Senior Proposal Writer

ORBIS is seeking a detail-oriented Senior Proposal Writer to support our Business Development (BD) and Capture teams. This role develops strategic, compelling, and customer-focused responses to Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for federal government contracts within the Intelligence Community.

Responsibilities

• Develop, write, and edit proposal content with a focus on technical accuracy, compliance, and persuasive messaging (RFPs, RFIs, white papers, and related deliverables).
• Write clear, compliant, compelling, and persuasive proposal text.
• Effectively communicate and employ interviewing skills to gather needed information from internal and external personnel to support writing activities.
• Ensure adherence to proposal style guides, templates, and standards (voice, tone, terminology, acronyms, and formatting).
• Format proposal documents to meet submission requirements and maintain a professional presentation.
• Maintain disciplined version control and configuration management practices to reduce risk and rework.
• Review and refine content to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with customer requirements.
• Collaborate with capture managers, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), program managers, and business leaders to validate technical accuracy and messaging.
• Support and participate in color team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold), including comment adjudication and action tracking.
• Leverage AI tools to improve proposal quality, efficiency, and content development.
• Identify and mitigate proposal risks across active opportunities.
• Develop and implement process improvements to enhance proposal quality.

Requirements

• Active TS/SCI clearance – polygraph is desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Marketing, English, Communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of proposal writing experience, preferably supporting federal or Intelligence Community customers.
• Demonstrated success writing and leading technical, management, transition, staffing, and/or corporate experience & past performance volumes for complex efforts.

Skills

• Strong understanding of National Security mission, capabilities, and services.
• Ability to manage the full RFP lifecycle from kickoff through submission.
• Experience developing RFIs, white papers, and unsolicited proposals.
• Proficiency in maintaining proposal repositories and reusable content libraries.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Experience with proposal tracking tools, compliance matrices, and SharePoint workflows.
• Knowledge of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) requirements.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to translate complex technical input into clear, customer-focused narrative.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Critical thinking skills and ability to work independently.
• Willingness to adopt and integrate AI tools into proposal workflows.

Desired Skills

• Familiarity with Shipley or APMP methodologies.
• Experience supporting federal government proposal efforts.
• Knowledge of proposal development processes and compliance standards.
• Background in marketing coordination or business development support.
• Experience supporting industry engagement activities or events.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer.
• Participation in virtual and in-person meetings.
• Ability to attend planned meetings and work in classified spaces for prolonged periods within the Washington Metro Area region.
• Ability to travel to support proposal efforts, primarily in the Washington Metro Area (WMA), to work on classified responses.