Proposal Writer

Job Title: Proposal Writer

Location: Remote

Duration: Full-time

Job Description

Department: Business Development – Production

Reports To: Production Director

·       Client is seeking a highly skilled Proposal Writer to join our Business Development and Production team.

·       The Proposal Writer is responsible for developing compelling, compliant, and customer-focused proposals that help Client win new business and retain existing contracts throughout North America.

·       Working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, the Proposal Writer collaborates with business development leaders, operations executives, maintenance professionals, safety experts, finance teams, and subject matter experts to transform complex operational solutions into persuasive, evaluator-focused narratives. This role requires exceptional writing ability, strategic thinking, and a commitment to proposal excellence.

·       The successful candidate understands public procurement, can translate technical concepts into customer benefits, and consistently develops proposal content that aligns with evaluation criteria, solicitation requirements, and Client best-value service approach.

·       This position plays a critical role in supporting Client growth strategy and maintaining its position as a transportation industry leader.

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Primary Responsibilities

Proposal Development

·       Lead development of proposal narratives for transportation, paratransit, microtransit, shuttle, school bus, eligibility, mobility management, maintenance, and related transportation services procurements.

·       Analyze Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), Requests for Information (RFIs), and related procurement documents.

·       Develop customized, persuasive content that responds directly to client requirements and evaluation criteria.

·       Incorporate win themes, differentiators, proof points, and customer-focused benefits into proposal responses.

·       Ensure all responses are compliant, accurate, consistent, and aligned with corporate objectives.

Strategic Writing

·       Translate operational, maintenance, safety, technology, and management strategies into concise, evaluator-focused proposal narratives.

·       Develop executive summaries, management plans, technical approaches, transition plans, staffing plans, quality assurance programs, and customer service strategies.

·       Conduct research on client priorities, procurement history, industry trends, and competitive positioning.

·       Support proposal strategy development throughout the pursuit lifecycle.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

·       Partner with Operations, Safety, Maintenance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, Legal, and Business Development teams.

·       Interview subject matter experts and independently gather information needed to produce winning content.

·       Facilitate content reviews and incorporate stakeholder feedback.

·       Build strong working relationships across departments and geographic regions.

Content Management & Innovation

·       Maintain and improve proposal boilerplate, content libraries, templates, and knowledge management systems.

·       Utilize proposal management technology, AI-assisted writing tools, SharePoint, Responsive (formerly RFPIO), and other content management systems.

·       Identify opportunities to increase proposal efficiency, content reuse, and quality.

·       Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance proposal production processes.

·       Quality Assurance

·       Review drafts for compliance, grammar, clarity, tone, consistency, and responsiveness.

·       Verify that proposal responses accurately address solicitation requirements.

·       Ensure content aligns with established quality standards and production schedules.

·       Support color team reviews and proposal quality-control processes.

Required Qualifications

Education

·       Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Marketing, Public Administration, Transportation, or a related field.

·       Equivalent professional experience may be considered.

·       Experience

·       Minimum three years of proposal writing, technical writing, grant writing, business writing, or related experience.

·       Experience responding to public sector procurements preferred.

·       Transportation, transit, government contracting, engineering, infrastructure, consulting, or service-industry experience preferred.

·       Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

·       Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and storytelling skills.

·       Strong reading comprehension and analytical abilities.

·       Advanced attention to detail and compliance awareness.

·       Ability to manage multiple competing deadlines simultaneously.

·       Excellent project management and organizational skills.

·       Strong interviewing and information-gathering capabilities.

·       Ability to quickly understand technical, operational, and financial concepts.

·       Experience writing for evaluators and scoring criteria.

·       Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

·       Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and proposal management software, specifically Responsive (formerly RFPIO)

Preferred Qualifications

·       Candidates with the following experience will be highly successful:

·       Public transportation or mobility industry experience.

·       Large-scale government procurement experience.

·       Experience writing operational and technical proposals exceeding 100 pages.

·       Knowledge of transit operations, maintenance, safety programs, fleet management, customer service, and workforce development initiatives.

·       Experience utilizing AI-enabled proposal tools and content management platforms.

Key Competencies

Strategic Thinking

·       Understands customer priorities, evaluator expectations, and procurement objectives.

Evaluator-Focused Writing

·       Develops content that clearly answers the client's question, provides evidence, and demonstrates value.

Collaboration

·       Builds trust with subject matter experts and cross-functional teams.

Adaptability

·       Thrives in a dynamic environment with changing priorities and aggressive deadlines.

Continuous Improvement

·       Actively seeks ways to improve proposal quality, efficiency, and win probability.

Accountability

·       Takes ownership of assignments and consistently delivers high-quality work.

Success Measures

A successful Proposal Writer will:

·       Consistently produce high-quality, compliant proposal responses.

·       Meet proposal milestones and production deadlines.

·       Demonstrate strong evaluator-focused writing skills.

·       Contribute to proposal win strategies and differentiators.

·       Improve content library quality and content reuse.

·       Support proposal team productivity and continuous improvement efforts.

·       Positively influence overall proposal quality and business development success.