Pursuing a capture management career? Four reasons to consider Leidos
I joined Leidos in 2018. While I am not new to capture management, I am new to Leidos. I have worked with businesses both small and large and seen a variety of capture organizations. I am a FAN of Leidos’ capture organization and here's why.
Corporate commitment to success of capture
From the top of the organization to the bottom, Leidos is committed to taking the right steps to grow the business, ethically and for the right reasons - to better serve our government customers and enable their critical missions.
Our capture organization is the result of a labor of love - not a “check the box” exercise to create a capture team. The creators of our growth team clearly worked hard to set the conditions for success. Setting these conditions is essential for any capture manger to succeed.
I don’t care how good you are at your craft. You need the corporate commitment and access to high-quality resources to be successful.
Process focus
In my case, my first week on the job included two days of Leidos’ proprietary and homegrown brand of business development/capture and proposal training. It is extremely thorough and in fact, it is even more thorough than the industry-leading training that most people are familiar with.
In Leidos’ training, you review the processes, best practices, and company-specific capture jargon and business rhythms. Leidos also offers several related training courses throughout the year with deeper dives into relevant topics for capture managers, proposal managers, pricing strategists and frankly, anyone in any role who cares to learn more.
The best part about Leidos’ proprietary process it that I can attest that we actually USE it. That is not always the case in our industry.
It’s not just a process document that sits on a shelf to be ignored. It’s a tool for accountability and problem-solving.
Leadership – the anti-fragile organization
Working as a capture manager at Leidos is like being part of a finely-tuned machine. The leaders involved in designing and executing the 2016 Leidos and Lockheed Martin IS&GS merger thoughtfully created their vision for the new Leidos. Essentially, they designed an anti-fragile organization that actually grows stronger through challenges.
I attribute our anti-fragile nature to our focus on developing leaders, celebrating our successes - while attacking our weaknesses - and our process-oriented culture.
More resources, please – thank you!
As a capture manager at Leidos, we have access to a noticeably high number of quality talent and corporate resources. This is a definite competitive advantage. Personally, it makes my experience working at Leidos superior, elevates my knowledge, and increases win probability on individual opportunities.
Final thoughts
I already consider myself very fortunate to be in a profession that I'm passionate about that allows me to support my family. The cherry on top is working with smart, driven people and a company that values me and is truly committed to enabling our team’s success.
If you are in ANY field relating to capture, business development or proposals, and you are interested in pursuing and winning meaningful opportunities, I would seriously consider a career with Leidos.
