Senior Proposal Specialist
About The Position
The Senior Proposal Specialist will support high-priority, high-complexity pursuits across federal, state, and local government clients. This role is critical to Ceres' growth strategy by leading proposal development efforts that transform technical, operational, and executive input into compelling, compliant, and competitive submissions. The specialist will shape proposal strategy, mentor junior writers, and partner closely with subject matter experts and leadership to deliver win-ready submissions under aggressive timelines. Success requires the ability to rapidly assess solicitation requirements and develop tailored responses by drawing from existing proposal content, past performance narratives, lessons learned, and institutional knowledge, while developing original content where it will strengthen the response. The role serves as both a strategist and storyteller, asking critical questions early, identifying gaps and risks, and ensuring every proposal presents a clear, compelling, and consistent value proposition. This is a fast-paced, deadline-driven role where priorities shift quickly based on active pursuits and client timelines. The specialist will juggle multiple proposals simultaneously, some with compressed turnaround times, and be expected to step in early, critically evaluate information, ask strategic questions, and independently drive content to completion. They will work closely with Business Development, Operations, Estimating, Finance, and executive leaders, often translating incomplete or evolving technical input into clear, compliant, and compelling narratives. The work is highly visible and directly tied to win decisions, meaning high standards, direct feedback, and accountability for quality and accuracy. Success requires comfort with ambiguity, strong judgment, attention to detail under pressure, and a willingness to take ownership of outcomes.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, English, Marketing, Business, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in proposal development, technical writing, or business communications, preferably supporting government contracts.
- Demonstrated success leading complex, multi‑discipline proposals from kickoff through submission.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills with strong attention to detail and compliance.
- Ability to operate independently, exercise judgment, and influence senior stakeholders.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in English, Creative Writing, Marketing, or related field.
- Experience supporting construction, environmental services, disaster response, or infrastructure programs.
- Experience mentoring proposal staff or serving as lead writer on high‑value pursuits.
- Proficiency with SharePoint and proposal collaboration tools.
Responsibilities
- Develop complex, high‑value proposals for federal, state, and local government solicitations.
- Translate capture strategy and technical solutions into clear, persuasive proposal content.
- Analyze solicitations to identify key requirements and evaluation criteria.
- Ensure proposals are compliant, compelling, and aligned with customer priorities and evaluation criteria.
- Develop compliance matrices to ensure full coverage of RFP requirements.
- Draft and refine executive summaries, capability statements, past performance narratives and work plans.
- Interact with subject matter experts to gather relevant information for proposals.
- Collaborate with graphic designers to create tailored visuals and infographics that support key messaging.
- Review and edit proposal content for quality, compliance, and messaging consistency.
- Incorporate feedback from internal review cycles.
- Mentor junior proposal writers and specialists, providing guidance on best practices and standards.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of proposal tools, templates, processes, and storytelling approaches.
- Manage multiple concurrent proposals with competing priorities and tight deadlines.
- Perform thorough compliance, formatting, and quality checks to ensure submission readiness.
- Maintain Ceres’ brand voice, tone, and quality standards across all submissions.
- Support post‑submission debriefs and lessons learned to improve future performance.
Benefits
- Comprehensive package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, paid time off and travel opportunities
- Eligible for discretionary bonus, etc.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
