Senior Director, Proposals

WHO WE ARE
CCS Fundraising is an international strategic fundraising firm that partners with nonprofits for transformational change. Since 1947, CCS has empowered many of the world’s leading organizations across sectors to advance some of the most important causes in history. We plan, manage, and implement programs and initiatives that achieve fundraising goals and mission impact. This year, we were named one of Forbes’ America’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2026, based on recommendations from clients and consulting peers.

CCS provides tailored support to more than 700 nonprofit organizations annually. Headquartered in New York, the firm has over 600 professionals and 18 offices throughout the United States and Europe. Our people are our greatest strength. At CCS, you will join a diverse team of smart, passionate, and resourceful professionals who are driven by purpose and committed to performance.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE

The Senior Director, Proposals oversees the strategy, quality, and performance of the regional proposal development function, ensuring the production of high-quality, compelling, and timely materials that advance new business and strengthen CCS’s market positioning. This role combines people management, strategic oversight, and hands-on writing to guide the team in producing customized, persuasive proposals and sales materials. The Department Lead ensures consistent collaboration with executives and cross-functional teams to enhance CCS’s sales enablement process and increase overall efficiency, creativity, and impact. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Department Management 

• Serve as the Proposal Department Manager (conducting 1:1s, approving PTO, providing coaching and feedback, and overseeing day-to-day workflow).
• Develop and implement team priorities, process improvements, and strategic projects.
• Monitor team bandwidth and resourcing, reallocating workload or escalating staffing needs as appropriate.
• Facilitate regular team meetings to review priorities, share learnings, and uplift best-in-class materials.
• Lead team learning and development initiatives, including workshops and peer review sessions.
• Consistently seek innovative solutions to maximize team performance and efficiency

Proposal Strategy & Quality Oversight 

• Oversee the development of high-quality, customized proposals, presentations, and sales materials that effectively convey CCS’s value proposition.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to executives in shaping proposal strategy, scope, and structure, including integration of Growth Services opportunities.
• Review select proposals to identify trends, quality benchmarks, and areas for improvement across the team.
• Maintain and manage proposal development trackers, KPIs, and other reporting tools to measure performance, efficiency, and win rate.
• Ensure consistent implementation of firmwide proposal standards, templates, and brand guidelines.

Lead & Sales Enablement Support 

• Guide and coach proposal writers to provide true sales enablement support to selling executives, including sending thank-you notes after lead or sales meetings, checking in on proposal progress, and preparing materials and context for upcoming sales conversations.
• Lead regular, standing meetings with Executives on proposal priorities, in collaboration with Proposal Writers
• Ensure the proposal team’s work strengthens executive relationships and advances activity through the sales pipeline with professionalism and consistency.
• Monitor Executives pipelines and action any changes to reflect accurate projections

Content Development & Process Innovation 

• Lead the development and evolution of proposal templates, standard content, and visual tools.
• Identify and implement tools and technology to improve efficiency, writing quality, and design (e.g., AI, Grammarly, Canva).
• Develop processes for lead and proposal development that align with enterprise-wide direction and regional strategies and targets

Cross-Team Collaboration & Visibility 

• Partner closely with Business Development and Marketing to ensure consistency in message, tone, and materials across the sales cycle.
• Coordinate with Executive Partnerships to align scheduling in proposal review and delivery.
• Coordinate with Business Systems team to ensure pipeline accuracy
• Share regular proposal department updates with regional leadership.
• Participate in Proposal Writers Cohort to share innovations, identify common challenges, and align on best practices.
• Collaborate on enterprise-wide initiatives, including the utilization of AI

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 7+ years of experience in proposal writing, project management, business development, sales or a relevant role. 
• Management experience as well as experience in professional services or nonprofit sectors a plus
• A leader with the capacity to take initiate, delegate tasks and motivate a high-performing team
• Excellent project management, communication, and problem-solving skills 
• Adaptability to manage multiple, complex workflows, timelines, scope adaptations, and deadlines  
• Ability to balance detail-oriented execution with strategic alignment
• Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to track performance metrics, interpret data, and provide actionable insights
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build cross-functional relationships and to work collaboratively with all levels of internal/external staff, including senior-level executives internally and externally   
• Outstanding writing skills with an eye for design and visually appealing documents 
• Advanced knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook 
• Familiarity with prompting and using Generative AI tools to draft content and analyze data for maximized efficiency
• Interest to learn new software applications and adopt new project management tools
• Ability to travel to a CCS Office weekly

CCS offers competitive benefits, a dynamic training program, resources, career advancement, mentoring, and networking opportunities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourage a diverse pool of candidates to apply.

SALARY RANGE: $100k - $135k

The exact salary varies within range based on years of relevant experience and education.