Rios Partners is a mission-driven consulting firm creating positive change by delivering value for our clients, investing in our employees, and solving tough problems that benefit our local and global communities. We ground our approach in empathy, enabling our team members to better hear our customers’ challenges and work together to develop effective solutions.

Job Description

This position is in the Growth office supporting the strategic positioning and growth areas for Rios Partners. The Proposal Development Specialist/ Federal Proposal Writer plays a vital role in supporting proposal and business development efforts. This senior-level position involves conducting research, proposal writing and content development, engaging with stakeholders to develop win themes and value propositions, and providing essential proposal development process support. Federal proposal experience is required. This role requires 3-5 years Federal proposals experience, the ability to lead large $30M opportunities, and a deeper involvement in capturing win themes and technical content development.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Lead proposal development and written content for large contract opportunities ($30M ).
2. Conduct research to gather relevant prospect & client, teaming partner, and internal resource information for proposal development.
3. Initiate and facilitate the proposal review and development process to ensure content and process alignment.
4. Assist in drafting proposal outlines & content, editing proposal content, and in some cases “one-voicing” content for final proposal reviews.
5. Conducting stakeholder and SME interviews and synthesizing content into proposal materials 
6. Collaborate with stakeholders to capture and develop win themes, value propositions, and discriminators.
7. Assist in proposal production and coordination, including scheduling proposal reviews.
8. Develop scoring templates for improving proposal submissions
9. Describe and create graphics that complement or replace proposal content. 
10. Coordinate and manage proposal production, including submission logistics.
11. Maintain content in the Rios Past Performance library
12. Outside of business opportunity responses, duties also include: writing and editing for marketing efforts
13. Incorporate capture plan material and client discussions into marketing and proposal development
14. Train content writers and Rios staff on industry leading content writing techniques
15. Provide support to other business development activities as assigned

Education and Experience

• Minimum of 3 years of experience writing federal proposals or similar writing experience
• 3 to 5 years of experience in content writing, Request for Information, Sources Sought Notices, Marketing and Press Releases
• Understanding of Shipley Business Development Lifecycle (preferred)
• Bachelors in English, Literature, Journalism, Creative Writing or Business Writing (preferred) 
• Ability to thrive and be highly productive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing, high-performance environment
• Strong attention to detail, self-motivation, and a sense of urgency around achieving/exceeding goals

Additional information

• U.S. work authorization required.
• Security Requirements: Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust (must be permanent resident who has resided in United States for last 3 years consecutively or US Citizen)
• Preference for candidates who reside in the DC Metro area and can commute to Rios Partners office in Arlington, VA 1-2x weekly.

Benefits Information:

• Profit-sharing/Performance Bonus: Rios Partners is committed to ensuring the success of the organization benefits the entire team. As such, a portion of profits is paid out to employees. The total amount of Profit-Sharing/Performance Bonus distributed to the team may vary year to year and will depend on numerous factors, including market conditions, company performance, and individual performance. 
• Retirement plan: Rios Partners offers a 401(k) and contributes an amount equivalent to 3% of the employee’s base salary each month to the designated fund. Employees may choose to contribute additional money into the 401(k) from their paycheck each month.
• Health insurance: Rios Partners covers 90% of the premium for both the employee and their dependents for a variety of plan options through United Healthcare. (Please see the “Rios Employee Benefits” section of the “Join Our Team” page to review comprehensive health insurance policy documents.)
• Vision insurance: Rios Partners covers 90% of the premium for both the employee and their dependents for vision insurance plan through VSP. (Please see the “Rios Employee Benefits” section of the “Join Our Team” page to review comprehensive vision insurance policy documents.)
• Dental insurance: Rios Partners covers 90% of the premium for both the employee and their dependents for dental insurance plan through Guardian. (Please see the “Rios Employee Benefits” section of the “Join Our Team” page to review the dental insurance policy documents.)
• Disability insurance: Rios Partners will pay 100% of the premium for both short-term and long-term disability insurance provided through Guardian.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and holidays: You will be eligible for three weeks of PTO (15 days) and 12 paid holidays each year. In additional accrued PTO, Rios Partners provides additional time off for both expected and unexpected events (e.g., Bereavement Leave, Jury Duty, Voting).
• Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave: Rios Partners celebrates employees’ choice to become parents. We are also aware that pregnancy and caring for an infant or a newly adopted child may cause additional life complexities. As such, we provide employees twelve (12) weeks of paid leave in association with the birth of an employee’s own child or the placement of a child with the employee in connection with adoption or foster care. To be eligible for Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave Program, team members must: 1) Have worked at Rios Partners full-time for a minimum of 12 continuous months. 2) Be in good employment standing with Rios Partners (i.e., not on probation). 3) Request leave a minimum of 30 days in advance if possible. If this is not possible, please place your request as soon as possible once you become aware of it. Regardless of eligibility for the Rios Partners Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave Program, all Rios Partners employees are eligible for the Department of Labor’s Family and Medical Leave Act entitlements as well as Rios Partners Short Term Disability plan.
• Employee Assistance Program: Rios Partners cares about the mental health of our employees. Through our employee assistance program, ComPsych, we offer 5 EAP sessions to address personal issues such as relationship struggles, substance abuse, parenting challenges and grief. ComPsych, if you decide to utilize the service, also provides FinancialConnect, LegalConnect and FamilySource to provide support and resources for every eligible employee.
• Training and Development: Rios Partners is committed to helping you achieve your highest potential. Our personal view is that this is best accomplished through a combination of client engagements, opportunities to take on new roles within the team, and internal (team) / external (expert) training.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Rios Partners is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Candidates may request reasonable accommodation for any stage of the Rios Partners application and interview process. Please contact careers@riospartners.com to communicate your needs and request an accommodation. 

Rios Partners is an E-Verify Employer. Click here for more information on E-Verify.

Seniority Level: Associate

Functions: Writing/Editing, Business Development 

Workplace Type: Hybrid 

Industry: Business Consulting and Services, Strategic Management Services 

Job Type: Full Time