Federal Pursuit Lead

Hawkins Construction Company is committed to providing the very best in professional construction services. The most important factor in meeting this goal is our people. Our success is driven by employing people who represent the best in the industry.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Federal Pursuit Leader owns Hawkins' entry into federal, DoD, and civilian agency markets. This is a practice-building role, not a support seat, not a pure BD position. The person we hire will develop our federal market entry strategy, build the agency and partner relationships required to compete with, lead the full pursuit lifecycle from opportunity identification through proposal submission, and stand up the internal infrastructure federal work requires. The role sits within the Procurement Team, working alongside experienced leadership with federal construction knowledge. As federal volume grows, this position is expected to grow with it.

TYPICAL DUTIES:

Market Entry & Strategy

• Assess the federal contracting landscape relevant to Hawkins self-perform strengths in heavy civil, paving, concrete, foundations, and utilities.
• Identify target agencies (USACE, FHWA, NAVFAC, and others), contract vehicles, geographic corridors, and project types including MILCON and other federal verticals.
• Define Hawkins’ go-to-market positioning across best-value pursuits, design-build, CMc, and IDIQ/MATOC task-order opportunities.
• Advise executive leadership on which alternative delivery models to pursue first and build the business case for each.

Business Development & Capture

• Build and maintain relationships with federal agency contracting officers, program managers, and key prime contractors
• Lead capture strategy for targeted opportunities from identification through go/no-go decision
• Lead or coordinate teaming and joint venture negotiations for federal pursuits
• Manage Hawkins’ federal pipeline and provide regular reporting to executive leadership

Proposal & Procurement

• Own federal proposal development end-to-end: technical narratives, past performance, pricing strategy, and FAR/DFARS compliance
• Coordinate with estimating, operations, legal, and safety on proposal inputs and go/no-go decisions
• Build a repeatable proposal process and past performance library from the ground up
• Ensure Hawkins’ registrations and compliance posture remain current: SAM.gov, applicable NAICS codes, bonding/surety for federal thresholds

Internal Infrastructure & Compliance Readiness

• Maintain awareness of federal compliance frameworks, understand how CUI/CMMC requirements affect bid eligibility and contract operations; technical compliance implementation is managed internally by others.
• Support internal understanding of FAR/DFARS requirements, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) handling, agency-specific compliance considerations, and key differences between federal contracting and Hawkins' commercial, state, and local markets.
• Support in the development and implementation of federal pursuit tools, including go/no-go decision frameworks, business development tracking, and opportunity management templates.
• Provide insights and recommendations regarding organizational readiness and infrastructure needs as Hawkins evaluates opportunities to expand its federal contracting presence and potential future federal operations.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 5 years of experience in federal construction pursuit, capture, or program management heavy civil or infrastructure construction background strongly preferred; engineering candidates with adjacent construction exposure (procurement, project development, technical office roles) also considered.
• Direct experience managing federal contract pursuits
• Familiarity in federal procurement: FAR/DFARS, IDIQ structures, teaming agreements, and proposal compliance requirements
• Understands how CUI/CMMC requirements affect bid eligibility and contract operations technical compliance implementation is managed internally.
• Willingness to travel extensively across a multi-state footprint (NE, KS, WY, ND, SD, MO)

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering or related field.
• Direct experience with USACE, FHWA, or NAVFAC
• Existing relationships in the federal infrastructure procurement ecosystem in the Midwest.

TRAITS:

• High-integrity Professional
• Competitive Intelligence
• Process-oriented
• Persistent & Driven
• Gritty & Self-directed

BENEFITS:

• Competitive Salary (based on experience)
• Medical and Dental
• Life Insurance, AD&D and LTD
• FSA (Dependent Care)
• Profit Sharing Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Performance Based Bonuses
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Discount Program

Hawkins Construction Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to diversity in our workforce. It is our policy to attract and retain the best-qualified people available, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or status as a Special Disabled Veteran, Vietnam Era Veteran or other qualifying veteran. Diverse employees/candidates are encouraged to respond. Hawkins Construction Company is committed to developing and maintaining a workplace which reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled/VEVRAA Federal Contractor