Overview
About M.C. Dean
M.C. Dean is Building Intelligence. We design, build, operate, and maintain cyber-physical solutions for the nation's most mission-critical facilities, secure environments, complex infrastructure, and global enterprises. With over 7,000 employees, our capabilities span electrical, electronic security, telecommunications, life safety, automation and controls, audiovisual, and IT systems. Headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, M.C. Dean delivers resilient, secure, and innovative power and technology solutions through engineering expertise and smart systems integration.
Why Join Us?
Our people are passionate about engineering innovation that improves lives and drives impactful change. Guided by our core values-agility, expertise, and trust-we foster a collaborative and forward-thinking work environment. At M.C. Dean, we are committed to building the next generation of technical leaders in electrical, engineering, and cybersecurity industries.
Responsibilities
The Federal Small Business Planner is responsible for developing, sourcing, pricing, and executing compliant and competitive Small Business Participation Plans in support of federal proposals. This role sits within the Proposal Team with a strong dotted-line relationship to Purchasing/Procurement to ensure alignment between proposal commitments and execution capability. This individual will play a critical role in increasing win probability by building realistic, defensible, and value-driven small business strategies that meet or exceed contract requirements while remaining executable post-award. Proposal Development & Strategy
- Develop Small Business Participation Plans for federal proposals in compliance with FAR/DFARS and agency-specific requirements
- Analyze solicitations (RFPs, RFQs, IDIQs, task orders) to identify small business goals, evaluation criteria, and compliance requirements
- Collaborate with Capture Managers and Proposal Managers to align small business strategy with overall win themes
- Identify opportunities to exceed small business goals in a cost-effective and strategic manner
Teaming & Partnering
- Identify, vet, and onboard qualified small business partners (e.g., SB, SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB)
- Support development and negotiation of Teaming Agreements, NDAs, and subcontractor arrangements
- Maintain a pipeline of small business partners aligned with core capabilities and target markets
Pricing & Cost Integration
- Work closely with Pricing and Procurement teams to integrate subcontractor quotes into proposal pricing
- Evaluate subcontractor cost proposals for completeness, competitiveness, and compliance
- Ensure proposed small business participation is achievable within budget and schedule constraints
Compliance & Documentation
- Ensure all small business plans are compliant with federal regulations and customer requirements
- Prepare required documentation including Small Business Subcontracting Plans and supporting narratives
- Support audit readiness and documentation traceability between proposal commitments and execution plans
Execution Alignment
- Coordinate with Procurement to ensure awarded work can be executed consistently with proposal commitments
- Track and report small business participation metrics post-award as needed
- Identify risks between proposed and executable plans and recommend mitigation strategies
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field
- Five (5) or more years of proposal coordinator (or related) experience, or ten (10) years' experience with a high school diploma / GED
- Strong understanding of FAR/DFARS requirements related to small business participation and subcontracting plans
- Experience analyzing Statements of Work (SOW) and translating requirements into subcontracting strategies
- Demonstrated experience with teaming agreements, subcontract negotiations, and vendor sourcing
- Experience supporting cost proposals and working with pricing teams
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong analytical skills (cost analysis, data validation, scenario modeling)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interface across proposal, capture, and procurement teams
Required Skills
- Experience supporting large federal IDIQ or design-build contracts
- Background in construction, engineering, or mission-critical infrastructure projects
- Familiarity with eSRS reporting and small business compliance tracking
- Existing network of small business partners in relevant industries
Key Competencies
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
- Ability to balance compliance requirements with practical execution
- Excellent communication and stakeholder coordination skills
- Negotiation and relationship management capabilities
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills
Reporting Structure
- Primary reporting: Purchasing/Procurement Leadership
- Embedded within: Proposal Team (day-to-day alignment with Proposal and Capture Leadership)
- This role operates as a bridge between Procurement and Proposal functions to ensure alignment between bid commitments and execution capability
Success Metrics
- Compliance and quality of Small Business Plans submitted
- Contribution to proposal win rates
- Achievability of proposed small business participation post-award
- Strength and readiness of small business partner pipeline
Work Environment
- Fast-paced, deadline-driven proposal environment
- High collaboration across Capture, Proposal, Pricing, and Procurement teams
- Ability to travel up to 15% to contract sites to support training, compliance monitoring, and execution of small business plans
Position Level
- Mid-level (individual contributor with high impact on strategic proposals)
Location
- Full-time, on-site at headquarters in Tysons Corner, VA (adjacent to Greensboro Metro)
Abilities:
- Exposure to computer screens for an extended period of time
- Sitting for extended periods of time.
- Reach by extending hands or arms in any direction.
- Have finger dexterity in order to manipulate objects with fingers rather than whole hands or arms, for example, using a keyboard.
- Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Identifyand understand the speech of another person.
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