Senior Proposal Specialist

About the Role

Wharton-Smith Construction Group is seeking a Senior Proposal Specialist to join our corporate headquarters in Sanford, FL. In this role, you will lead all phases of proposal preparation for commercial construction and water treatment plant projects, working on a fast-poving team to support sales and marketing initiatives. The position reports to the Proposal Production Manager and may involve supervision of Proposal Coordinators and Assistants, as well as occasional travel and overtime.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate, compile, and track proposal materials to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with client requests and project lifecycle requirements.
• Assemble proposal documents in various software formats, collaborating with team members on proposals, presentations, and marketing materials.
• Write and edit project summaries, personnel resumes, and other supporting proposal content.
• Ensure proposal materials align with bid requirements, client expectations, and corporate branding rules.
• Proofread, edit, and standardize proposal text for grammar, spelling, comprehension, and style.
• Update and maintain the project library at proposal, build, and post-construction stages.
• Attend project milestone events and client selection forums.
• Produce and submit award submissions.
• Supervise the work product of Proposal Coordinators and Assistants as needed.
• Perform general marketing and communication tasks as assigned.
• Travel up to 25% and work overtime as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, English, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in proposal management and development, with preference for construction industry experience.
• Experience leading large proposal/bid efforts ($40M+) and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience with cooperative agreements, joint ventures (JVs), and contracts.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to interact across all technical levels.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including advocacy, negotiation, listening, and collaboration.
• Ability to write, proofread, and edit proposal and presentation content.
• Experience preparing and coaching teams for formal interviews and presentations.
• Ability to work independently and in a complex team environment while managing multiple tasks.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial work environment.
• Must be authorized to work for a U.S. employer and fluent in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience creating, writing, and editing proposals for construction, engineering, or design firms.
• Graphic design experience, particularly with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign).
• Advanced knowledge of proposal, qualifications, and capture management.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and multi-tasking skills under pressure.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other applicable tools.

Schedule

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with overtime as needed.