Proposal Writer

Acuity, Inc. has an immediate opening for an on-site Proposal Writer supporting our Proposal Group based in Reston, VA. Acuity is an award-winning consulting firm that provides proven management and Information Technology (IT) services to the Federal Government. Recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by The Washington Business Journal for over five consecutive years, we seek an experienced proposal professional to support the Proposal Group in all facets of the business development lifecycle. This position collaborates with all parts of Acuity, including the Technology Solutions Group (TSG), Business Development, Contracts, Recruiting, Business Unit leaders, as well as external teaming partners and receives direction from the VP of Business Development.

The role is dynamic in nature, and the person in this role must be flexible to work on many different efforts, with varying levels of responsibility. For instance, this position may be asked to lead the development of an RFI response, from template creation to submission, while also serving as a Management Section lead for a larger proposal. To excel in this role, the candidate must have solid working experience providing cradle-to-grave proposal support and be willing to expand his or her skillset.

This position is an incredible growth opportunity for the right person. Our Proposal Team is small, nimble, close-knit, and flexible, and the environment is fun yet professional, where each team member closely collaborates with all members of our team and other Departments in our highly respected organization.

• Develop accurate and compelling technical, IT-focused proposal content (e.g., technical approach, management approach, past performance, tailor key personnel resumes, and executive summary) in an iterative writing process.
• Edit proposal content for effectiveness (e.g., clarity, readability, accuracy, persuasiveness, and compliancy) as well as style (e.g., grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence structure, and spelling).
• Interview SMEs to extract technical information and convert into effective proposal content per solicitation requirements.
• Analyze solicitations to develop detailed, annotated proposal templates.
• Facilitate working sessions with SMEs, executives, teaming partners, authors, and other contributors to develop storyboards, solutions, and graphics.
• Develop business development content (e.g., white papers, requests for information (RFI), market surveys, and other pre-solicitation materials).
• Assist during kickoff preparations/events, compose team-wide strategic communications, administer SharePoint pursuit sites, manage document version control, coordinate review/recovery cycles (in support of the Proposal Manager).
• Help with archiving past RFI/RFP response files within Acuity’s content management system, and work with Project Managers to ensure project profile(s) within the Project Library is updated throughout the project lifecycle.

SKILLS AND TOOLS

• Understanding of Federal Government contracting and proposal processes.
• Understanding of the Shipley methodology is preferred.
• Advanced skills in writing, editing, and proofreading, including proficiency with at least one industry editorial style guide (e.g., GPO, Chicago, AP).
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills with impeccable attention to detail.
• Must have the ability to quickly digest information and produce organized, clearly written technical, IT-focused content with little to no supervision.
• Ability to work in a high-paced work environment supporting multiple proposals simultaneously, and meeting tight deadlines, including occasional extended hours, evenings/night hours, weekends, and holidays.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite. Experience with Adobe Creative Suite is a plus. Working knowledge and usage of SharePoint (previous administration responsibilities is a significant plus).

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Education: BS/BA in relevant degree field from an accredited institution or a combination of education, training, and experience.
• Three (3+) years or more of technical proposal writing experience within the IT, software development, management consulting, and/or relevant industry and topics (e.g., ITIL, PMBOK, SDLC, Scrum, Agile development, network infrastructure, cloud implementation, and DevOps).
• APMP certifications are a plus.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Must be US Citizen and be able to obtain and maintain a government suitability.