Strategic Pre-Sales Program Manager - Security Systems Integration in Falls Church, Virginia at Kastle Systems

Kastle is a leader in premier property technology solutions, protecting everything from commercial real estate and global enterprises to critical government facilities and life-science labs. For over 50 years, we have provided safety to tens of thousands of businesses through state-of-the-art access control, video surveillance, and identity management. What makes us exceptional is our end-to-end approach to Managed Security as a Service. Because we engineer, install, monitor, and maintain our own systems, we are fully invested in their performance. Please visit Kastle Innovation to learn more about our solutions.

As the Pre-Sales Program Manager, you are the single point of accountability for Kastle’s most complex Regional and National accounts. You will own the entire presales cycle from initial qualification through client acceptance. While you will not be doing technical design, you will act as a project leader uniting sales, engineering, subcontractors, and operations into a cohesive winning strategy. You will ensure every proposal is backed by a defined scope, schedule, and smooth operational handoff. To thrive here, you need strong program management experience and the executive presence to engage directly with ownership groups, developers, and enterprise clients.

Our success is driven by the combination of advanced technology and talented people. We are proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work®, recognized for a culture that prioritizes both professional excellence and employee well-being. In addition to a great work environment, we provide a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) plan, and generous paid time off. Our offerings also include tuition and training assistance, BrightHorizons lifestyle assistance, life and disability insurance, and wellness programs. For more information on what it's like to work with us, please visit Life at Kastle.

Strategic Pursuit Leadership

• Serve as the overall pre-sales team leader for all Regional and National strategic account opportunities, coordinating the activities of sales engineers, solutions engineers, sub-contractors, and operations resources.
• Partner with Strategic Account Managers to define client outcomes, establish win strategy, and shape the overall proposal approach.
• Identify and define the full pre-sales resource requirements - people, skills, schedule, and budget needed to compete and win.
• Lead client-facing outcome alignment sessions from initial qualification through go-live, ensuring client expectations are clearly defined and documented throughout.
• Develop and maintain a detailed pre-sale project plan and pursuit strategy for each active strategic opportunity.

Proposal Development & Scope Ownership

• Own the full proposal package for strategic pursuits: project scope of work, exclusions, preliminary project schedule (Gantt), sub-contractor RFQs and quotes, assumptions, and risk log.
• Review sales engineering BOMs for completeness, dependencies, and unique site requirements; flag gaps prior to proposal submission.
• Draft scope of work exclusions to protect Kastle from post-contract scope creep and change orders.
• Ensure all proposal deliverables — drawings, BOMs, assumptions, pricing, and project schedule — are accurate, complete, and aligned with client requirements.
• Lead large project reviews with sales and operations leadership on strategic opportunities to confirm scope, pricing model, and approval timeline.
• Develop and deliver client presentation strategy for strategic pursuits; present with the account team when required.

Contract-to-Kickoff Transition

• Own the contract-to-kickoff handoff- establishing the project channel, populating the project SharePoint folder (BOM, drawings, photos, sub quotes, outcome notes), and conducting a formal kickoff with the regional PM and Sales.
• Develop the post-sale PM transition plan and ensure all project management continuity documentation is complete before transferring accountability to operations.
• Identify post-sale project management involvement requirements and escalation protocols at proposal stage.

Post-Sale Oversight & Escalation

• Co-own the Gantt chart with the regional PM during installation; update weekly and flag schedule risks to the National Account Manager before they reach the client.
• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies — elevator vendors, GC schedules, turnstile sub-contractors, tenant provisioning, Kastle operations — to keep strategic projects on track.
• Serve as the escalation point when operations encounters design ambiguity or scope questions during installation.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as the connective layer between sales, sales engineering, solutions engineering, integrations, operations, and strategic sub-contractors throughout the pre-sales lifecycle.
• Provide feedback to product and engineering teams on client needs, field integration challenges, and recurring proposal gaps.
• Support development of client-specific marketing materials and executive-level presentations in partnership with the National Account Manager.

• Bachelor's degree in business, project management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7–10+ years of experience in project management, program management, or business development — with demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder pursuits or deployments.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive accountability without direct management authority.
• Experience managing technically complex projects in the field — particularly systems integration, security, AV, construction, or similar — is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with physical security platforms (access control, CCTV, visitor management) is a plus; deep technical design expertise is not required.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to ownership groups, developers, and executive-level clients.
• Strong command of project scheduling tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent).
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset with strong attention to scope and risk.
• PMP certification is a plus, but not required
• This position requires approximately 25–30% travel across Kastle regions.