Senior Proposal Manager & Proposal Operations Builder
Proposal systems that make strong work easier to repeat.
I help Federal and technical proposal teams build the infrastructure behind clean, compliant, credible, and compelling responses: templates, reusable content systems, review workflows, SME engagement, knowledge bases, and quality control.Best fit for Federal contractors, technical teams, capture leaders, and proposal groups who are winning work but outgrowing scattered files, inconsistent reviews, and one-off proposal heroics.
Remote U.S. | Based in Columbus, Ohio
Selected Proof: Measurable Results
Federal proposal operations— with measurable scale.
| 81 | Federal contract wins supported in 3 years |
| $100M+ | Annual revenue activity supported through proposal operations |
| 10x | Proposal volume growth supported across 350 proposals |
| 40% | Editing-time reduction through templates and automation |
| 25K+ | Documents centralized into secure knowledge resources |
| $100M | HHS win for first-time Federal bidder—379-page, 5-volume proposal, 7 review cycles & 2,000+ review comments |
Infrastructure
Systems Built to Scale
I build and improve the practical infrastructure behind better proposals: the reusable assets, workflows, and knowledge systems that reduce reinvention and improve response quality.
| Templates & Tools | Proposal templates, response structures, annotated outlines, Word automation, editor toolbars, and production aids that improve consistency |
| Reusable Content | Proposal libraries, content blocks, boilerplate, executive summaries, past performance material, lessons learned, and reusable narrative assets |
| SMEs & Reviewers | SME and reviewer engagement built on clear expectations, useful source material, review discipline, comment harvesting, and stronger participation from technical and executive contributors |
Also strong in review workflows, knowledge systems, compliance matrices, quality control, SharePoint, Microsoft Office, and AI-assisted workflow improvement.
Where I Fit
For teams that need more than a deadline chaser.
My strongest value is the operating system behind proposal development: structure, reuse, reviews, SME engagement, and quality control.
Scattered source material needs to become structured response content.
SMEs and reviewers need clearer expectations and better engagement.
Proposal libraries, knowledge bases, and reusable content need order.
Review cycles need discipline, version control, and useful comment harvesting.
High-stakes responses need clarity, compliance, quality, and executive polish.
When teams bring me in:
Proposal volume is growing faster than the process.
Reusable content exists, but no one trusts or uses it.
SMEs are late, vague, or overloaded.
Reviews produce comments but not better systems.
Every proposal feels like starting from scratch.
What I build:
Repeatable response structures
Proposal libraries and knowledge systems
Compliance and quality-control workflows
SME/reviewer engagement processes
Automation-assisted production support
Experience Snapshot
Hands-on senior proposal management plus proposal operations infrastructure.
I am most effective in environments where proposal success depends on structure, reusable assets, contributor engagement, and disciplined execution.
Senior Proposal Manager, Proposal Operations Consultant
Rockatech (Consulting practice) | 1996–Present • Proposal operations, executive-level proposal support, documentation systems, SME coordination, reusable content, decision-support assets, and AI-assisted workflows.
Senior Proposal Manager, Operations VP
Blackdragon | 2015–2025 • Led proposal operations on high-stakes pursuit teams; developed templates, reusable content systems, automation, collaboration tools, review harvesting, quality-control practices, and AI fluency.
Proposal Manager, Technology Manager
DMI | 2010–2015 • Supported Federal proposal operations through tools, technical writing team support, training, quality standards, knowledge bases, templates, automation, and proposal development resources.
Earlier experience includes senior technical writing, documentation leadership, software-development support, SharePoint, Word automation, training, and enterprise documentation systems.
Client Testimonial: “He brings a palpable calm to the critical production process, especially in the 11th hour, and always delivers more than expected.” —Billy Jo A.
Next Step
Need a proposal operations builder, not just another proposal manager?
Email me if your team needs cleaner pursuit infrastructure, stronger reuse, better review discipline, or a senior operator who can bring order to complex Federal proposal work.
Ron Kaine • Senior Proposal Manager & Proposal Operations
Columbus, Ohio • Remote U.S.