Director of Capture and Proposal Management in California, Maryland at Elevo

BENEFITS

• -Health (Elevo covers 50% of medical premium)

• -Dental & Vision (Elevo covers 75%)

• -No Cost, Short-Term Disability & Basic Life Insurance

• -401k Plan (Employer Match)

• -Generous PTO

ABOUT US

Elevo's mission is to transform the well-being of students, so they look forward to coming to school. Our WASC-accredited curriculum engages students and fosters social-emotional learning through fun, physically active games, sports, and enrichment activities across arts, humanities, and STEM. Through our Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, Before & After School Programs, and Summer & Intersession Programs, we create environments where students learn, move, and thrive beyond the classroom.

THE ROLE

The Head of RFP runs public-sector capture as a discipline, not a scramble. Elevo has pursued district bids across California without a dedicated capture function, and the RFP Pod was built to change that: go/no-go decisions made on criteria, Price-to-Win set deliberately, and every proposal evidence-led. Proposals are the highest-stakes content this organization produces.

This is a capture-strategist chair. The writing craft sits with the writer and the evidence with the data lead. You orchestrate, you decide, and you win. You are inheriting a machine that is still being built, and how it works from here is largely your call.

DECISION RIGHTS

This role holds final call on the following, and is expected to exercise it:

• -The go/no-go decision on every pursuit

• -The Price-to-Win method and the walk-away line

• -Pursuit prioritization across the district pipeline

• -The proposal content library and the standards applied to it

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Pursuit Decisions & Capture Strategy

• -Own the go/no-go gate, with every bid decision made on criteria, logged, and defensible, including the discipline to walk away from a pursuit the business wants to chase

• -Run capture before the RFP drops, including pre-positioning on take-down boards, CPRA intelligence on incumbent winners, and renewal-date tracking on districts previously lost

• -Set pursuit prioritization across the pipeline and align stakeholders behind it

Price-to-Win

• -Own Price-to-Win as a method, not a spreadsheet exercise

• -Build and maintain competitor price intelligence across the California district market

• -Set and defend the walk-away line under pressure from the business

Proposal Operations

• -Run proposal operations end to end, including the content library, compliance matrices, and production with the shared Studio designer

• -Partner with the technology team on security questionnaires and technical response requirements

• -Drive cycle time and reuse so the pod can carry more pursuits without losing quality

Bid Defenses & Orals

• -Staff and lead bid defenses and oral presentations alongside in-state DDPs

• -Coach presenters to perform in the room, not just to know the material

• -Debrief every outcome, won or lost, and feed what is learned back into the library and the criteria

Re-entry & Pipeline Conversion

• -Convert the loss log by taking the nine-district pursue list and turning it into live re-entry positions

• -Track renewal timing and build relationships ahead of the next window

Team Leadership

• -Develop the RFP Writer and the evidence support into a team that can run more pursuits at a higher standard

• -Direct writers, designers, and data partners toward a clear win theme

• -Build the operating rhythm of the pod, including intake, reviews, and production checkpoints

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• -Trained capture professional, APMP-trained, from the government contracting or healthcare proposal world where capture is a recognized discipline rather than a side task

• -Demonstrated history of walking away from bids, with the ability to point to pursuits killed and explain the criteria, including ones the business wanted to chase

• -Ownership of Price-to-Win as a method, including building competitor price intelligence and defending a walk-away line under pressure

• -Track record orchestrating rather than producing, directing writers, designers, and data people toward a win theme without writing the proposal personally

• -Public-sector procurement fluency and comfort operating inside formal RFP requirements and compliance frameworks

• -Based in California or close to it, and available in person for crunch weeks and orals

Preferred

• -Experience in K-12, education services, or another mission-driven public-sector market

• -Experience standing up a capture or proposal function rather than inheriting a mature one

• -Experience building and maintaining a proposal content library at scale

• -Familiarity with California district procurement and CPRA research

A background in education is optional. The craft is the spec, and public-sector procurement fluency matters more than K-12 experience.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & TRAITS

• -Treats a bid decision as a strategic call rather than an administrative one

• -Comfortable being the person who says no, and able to hold that line with senior stakeholders

• -Orchestrator by instinct, energized by directing a team rather than owning the keyboard

• -Evidence-led, with the rigor to insist on proof behind every claim in a proposal

• -Calm and organized under deadline pressure, with a bias toward process that holds up at volume

• -Mission-driven, humble, and relationship-centered, consistent with how Elevo leaders operate

WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAD AT ELEVO

Elevo leaders are mission-driven, humble, and relationship-centered. We serve over 200,000 TK-6 students, most from low-income backgrounds and many carrying the weight of adverse childhood experiences.

Our best leaders share credit, own their failures, and build trust through consistent, human connection. You create space for others to speak up, connect your story to our mission, and turn values into lived experiences. If you believe in equity, whole-child learning, and the power of belonging, you will feel at home here.

SUCCESS METRICS (FIRST YEAR)

Performance is measured on the outcomes below. Baselines are set within the first thirty days, with targets agreed immediately after.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• -Must pass DOJ & FBI Live Scan (background check)

• -Ability to travel within California for bid defenses, orals, and district meetings

The responsibilities listed above are intended to describe the primary duties of this role and are not an exhaustive list. Additional duties may be assigned based on program and business needs.