Proposal Writer (Federal IT Services)

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process. Full Time Alexandria, VA, US 6 days ago Requisition ID: 1462 Salary Range: $85,000.00 To $110,000.00 Annually SHR – S oftware H ardware R e-engineered About SHR Consulting Group: SHR Consulting Group, LLC is a small business specializing in federal IT services across the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and civilian agencies. SHR holds a Top Secret facility clearance and maintains certifications including CMMC Level 2, ISO 9001, ISO 20000, ISO 27001, and CMMI DEV/SVC Maturity Level 3. Contract vehicles include GSA STARS III, OASIS+, and a $300M DISA Platform and Core Services BPA. SHR’s technical focus areas include enterprise IT, engineering, platform operations, cybersecurity engineering and compliance, AI/ML, emerging technologies, and cloud infrastructure across DoD and FedRAMP environments. We are seeking a Proposal Writer to own the development of proposal content in support of federal IT services pursuits across IT engineering, cybersecurity engineering, AI/ML operations, and cloud platform services. This is a writing-centered role for a strong content developer who can work directly with subject matter experts (SMEs), capture leads, corporate leadership, and the Senior Proposal Manager to transform ideas, technical input, and strategic direction into compliant, compelling, and evaluator-focused proposal narrative. The ideal candidate is an experienced federal proposal professional who is comfortable taking responsibility for content development from early shaping through final submission readiness. This person will lead content creation for assigned proposal sections and artifacts, mature content through multiple review cycles, and work collaboratively with corporate leadership and the Senior Proposal Manager to refine messaging, strengthen responsiveness, and prepare polished final content for submission. This role is not the overall proposal process owner. The Proposal Writer is the owner of proposal content development and content quality for assigned sections and artifacts, while the Senior Proposal Manager owns the overall proposal process, schedule, compliance management, and final orchestration. Work location is Alexandria, VA (hybrid). Qualified applicants must reside in the DC Metro Area to be considered. Key Responsibilities: Proposal Content Ownership Own the development of assigned proposal content from early pursuit shaping through final submission readiness, with direct accountability for content quality, clarity, responsiveness, and persuasive strength. Serve as the primary writer for assigned proposal sections and artifacts, including technical approaches, management approaches, staffing content, transition plans, quality assurance content, executive summaries, past performance narratives, key personnel write-ups, corporate experience sections, and oral presentation materials. Lead the creation of compliant first drafts and mature those drafts through iterative refinement until they are ready for Senior Proposal Manager and corporate leadership review. Write from scratch when needed and substantially rewrite rough contributor input so final content reflects one clear voice, strong structure, and alignment with proposal strategy. Ensure all assigned content aligns with solicitation instructions, evaluation criteria, customer mission priorities, approved win themes, and SHR discriminators. SME, Capture, and Leadership Collaboration Work directly with SMEs, capture leads, and solution personnel to gather source material, clarify technical concepts, and extract the information needed to build strong proposal narrative. Partner with corporate leadership and the Senior Proposal Manager to refine messaging, sharpen discriminators, strengthen executive positioning, and improve overall proposal quality. Conduct structured interviews, working sessions, and draft reviews with contributors to move content forward quickly and efficiently. Translate strategic direction from capture and leadership into tailored proposal language that is customer-focused, technically credible, and easy for evaluators to score. Engage confidently with contributors at all levels, from engineers and program staff to executives, to close content gaps and resolve ambiguities. Proposal Lifecycle Support Contribute throughout the full proposal lifecycle, including pre-RFP planning, content strategy sessions, storyboarding, annotated outlines, draft development, color team recovery, final revisions, and submission preparation. Help identify likely proposal content needs early, including reusable source material, library assets, missing data, interview priorities, and section development strategies. Maintain ownership of assigned section status, draft maturity, unresolved questions, and content risks, escalating issues early when decisions or additional support are required. Support final submission readiness by refining assigned content to near-final quality, addressing review comments, confirming consistency with adjoining sections, and helping prepare content for production. Provide coordination support as needed to maintain content flow and schedule discipline, including contributor follow-ups, action tracking, comment consolidation, meeting notes, and file organization. Content Library and Reusable Assets Maintain and improve the SHR Proposal Content Library so writers and proposal leaders can rapidly access current, accurate, and reusable content. Own the development and refresh of past performance write-ups, corporate qualifications narratives, management boilerplate, key personnel summaries, oral presentation content, and other reusable artifacts. Update content to reflect current programs, quantified outcomes, certifications, technologies, contract vehicles, customer mission impacts, and approved corporate messaging. Organize content for reuse through disciplined structure, tagging, version control, and content curation practices. Identify outdated, duplicative, weak, or unsupported content and recommend targeted improvements to increase speed, quality, and consistency across pursuits. Written and Oral Submission Support Support development of oral presentations, demonstrations, executive briefings, and related presentation artifacts, including slide content, scripts, speaker notes, mock Q&A material, and presentation flow. Ensure oral and written materials reinforce the same themes, discriminators, and customer value proposition. Help prepare content packages for final proposal production by ensuring assigned material is polished, accurate, complete, and ready for formatting and submission. Required Qualifications Minimum 5 years of experience in federal proposal writing, proposal content development, technical proposal writing, or closely related roles in a government contracting environment. Demonstrated success owning proposal content development for federal opportunities, including drafting, rewriting, and refining narrative through multiple review cycles. Strong experience writing one or more of the following: technical approaches, management plans, staffing plans, transition approaches, quality plans, executive summaries, past performance narratives, resumes, oral presentation materials, or corporate experience sections. Excellent writing, rewriting, and substantive editing skills, with the ability to turn rough technical input and strategic guidance into polished proposal content. Experience working directly with SMEs, capture leads, proposal managers, and corporate leadership in deadline-driven proposal environments. Strong organizational discipline, including management of drafts, comments, source inputs, content dependencies, and multiple concurrent assignments. Familiarity with federal solicitation structures, proposal instructions, and evaluator-focused writing, including practical understanding of Sections L and M. Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. U.S. Citizenship is required. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting federal IT services proposals in one or more of the following areas: enterprise IT, cybersecurity engineering, cloud infrastructure, platform operations, AI/ML, or emerging technology solutions. Experience writing for DoD, DHS, and civilian agency opportunities. Familiarity with Shipley-based proposal development methods or equivalent structured proposal processes. Experience maintaining proposal content libraries, past performance repositories, resume databases, or other proposal knowledge assets. Experience supporting oral presentations, live demonstrations, or executive briefings for competitive federal pursuits. Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, Adobe Acrobat, and collaboration environments used in proposal development. APMP certification (Foundation or higher) or equivalent proposal training. Core Competencies Strong ownership of proposal content development. Persuasive, evaluator-focused writing. Effective SME interviewing and information extraction. Message refinement and substantive editing. Strategic collaboration with leadership and proposal management. Proposal compliance awareness and structured thinking. Organization, version control, and document discipline. Responsiveness and composure under deadline pressure. Ability to turn fragmented input into polished submission-ready content. Success Metrics High-quality proposal content developed on schedule and refined to submission-ready quality with minimal rework. Strong collaboration with corporate leadership and the Senior Proposal Manager to improve messaging, responsiveness, and evaluator impact. Measurable improvement in the currency, usability, and strength of the Proposal Content Library, past performance repository, and reusable proposal assets. Positive feedback from the Senior Proposal Manager, corporate leadership, capture leads, and SMEs on writing quality, ownership, and responsiveness. Consistent contribution to compliant, persuasive written and oral submissions across multiple concurrent pursuits. Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and professional development support. Paid time off and holidays. SHR Consulting Group, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. 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