Proposal Writer Forterra - Arlington, VA, US

Proposal Writer

Forterra is seeking a skilled and versatile Proposal Writer to support the company's growth efforts across a range of business development activities. This role will be responsible not only for developing compelling, compliant proposal content, but also for supporting the creation of other strategic customer-facing materials, including RFI responses, solution briefs, white papers, capability statements, executive summaries, and related business development content.

This is an ideal role for a strong writer who understands how to translate complex technical, operational, and strategic concepts into clear, persuasive content tailored to government and defense customers. The right candidate is highly organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with cross-functional stakeholders.

The Proposal Writer will partner closely with capture, growth, technical, program, and leadership teams to develop high-quality written products that strengthen Forterra's competitive positioning and support successful pursuit outcomes.

What You'll Do

• Write, edit, and refine proposal content for U.S. Government and defense opportunities
• Support development of a broad range of business development materials, including:
• RFI responses
• Sources Sought responses
• Solution briefs
• White papers
• Capability statements
• Executive summaries
• Customer-facing briefing materials
• Other strategic pursuit and growth content
• Translate technical, operational, and programmatic inputs into clear, compelling, and customer-focused written responses
• Work with capture and growth teams to develop win themes, discriminators, and messaging that align with customer priorities
• Interview subject matter experts and cross-functional contributors to gather content and convert it into polished written products
• Ensure written materials are accurate, consistent, compliant, and aligned with solicitation or customer requirements
• Support proposal content development through storyboarding, outlining, drafting, editing, and incorporating review feedback
• Help tailor messaging and content to specific customers, missions, and opportunity strategies
• Maintain and improve reusable content libraries, templates, and writing standards
• Contribute to continuous improvement of proposal and business development writing processes, tools, and best practices

What We're Looking For

• A detail-oriented and process-driven professional with a passion for complex problem-solving in high-stakes environments.
• Someone who thrives in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments and enjoys collaborating with both technical and business teams.
• A strong communicator who can distill complex technical input into clear, persuasive, and compliant proposal responses.
• A proactive contributor who anticipates needs, takes ownership of deliverables, and consistently meets deadlines.

What You'll Need

• Relevant experience in proposal writing, proposal development, business development writing, technical writing, or federal/defense communications
• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to turn complex inputs into clear and persuasive content
• Experience supporting U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or federal contracting pursuits
• Familiarity with proposal development and business development materials such as RFIs, sources sought, white papers, and solution briefs
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple assignments under deadline
• Ability to work effectively with technical, business, and executive stakeholders
• Strong verbal communication skills, including the ability to interview contributors and synthesize disparate inputs
• Ability to balance compliance, clarity, and persuasiveness in written responses
• High degree of ownership, responsiveness, and problem-solving ability

What We Love to See

• Experience writing for defense, autonomy, robotics, software, mobility, or other advanced technology markets
• Previous experience with or a deep understanding of USG contracting and procurement processes.
• Familiarity with federal acquisition and proposal processes
• Experience supporting both pre-RFP and live proposal efforts
• Experience editing contributions from multiple authors into a unified voice
• Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Political Science, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra's overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment.