Job Details

Proposal Manager

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

As a key member of our Sales team, the Proposal Manager provides leadership or support on a variety of business development assignments, including highly strategic proposals, qualification statements, and presentations. The ideal candidate will be organized, accountable, and will demonstrate responsibility for meeting deadlines and following through on commitments. All members of our Geographic Sales Operations team are expected to be self-starters who: possess excellent oral and written communication skills; develop creative solutions to tackle challenges; are team players ready to support each other; and have a vested interest in the success of Jacobs. Each day will present different activities and opportunities as you help position Jacobs for success in our sales efforts.

You may also work closely with Client Account Managers and Sales Leads to align on account plans, strategic decisions, and engagement activities, ensuring growth objectives are met. This would include developing and updating client account plans, collaborate across diverse internal teams, and maintain strong account health through the Relationship-Based Sales process. They lead positioning strategies during the Middle Game, stay engaged in proposal development during End Game (if not acting as the Proposal Manager of a pursuit), and focus on strengthening client relationships, understanding business drivers, and leveraging Jacobs' full capabilities. Success depends on informed market awareness, competitive analysis, and compliance with client requirements, including diversity and procurement standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently lead and/or support the coordination and preparation of proposals, qualification statements, pre-qualifications, and other sales deliverables of all sizes
• Directly support teams to refine and integrate opportunity strategy/win themes in proposal documents
• Participate in opportunity planning/Middle Game activities
• May lead kick-off meetings, color reviews, and other milestone meetings, as appropriate
• Understand business objectives, priorities, and sales strategy, especially as they relate to the proposal process
• Understand company markets, partner/competitor/subconsultant firms, clients, and industry trends
• Support planning and development of presentations and interviews
• With no supervision, coordinate, write, edit/tailor, and perform research for non-technical proposal sections; ensure compliance; proactively identify, communicate, and mitigate potential issues/variances
• Coordinate/provide direction to an international team of proposal coordinators, graphic designers, publishing technicians, editors, reprographics specialists, and other support staff; independently coordinate with and collect information from teaming partners and subconsultants
• Prepare and ensure compliant and timely proposal deliverables by managing self and proposal team, including monitoring progress, managing proposal process and schedule, and meeting client requirements; communicate issues/variances
• Thoroughly understand and apply knowledge of Jacobs identity standards, structure, organization, business approach, and sales process
• Serve as a subject matter expert on, advocate, and actively follow sales procedures, policies, protocols, and best practices, including standard file management and archiving procedures, as well as Branding Guidelines
• Proven leadership, management, and organizational skills for directing, delegating, and overseeing proposal team members and their contributions
• Polished and persuasive written and verbal communication skills, including proficiency in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting
• Proven ability to work successfully with others in multiple disciplines and in international locations/varied time zones
• Employ and populate/update (as appropriate) business development-related tools and databases

Bring your curiosity, passion for innovation, and talent for multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment. We'll help you grow, pursue and fulfill what inspires you so we can make big impacts on the world, together.

Here's what you'll need

• At least 5 years of experience in proposal management/coordination.
• Experience with relationship-based sales with an emphasis on developing winning strategies and differentiating value propositions.
• Strong business acumen including financial literacy, strategic thinking, market awareness, problem-solving, decision-making, and leadership.
• Possess strong facilitation skills to drive positioning and strategy and negotiate with various stakeholders to build consensus or resolve conflicts.
• Ability to serve as a challenger or healthy skeptic during collaboration sessions to ensure innovative thought and innovation is included within outcomes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including interview preparation.
• Fluency in Microsoft Office and Adobe applications, especially Word, InDesign, and Wordsflow.
• Ability to travel on occasion as needed.

Ideally, you'll also have:

• 8 plus years of experience in proposal management/coordination within the A/E/CM markets, especially in water/wastewater and transportation.
• Bachelor's degree in business, sales, marketing, communications, or related field.
• Great interpersonal skills and an ability to develop, nurture, and maintain relationships at all levels of the company.
• Self-motivation and a willingness to take initiative and solve complex problems.
• Capability to persuade and negotiate.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment.
• Commitment to success in support of the company's strategic goals and profitable growth.

Posted Salary Range: Minimum $90,000.00 Posted Salary Range: Upper $130,000.00

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $90,000.00 to $130,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on May 22, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we're keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.

Locations

Sacramento - California - United States

San Diego - California - United States

Los Angeles - California - United States

San Francisco - California - United States

Irvine - California - United States