Senior Proposal Specialist

Job Title: Senior Proposal Specialist

Location: Rancho Cordova, CA (In-Person– 4 days onsite)

Employment Type: Full-time

Pay Range: $85,000-$95,000 /yr

Who We Are

Clutch is an award-winning, certified women-owned business that works to match organizations with resources they dream about. Clutch elevates its employees by building on their strengths and promoting work-life balance. Our team of professionals support one another to continuously become the best versions of themselves; truly living out the Clutch core values of connection, optimism, drive, evolve, and curiosity. 

Overview of Opportunity

The Senior Proposal Specialist is a key member of the Business Development team, reporting to the Senior Director, Procurement and Partnerships. In this high-impact role, you will lead Clutch’s end-to-end proposal development efforts, blending strategic leadership with hands-on execution.

Experience with government proposal development is required. We are looking for a strategic professional who leads the entire proposal lifecycle by coordinating cross-functional inputs and drafting the core narratives from initial capture through to final submission. You will serve as a trusted partner to leadership and subject matter experts, translating market intelligence and technical input into persuasive, high-scoring proposals that drive organizational growth.

What You'll Do

Research and Opportunity Analysis

• Monitor platforms to identify new revenue pathways, shifts in government priorities, and active bid opportunities.
• Conduct deep-dive research on industry trends, competitor capabilities, and prospective client priorities to inform bid/no-bid decisions.
• Serve as a research partner to leadership and internal teams, providing clear and actionable insights for partnership engagement and competitive market positioning.  
•  Analyze deal outcomes and use data analytics to evaluate trends in proposal activity and performance, identifying winning patterns, gaps, and opportunities for continuous improvement.

Proposal Coordination

• Lead the full proposal lifecycle, managing schedules, SME assignments, kickoff meetings, review cycles, and submission logistics.
• Organize and maintain proposal content repositories, including templates, resumes, and case studies.
• Prepare proposal summary documents outlining requirements, evaluation criteria, risks, and key decision points.
• Execute seamless submissions by managing all administrative attachments and forms, status dashboards, and final delivery logistics. 

Proposal Strategy

• Lead the creation and development of proposal strategies, including win themes, differentiators, and strengths mapping. 
• Facilitate solutioning sessions with SMEs to align service offerings with client needs and evaluation priorities. 
• Leverage market research to design competitive bid strategies and content frameworks while identifying the ideal resource mix and partnerships for each opportunity.
• Guide teams on compliance nuances, mandatory requirements, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Develop pricing, value propositions, and proposal budgets for competitiveness; provide final sign-off recommendations based on readiness, strategy, and quality. 

Writing, Editing, and Content Development

• Draft, edit, and format comprehensive proposal sections including technical approaches, past performance, and resumes.
• Translate SME input into persuasive, brand-aligned narratives that ensure technical accuracy and map directly to evaluation criteria.
• Develop visually engaging content using layouts, graphics, and tables to increase readability and resonate with evaluators.

Collaboration and External Engagement

• Coordinate effectively with senior leadership, internal teams, and approved external partners to synthesize complex information into competitive, high-value bid responses.
• Act as a subject matter expert to guide internal teams on submission strategies and lead training on proposal best practices and process updates.
• Represent the team and organization at internal and external meetings, events, and industry forums when required.

This may be a great fit for you if you have...

• 5 years of experience in proposal management, proposal writing, or government contracting.
• Deep understanding of government procurement, contract vehicles, FAR/DFAR standards, and evaluation methods.
• Exceptional ability to draft and refine high-stakes proposal content, ensuring a consistent voice, flawless structure, and persuasive edge.
• Ability to synthesize complex research into actionable insights, win themes, and pricing narratives that drive competitive differentiation.
• Exceptional attention to detail in all work products, ensuring accuracy and strict adherence to procurement compliance standards.
• Familiarity with procurement platforms for opportunity identification and proficiency in CRM and project management tools (e.g., Monday.com) to track pipeline and workflows.
• Expertise in Microsoft Word, Canva, and Adobe Creative Suite to produce high-quality, professional proposal documents.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly and a comfort applying AI tools to improve research and streamline internal processes.
• Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple high-stakes projects in a fast-paced environment.

Physical Requirements

• Works in-person at least four days per week. 
• Ability to operate standard office equipment such as computer, calculator, keyboard, mouse, printer, and phone. 
• May occasionally need to bend, squat, and lift up to 20 pounds. 

Why Us?

• Meaningful work with a people-first approach. 
• We believe in an optimistic, positive culture that connects good people with good work. 
• We provide continuous growth and development opportunities.  
• We offer benefits packages that include Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance along with a 401K option.  
• Generous paid time off, including 11 holidays

Our Commitment

Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our culture and core values. We have an unwavering commitment to diversity with the aim that every one of our people has a full sense of belonging within our organization. As a business imperative, every person at Clutch has the responsibility to create and sustain an inclusive environment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Clutch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, pregnancy, gender, gender identity and expression, religion or sexual orientation.

All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.

Clutch is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our servicemembers.

Accommodation Statement

Clutch is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Clutch and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.

If you would like to be considered for employment opportunities with Clutch and have accommodation needs for a disability or religious observance, please send us an email or speak with your recruiter.

Other Employment Disclaimers

Employment with Clutch is for no specified period of time. Employment with Clutch is “at-will,” meaning that either the employee or the company may terminate employment at any time and for any reason, with or without cause. Although job duties, title, compensation, and benefits, as well as Clutch’s personnel policies and procedures, may change from time to time, nothing in this disclaimer or any policy of Clutch shall be interpreted to conflict with or to eliminate or modify in any way, the at-will employment status of Clutch employees.

Job descriptions typically change over time as requirements and employee skill levels change. Supervisors may revise and/or add duties to reflect these changes. Clutch retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

Clutch participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States. For more information about E-Verify, please go to www.dhs.gov/e-verify.