Senior Proposal Writer (Contract)

Red Cell Partners • McLean, VA

11d • Remote

About The Position

Red Cell Federal is seeking a Senior Federal Proposal Writer to develop clear, persuasive, and compliant responses to federal solicitations. The writer will translate capture strategy and complex technical input into strong proposal content while collaborating with the Proposal Manager, capture leads, Solutions Architects, product leaders, and subject matter experts. The role sits in the Operations Cell under the COO and reports to the Proposal Manager.

This is a remote, project-based 1099 engagement. Work is assigned on demand, with no minimum volume guaranteed. Compensation is hourly and based on experience. Each assignment specifies its scope, deliverables, milestones, deadlines, acceptance criteria, estimated hours, and authorized maximum. The contractor must acknowledge assignment requests within one business day; active proposals may require faster response times when agreed in advance. Work may be performed up to 40 hours in a workweek within an approved assignment. Additional hours or work outside the approved scope or authorized maximum require advance written approval.

The contractor must provide a secure workspace, reliable high-speed internet, suitable computer hardware, Microsoft Office 365, PDF-editing tools, and other standard software. The company may provide specific systems when needed. The contractor must comply with applicable confidentiality, data-protection, system-access, records-management, and information-handling requirements, and disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Requirements

• At least five years of federal proposal-writing experience in government contracting.
• Experience with Shipley or a similar proposal-development process.
• Strong knowledge of federal solicitations, FAR/DFARS concepts, Sections L and M, and evaluation criteria.
• A record of contributing to successful federal civilian or defense proposals.
• Ability to understand and explain complex topics such as AI/ML, autonomy, cybersecurity, software platforms, defense hardware, advanced communications, and health technology.
• Strong interviewing, writing, editing, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to protect sensitive company, customer, partner, and procurement information.
• U.S. citizenship.
• An independent-contractor business setup and the ability to provide a W-9.
• Ability to acknowledge assignment requests within one business day.
• Ability to provide a secure workspace, reliable high-speed internet, suitable computer hardware, Microsoft Office 365, PDF-editing tools, and other standard software.

Nice To Haves

• Current APMP certification.
• Active Secret or Top Secret U.S. Government security clearance.
• Experience with OTA, CSO, BAA, and SBIR/STTR submissions for national-security organizations.

Responsibilities

• Write and edit technical approaches, management and staffing plans, transition plans, past performance, executive summaries, white papers, solution briefs, and other response content.
• Review solicitations, SOWs, PWSs, instructions, and evaluation criteria, including Sections L and M.
• Build compliant outlines, storyboards, content plans, and compliance matrices.
• Interview SMEs, program managers, key personnel, and product leaders and turn their input into clear proposal text.
• Apply capture strategy, customer priorities, win themes, discriminators, benefits, and proof points.
• Address review comments and produce clean, submission-ready revisions on tight deadlines.
• Maintain a consistent voice and message across multi-author responses.
• Maintain reusable past-performance, corporate-experience, management, and technical content.
• Flag missing inputs, compliance gaps, conflicting guidance, and schedule risks early.
• Acknowledge assignment requests within one business day, with faster responses for active proposals when agreed in advance.
• Provide required workspace, internet access, hardware, and software; follow information-handling requirements and disclose actual or potential conflicts.

Benefits

• For full-time roles: career-track opportunity with potential for rapid advancement with strong performance as the firm grows.
• For full-time roles: 100% employer-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee and family.
• For full-time roles: 14 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave at employees' normal pay.
• For full-time roles: unlimited PTO, with management approval.
• For full-time roles: opportunities for professional development and continued learning.
• For full-time roles: optional 401K, FSA, and equity incentives available.
• Mental health benefits available through Tara Mind.
• Cost-effective GLP-1 solutions available through Crux.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed