside the office to access the required technological equipment.

Stooping/Kneeling/Crouching/Crawling: This role may require stooping to reload printer trays with print paper, moving equipment, and managing cords.

Using Hands/Fingers: This role constantly operates technological office equipment such as laptops, mice, keyboards, computer monitors, telephones, scanners, and copiers.

Talking/Hearing: This role requires constant communication with others in the organization to exchange information, review information, and make decisions about information.

Seeing: This role requires seeing, viewing, and distinguishing all aspects of internal and external communications.

Carrying/Lifting: This role requires lifting up to 20lbs to transport technological office equipment to and from various workspaces.   

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Native American Hiring Preference

Our parent company, Mno-Bmadsen, prefers to hire Pokagon citizens who are qualified and suitable for available positions. For purposes of this section, “qualified” means that the applicant meets the technical and experiential needs for employment; and “suitable” means that the candidate appears to be the best fit considering present circumstances and conditions. Targeted preference is in the following order:

• First, to qualified Pokagon Band citizens; and
• Second, to qualified spouses and qualified custodial parents; and
• Third, to other qualified Native Americans; and
• Fourth, to all other qualified applicants

Any determinations as to the applicability of the Pokagon hiring preference are at the discretion of each Company President.