Proposal Specialist

Smith + Andersen; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Toronto is seeking a Proposal Specialist. The ideal candidate will excel in communication and attention to detail while managing proposal submissions. Responsibilities include reviewing RFPs, coordinating proposals, collaborating with teams, and ensuring all submissions meet deadlines. Candidates should have at least 4 years of relevant experience, a post-secondary degree, and proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud. The role is hybrid, offering flexible hours and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Flexible hours and half day Fridays

Comprehensive Group Health Benefits Program

Group Retirement Savings Plan

Employee Share Ownership Program

Purchase Time Off Program

Transit Subsidy Program

Wide variety of community and social events

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in a related position.
• Must have experience working on large P3 projects.
• Experience within an engineering, construction or architectural firm preferred.

Responsibilities

• Review and interpret RFP and RFQ documents.
• Coordinate proposal kick-off meetings.
• Collaborate with leadership on complex proposals.
• Write, proofread, edit and format proposal content.
• Check proposal drafts for consistency and clarity.
• Identify and summarize bid opportunities.

Skills

Strong verbal communication

Active listening

Excellent written communication

Editing and proofreading skills

Multi-tasking skills

Time management

Organizational skills

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

Role: Proposal Specialist

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Job Type: Hybrid – WFH + In Office

Who We Are

Smith + Andersen is a trusted, Canadian, multi‑disciplinary engineering firm with ten offices in five provinces and approximately 700 employees. Our Toronto office has approximately 250 employees with a national shared services team (Accounting, Business and Proposals, Human Resources, IT, Legal, Marketing and Communications, and Operations) supporting all ten regional offices.

At Smith + Andersen our employees contribute to some of the most sustainable building design projects in Canada. The work we do has meaningful impact on the community by contributing to landmark projects such as hospitals, transit stations, parks, federal and provincial government buildings and post‑secondary institutions.

Our values drive and define everything we do, demonstrating a deep commitment to sustainability, mentorship and quality work that spans nearly six decades in business. We are proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work™ and selected as one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ for the highly collaborative culture we’ve built and for empowering employees to do great work!

This Opportunity

The Toronto office of Smith + Andersen is currently seeking a Proposal Specialist to create winning proposal submissions. Our ideal candidate will flourish in a role where having solid communication skills and being detail‑oriented is key. The successful candidate will be responsible for writing and preparing responses to complex proposals. With strong research skills, you will collect and analyze information from RFPs, RFQs and internal subject‑matter experts. As an exemplary team player that can multi‑task, you will collaborate with sub‑consultant teams, obtain approvals and submit the proposal and supporting documents to the client.

Why choose Smith + Andersen?

In addition to an exciting career filled with meaningful work, we offer:

• Flexible hours and half day Fridays (all year round)
• Comprehensive Group Health Benefits Program, including a Health Spending Account
• Group Retirement Savings Plan (Employer and Employee Contributions)
• Employee Share Ownership Program (ESOP)
• Purchase Time Off Program (PTO)
• Transit Subsidy Program
• Wide variety of community and social events
• Great Place to Work-Certified™
• Canada’s Best Workplaces™ in Ontario
• Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness™

What You’ll Do

• Responsible for reviewing and interpreting RFP and RFQ documents and determining requirements for successful proposal submission.
• Coordinate proposal kick‑off meetings to determine deliverables and deadlines as required. Liaise as required with client contact regarding proposal deliverables.
• Collaborate with leadership team on complex proposals to determine if there are sub‑consultant requirements and plan accordingly.
• Conduct research, collect information, and attend meetings (as required) for each specific proposal.
• Write, proofread, edit and format proposal content which may include adapting existing content, boilerplates (in consultation with proposal manager) to ensure a cohesive proposal. Ensure each proposal submission is submitted within the established deadline.
• Collaborate with leaders for technical content that showcases company experience. Organize all technical written content supplied by leaders. Solicit feedback on proposal content and where required revise proposal descriptions.
• Check proposal drafts for consistency, clarity and appropriateness of the content and ensure final document is free of typos, grammatical and spelling mistakes.
• Responsible for identifying and summarizing bid opportunities (RFI, RFQ and RFP) and communicating to leadership team for further discussion and actioning.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications team for graphics/visuals for proposal submissions when required.
• Assist in maintaining proposal resources including database of supporting material such as boilerplate content, executive summaries and project descriptions.
• Liaise with proposal team members to obtain and exchange information as required.
• Update internal database with proposal details.
• Collaborate with the team to offer suggestions to improve department procedures and processes.
• Assist with other proposal related duties as assigned.
• Streamline existing procedures and processes.
• Assist with other proposal related duties as assigned.

Who You Are

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in a related position within an engineering, construction or architectural firm preferred.
• A post‑secondary degree or diploma or equivalent industry experience.
• Must have experience working on large P3 projects.
• Strong verbal communication, active listening skills and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written communication skills as well as strong editing and proofreading skills.
• Strong multi‑tasking skills, time management and organizational skills within a fast‑paced environment.
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office.
• Must have proven experience working with Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

About Smith + Andersen

Founded in 1965, Smith + Andersen has organically grown from an established reputation as a trusted engineering consulting firm, reaching new levels of engineering and design excellence in the mechanical, electrical, communications, security and audiovisual fields, and providing enhanced services such as lighting, building automation systems, and intelligent integrated systems design. Thanks to our client‑focused approach, we are able to apply efficient, sustainable, and reliable design and engineering solutions on the some of the most exciting projects across Canada.

For more information about Smith + Andersen, please visit our website at www.smithandandersen.com.

Accommodation

Appropriate accommodations will be provided to candidates upon request throughout the recruitment and hiring process. If you require accommodation during any phase of the hiring process please advise the Human Resources Specialist with whom you are in contact.

Diversity

Smith + Andersen is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates of any age, culture, subculture, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, race, ethnicity, family status, religion, mental or physical status or veteran status.

Recruitment Agencies

Smith + Andersen welcomes interest by individual applicants. For resumes or applications submitted by agencies or recruiters with which Smith + Andersen does not have an agreement in place, Smith + Andersen will not pay any referral fee. Unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies or recruiters will be deemed to have been referred without fee or other charges.

Smith + Andersen is an equal opportunity employer.