Opportunity Development Associate

Who we are:

Raft (https://teamraft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients include innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting edge tech stack, and cloud native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

About the role:

We’re expanding our Capture Management and Business Development team with a new Opportunity Development Associate position. This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career professional to join a dynamic, mission-driven team that supports high-impact government and commercial programs.  

What we are looking for: 

• Support the capture management process, from initial opportunity identification through qualification and pursuit. 
• Analyze business opportunities using tools like GovWin, SAM.gov, and internal pipelines to identify viable pursuits. 
• Collaborate with capture managers, solution architects, and proposal teams to collect, analyze, and disseminate competitive intelligence. 
• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities, tracking key dates, RFP releases, and status updates. 
• Assist in preparing gate reviews, competitive assessments, and win strategies. 
• Perform business analysis to understand market trends, customer needs, and competitor positioning. 
• Support proposal development efforts, contributing to compliance matrices, proposal outlines, and sections as needed. 
• Contribute to lessons learned and process improvement efforts for capture and business development practices. 
• Travel up to 70% to meet with clients, attend industry events, and support capture and proposal efforts.  

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Public Policy, Engineering, or a related field. 
• 1–3 years of experience in business analysis, capture management, government contracting, or a related field (internships or co-op experience considered). 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize large amounts of data. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a collaborative, team-oriented approach. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with CRM systems or opportunity tracking tools. 
• Curiosity, initiative, and a desire to learn and grow in the field of capture and business development.  

Highly preferred:

• Exposure to federal acquisition processes and capture lifecycle stages. 
• Familiarity with GovWin, SAM.gov, or similar tools. 
• Experience supporting proposal efforts or participating in color team reviews  

Clearance Requirements:

• Active Top Secret

Salary Range:

• $100,000 - $125,000
• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

Work Type:

• Hybrid in Colorado Springs, CO
• May require up to 70% travel

What we will offer you:  

• Highly competitive salary 
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage 
• 401(k) and company match 
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays 
• Education & training benefits 
• Generous Referral Bonuses 
• And More!

Our Vision Statement:  

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.

Our Customer Obsession:

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.