Steampunk is seeking an experienced Creative Proposal Storyteller who can develop compelling proposal content that demonstrates Steampunk’s unique value proposition and differentiators to its customers. In a world full of contractors providing the same or similar services, we understand that it’s hard to stand out in proposals. That is why Steampunk places a significant emphasis on ensuring our proposal responses are backed by accurate and dedicated capture strategies so that we can create content and graphics that effectively answer the who, what, how, and why in an engaging way. We see each proposal as a unique opportunity to tell our story and solution in the context of our customers’ challenges and the RFP requirements versus writing or reusing content just to be compliant. If you are a proposal writer who enjoys storytelling and elevated writing that goes beyond just “answering the mail,” then Steampunk wants you on our Proposal Operations Team!

This is a senior position that requires a self-motivated individual with a strong sense of ownership and accountability of writing responsibilities and overall proposal quality. This includes independent, proactive research and analytical skills that demonstrate commitment to continuous proposal content improvement and individual understanding of complex topics tailored to the customer/opportunity that incorporates Steampunk messaging and win strategy in a compelling way.  

Responsibilities

• Senior ownership of writing responsibilities for proposal executive summaries, technical approaches, and management plans.
• Workshop daily with Proposal Manager, Solution Architect, and Solution Strategist to develop a detailed writing plan/storyboard for each major proposal section assigned
• Regularly interview and collaborate with technical SMEs, Solution Architects, and Solution Strategists to understand proposal win themes, approaches, and strategies for and then independently develop technically clear and compelling proposal content
• Recommend creative approaches for developing our response in terms of organization and concepts to demonstrate Steampunks value to the client.
• Interview and/or work with delivery leads and proposed key personnel candidates for writing non-technical proposal areas such as past performance descriptions, staffing plans, management narratives, and resumes
• Participate in color reviews and develop and refine comprehensive technical proposal content based on feedback from review teams as well as capture manager/proposal manager guidance
• Provide orchestration of cross-functional team in the writing, with delegation for individual components and ownership for weaving those components together into a cohesive document
• Read and edit a variety of customer facing responses including RFIs, marketing slicks, and PowerPoint presentations for messaging, win themes, compliance, and accuracy with high attention to detail
• Provide insight on proposal content and where the team can emphasize or incorporate strengths and benefits to improve responses
• Update and maintain Steampunk’s proposal library to ensure that boilerplate and other reusable proposal content such as technical approaches, executive summaries, capabilities statements, program management plans, quality control plans, staffing and transition plans are well written, compelling (with identified strengths), and backed by proof points. This includes analyzing current content/approaches and identifying ways to make it stronger/better
• Guide/train SMEs and peers on proposal writing best practices by creating training material, videos, or hosting writing workshops

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience writing federal government proposals for the IT services industry
• 4 years of experience interviewing SMEs and translating complex technical practices and concepts into compelling proposal narrative. This includes understanding and writing about topics such as DevSecOps, cloud migration, software application development, and various Agile methodologies, tools, and systems etc.
• Confidence in interviewing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with the ability to transform technical details into legible easy-to-understand narrative. This requires asking thought-provoking questions or introducing new ideas or differentiators to get SMEs and other writers to think in a proposal mindset
• Success writing and leading technical, management, transition, staffing, and/or corporate experience and past performance volumes for complex efforts.
• Experience working and collaborating with technical SME’s on understanding RFP requirements to support the generation of a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) or other process orientated graphics
• Proficient with MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), Microsoft SharePoint Online, and Adobe Acrobat
• Strong writing and editing skills and ability to translate complex technical information into clear, concise, and persuasive content. This includes the ability to develop paragraphs that logically flow from one idea to the next using transition sentences and consistent language. Writing should discuss the who, what, how, and why with compelling proof points and confidence strength statements.
• Strong time management and organization skills with fine attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines

Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors.  Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges.  As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers – and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.