Senior Proposal Writer

Overview

SOS International LLC (SOSi) is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Proposal Writer to lead the development of high-quality proposals for government contracts exceeding $100M. This role requires a strategic thinker with strong leadership skills, in-depth knowledge of government contracting, and a proven ability to manage large, complex proposals. The ideal candidate will bring at least 10 years of experience in proposal writing and possess extensive knowledge across a broad range of federal and state government agencies. This individual will play a critical role in developing winning proposals and leading teams of proposal and operational personnel to achieve success.

Essential Job Duties

Lead Proposal Content Development

• Oversee the end-to-end content development of large, high-value ($100M+) proposals for government contracts across various federal and state agencies.

• Serve as the writing lead, coordinating efforts across teams, including proposal managers, technical experts, and operational staff.

• Writes and leads technical, management, resume, and/or past performance sections and volumes

• Edits and guides content of proposal artifacts through the review processes

• Harmonize proposal writing across the volumes to ensure one voice in presenting proposal content

• Ensure compliance with all RFP/RFI/BAA/IDIQ requirements, adhering to deadlines, formatting guidelines, and evaluation criteria.

Proposal Writing and Strategy

• Works as part of a collaborative team to clearly articulate solution and strategy, approach to performing the work, experience, win themes, and discriminators

• Develop and articulate compelling proposal content that reflects an understanding of the customer's needs and the company's solution strategy.

• Collaborate with business development, capture management, and technical subject matter experts to craft persuasive, accurate, and compliant proposals.

• Lead content planning sessions and facilitate solution strategy discussions to create a proposal that effectively highlights differentiators and win themes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Leadership

• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including project managers, finance, contracts, and technical departments, to ensure comprehensive input and review.

• Act as a mentor and leader for junior proposal writers, providing guidance on best practices, writing techniques, and proposal strategies.

• Facilitate proposal reviews with internal stakeholders, providing constructive feedback to improve the quality and effectiveness of proposal submissions.

Process Improvement and Knowledge Management

• Identify and implement best practices, tools, and processes for proposal development to enhance team efficiency and proposal quality.

• Maintain a library of proposal materials and templates, ensuring compliance with proposal guidelines and company standards.

• Updates and maintains SOSi Writer's Style Guide

• Analyze and document proposal outcomes and lessons learned to refine and improve future proposal strategies.

Risk Management and Compliance

• Ensure all proposals are compliant with relevant government regulations, standards, and ethical guidelines.

• Identify and mitigate risks related to proposal development, submission, and contractual obligations.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.

• 10 years direct proposal technical writing experience with at least 5 years focused on large-value proposals (>$100M).

• Extensive experience with government agencies (e.g., DoD, DHS, GSA, HHS) and a variety of subject matter areas within the government contracting field.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a team of proposal writers, managers, and cross-functional personnel, with strong skills in conflict resolution, feedback, and team motivation.

• Proven writing experience with the ability to clearly and concisely write proposal sections to convey knowledge of the client's mission and business objectives and how our solution meets or exceeds requirements.

• Ability to interview subject matter experts (SMEs) and translate to compliant, compelling proposal writing.

• Able to take bulleted information, snippets, and rough ideas (from meeting notes and storyboards) and transform them into compelling proposal narrative.

• Experience as a Volume Lead, Book Boss, or Lead Technical/Management Writer.

• Proficient with proposal development tools and platforms (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, SharePoint, CRM systems, etc.).

• Excellent reading comprehension, writing, spelling, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent research skills.

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple, complex proposals under tight deadlines.

• Strong critical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

• Adapt easily in a growing, developing, and fast-paced environment.

• Must be flexible, highly motivated, and reliable.

• Ability to multi-task; organize and prioritize multiple on-going projects.

• Must be able to obtain a Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred/desired skills:

• Master's degree preferred.

• Relevant professional affiliations and/or memberships such as Society for Technical Communication (STC).

• Understanding of Federal Government proposal development and related Shipley training.

• APMP Certification (e.g., APMP Practitioner or Professional level) preferred.

• Familiarity with a wide range of government agencies and contracting vehicles, including IDIQs, GWACs, MACs, and BPAs.

• Knowledge of standard RFP/contract structure and contract types and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Processes.

• Top Secret or Secret clearance.

• Fluency in a foreign language.

Work Environment

• Normal office working conditions.

• Around-the-clock availability and non-traditional working hours including nights, weekends, and holidays, as needed.

• Occasional physical exertion, including lifting and/or moving objects or packages weighing up to 25 lbs.