Senior Proposal Lead

• Lead and manage the full pursuit lifecycle, including opportunity evaluation, kickoff meetings, strategy development, content creation, reviews, submissions, and interview preparation.
• Analyze RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, and other procurement documents to identify requirements, assess pursuit opportunities, and develop response strategies.
• Develop proposal schedules, compliance matrices, outlines, assignments, and review processes to ensure timely, high-quality submissions.
• Compose and format documents with strong reader-friendly graphic/layout skills.
• Collaborate with market leaders, technical staff, and subject matter experts to gather information, define win themes, and develop compelling proposal content.
• Write, edit, and tailor proposal narratives to clearly communicate SMMA's qualifications, experience, and value proposition.
• Coordinate with subconsultants and project partners to obtain required qualifications, schedules, certifications, and commitment materials.
• Conduct opportunity searches and maintain firm profiles and qualifications within procurement portals and industry databases.
• Manage and maintain proposal resources, including project descriptions, resumes, templates, boilerplate content, and lessons learned.
• Track pursuits, maintain pipeline data and opportunity records in Vantagepoint, and provide regular pursuit status reporting to market leadership.
• Participate in post-submission debriefs and pursuit analyses, identifying opportunities to strengthen future proposals and processes.
• Stay informed on industry trends, client priorities, competitor activity, and proposal best practices within the AEC industry.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Marketing, Journalism, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience leading qualifications, proposals, and interview materials, preferably within the AEC industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex pursuits and coordinating multidisciplinary teams through all phases of the proposal development process.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical content into clear, persuasive, client-focused messaging.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy, quality, and compliance.
• Strong research, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading proposal development processes, including opportunity evaluation, content creation, and compliance management, while effectively collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Possesses strong writing, editing, and project management skills to deliver high-quality, persuasive proposals in the AEC industry.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Proposal Development
• Project Management
• Writing and Editing
• Opportunity Evaluation
• AEC Industry Experience

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Proposal Writing
• Content Creation
• Document Formatting
• Compliance Management
• RFI Analysis
• RFP Analysis
• Proposal Scheduling
• Research and Analysis
• Critical Thinking
• Graphic/Layout Skills

Soft Skills

• Verbal Communication
• Detail-Oriented
• Organizational Skills
• Collaboration
• Time Management

Industry Keywords

• AEC Industry
• Proposal Best Practices
• Client-Focused Messaging
• Multidisciplinary Teams
• Pursuit Lifecycle

Tools & Technologies

• Vantagepoint
• Procurement Portals
• Industry Databases