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Proposal Development Director
Arlington, VirginiaDT Institute is seeking a Proposal Development Director who will provide collaborative and creative leadership to the proposal development process while also contributing to broader strategic business development efforts. They will be responsible for leading the proposal development process to support DT Institute’s overall business goals and targets, including maintaining and updating a business capture and proposal lifecycle (e.g., pre-capture, capture, and proposal development) that efficiently integrates the team’s current and future technical expertise across regions. Working in close collaboration with the executive leadership team, the PD Director will help define long- and short-term business targets and oversee the development and execution of bids, ensuring that technical teams execute plans and meet milestones within target business development budgets in a timely manner.
The PD Director will also support other business development efforts on an as-needed basis, including identifying recruitment priorities, representing DT Institute externally, and strengthening the organization’s brand and reputation through marketing and communications. They are expected to adhere to DT Institute’s unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion wherein every individual is treated with fairness and respect. The PD Director will directly manage the Proposal Development Team and report to the co-CEO, while also working collaboratively across other DT Institute departments. The Proposal Development Team is housed within DT Institute’s broader Growth and Outreach Team, which comprises three distinct workstreams: business development, philanthropy & partnership engagement, and advocacy engagement.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Other Related Duties:
Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Benefits:
DT Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. DT Institute prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.
The PD Director will also support other business development efforts on an as-needed basis, including identifying recruitment priorities, representing DT Institute externally, and strengthening the organization’s brand and reputation through marketing and communications. They are expected to adhere to DT Institute’s unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion wherein every individual is treated with fairness and respect. The PD Director will directly manage the Proposal Development Team and report to the co-CEO, while also working collaboratively across other DT Institute departments. The Proposal Development Team is housed within DT Institute’s broader Growth and Outreach Team, which comprises three distinct workstreams: business development, philanthropy & partnership engagement, and advocacy engagement.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develop and Oversee Bid & Proposal Process. The PD Director will oversee all bids from the capture stage, including identifying and dedicating resources to developing thoughtful capture and budget plans in coordination with the designated technical team and submission of high-quality, responsive winning bids. The PD Director will oversee the work of capture teams and measure progress against milestones reflected in capture plans, ensuring that capture efforts yield insightful design information, competitive partnerships, optimal options for candidate selections, and effective operational solutions. They will also lead and contribute to proposal reviews and write proposal sections, including overall proposal structure, context and background sections and technical design.
- Lead and Manage the Proposal Development Team. The PD Director will support the recruitment and retention of qualified business development professionals, including maintaining team spirit and performance, setting annual goals, and providing mentorship and support for professional and career development of all staff, not just those currently working in business development. They will ensure fairness and respect, addressing any issues within the team proactively and ensuring equitable distribution of work among team members.
- Develop and Implement DT Institute’s Proposal Development Strategy. The PD Director will work closely with DT Institute’s Executive Team and other senior program and technical staff to set new business development targets to meet the organization’s growth goals and identify the organization’s priority opportunities for the year. They will contribute to identifying emerging areas for DT Institute to shape opportunities with donors.
- Identify New Business Targets. In conjunction with DT Institute’s Executive Team, the PD Director will identify annual organizational new business targets. They will regularly monitor and review progress made against targets and make adjustments as necessary.
Other Related Duties:
- Represent DT Institute at conferences, forums, engagements, or meetings as needed;
- Provide leadership on special projects and in collaboration with the Business Development team, as needed;
- Assist in the preparation and maintenance of materials and documents related to Board meetings; and
- Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned.
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, international development, anthropology, or related field required.
- Master’s degree in political science, international relations, international development, anthropology, or related field preferred.
- Commensurate experience acceptable in lieu of education
Minimum Qualifications:
- 7-9 years of experience in developing new business opportunities, preferably with an international development organization;
- Demonstrated ability to manage winning proposals for U.S. State Department, USAID, and other major public sector donors;
- Proven excellent people management skills, defining roles and tasking responsibilities under tight deadlines;
- Strong verbal and written communications skills, including experience delivering formal and informal presentations and drafting and editing deliverables;
- Experience managing working remotely with colleagues across various time zones;
- Experience collaborating with diverse teams;
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and with a team;
- Strong attention to detail;
- Good organizational and prioritization skills;
- Budget development and management skills;
- Proven experience with MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
- Willingness to explore and test AI proposal development efficiency tools
- Willingness to travel and work overseas on short term technical assignments up to 15%, sometimes at short notice;
- Fluency in English.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience living and/or working abroad;
- Previous team management experience;
- Language ability in Spanish, French, or Arabic;
- Experience developing and managing proposals as part of a small team and/or for a small organization;
- Demonstrated interest and background in conflict and peacebuilding, human rights, and/or media and technology.
Benefits:
- Full Health/Dental/Vision Insurance Coverage & Flexible Spending Account
- 401k Contributions and Matching after 90 Days
- Accrual of 15 PTO/Sick Days Per Year
- $5,250 in Education Assistance Provided Per Year
- Flexible Work from Home Policy
DT Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. DT Institute prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.