Proposal Writer, Senior

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Proposal Writer to lead end-to-end proposal development for library system procurements, including ILS/LSP, discovery, digital resource management, and analytics. This role involves analyzing RFP requirements from libraries, consortia, and government entities to ensure complete compliance, developing proposal strategies aligned to procurement criteria, and managing timelines and deliverables across cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end proposal development for library system procurements (ILS/LSP, discovery, digital resource management, analytics)
• Analyze RFP requirements from libraries, consortia, and government entities to ensure complete compliance
• Develop proposal strategies aligned to procurement criteria such as functionality, interoperability, accessibility, and total cost of ownership
• Manage timelines, schedules, and deliverables across cross-functional teams
• Write clear and persuasive responses describing circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, and ERM functionality; discovery layers and user experience; interoperability (e.g., MARC, BIBFRAME, APIs, SIP2, NCIP, Z39.50); and cloud architecture, hosting, security, and data privacy
• Translate technical platform capabilities into outcomes for librarians, faculty, and patrons
• Collaborate with product managers, solution consultants, and library SMEs
• Develop win themes focused on improved patron access and engagement, operational efficiency for library staff, support for digital transformation and open access, and integration with campus or municipal systems
• Tailor messaging by segment (academic, public, consortia, K–12)
• Craft compelling executive summaries and value narratives
• Partner with Sales and Account Teams to align on opportunity strategy; Product and Engineering to validate technical accuracy; Implementation and Support teams to describe service delivery
• Lead proposal review cycles (e.g., content reviews, compliance checks)
• Coordinate inputs from distributed stakeholders, including international teams when applicable
• Ensure full compliance with library procurement requirements, including mandatory forms, technical matrices, and pricing structures
• Maintain consistency in terminology (library standards, metadata formats, accessibility requirements such as WCAG)
• Edit and proofread for clarity, accuracy, and professionalism
• Maintain and enhance a reusable content library specific to library technology: standard responses for ILS/LSP functionality, case studies and library success stories, implementation methodologies and training approaches
• Develop templates for common library procurement formats
• Continuously improve proposal processes and efficiency
• Integrate knowledge of competing library platforms (e.g., Alma, WorldShare, Sierra, Polaris, Koha)
• Highlight differentiators such as open architecture and APIs, user experience innovation, and analytics and reporting capabilities
• Support win/loss reviews specific to library procurements
• Utilize our current Proposal Response software, Loopio, along with our suite of AI tools to write and edit detailed RFP responses for libraries and consortia
• Develop compliance matrices addressing hundreds to thousands of functional requirements
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings and define content strategy
• Align messaging with library priorities such as accessibility, equity, and digital access
• Customize proposals for each institution or consortium
• Support presentations, demos, and oral proposals to library stakeholders
• Mentor junior writers on library-specific content and standards
• Track proposal success metrics within the library market segment

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Library Science, Information Systems, or related field
• 5–10+ years of proposal writing experience, preferably in library technology, EdTech, or SaaS platforms serving public sector or education
• Strong understanding of library operations and workflows, metadata standards and interoperability, and cloud-based enterprise software solutions
• Demonstrated experience responding to formal RFPs for public or academic institutions
• Exceptional writing, editing, and project management skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or related field
• Detailed knowledge of Symphony ILS
• Experience working directly with libraries (academic, public, or consortia)
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and public procurement requirements
• Knowledge of trends such as open access, digital collections, and linked data

Key Competencies

• Ability to communicate complex library technologies in clear, customer-focused language
• Strong understanding of librarian personas and institutional decision-making processes
• Strategic thinking with a focus on winning competitive procurements
• High attention to detail and compliance rigor
• Ability to manage multiple large-scale proposals simultaneously

Typical Tools & Technologies

• Proposal tools: Loopio, RFPIO, Qvidian
• Collaboration: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint
• Authoring: Microsoft Word, Excel (for compliance matrices), PowerPoint
• CRM: Salesforce or equivalent
• Knowledge of library systems and standards documentation
• AI tools for searching, creating, editing of content

Key Success Factors

• Delivering high-quality, compliant proposals that resonate with library stakeholders
• Effectively translating technical capabilities into library-specific outcomes
• Increasing win rates in competitive library procurements
• Building a strong, reusable library-focused content base
• Establishing credibility with internal teams and external library audiences

Pay

$70,000 - $80,000 USD per year.