Lead Proposal Specialist

SupplyCore; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3 weeks PTO

Wellness Program

14 company paid annual Holidays

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Flexible Work Life Balance

Nationwide Medical, Dental, Vision, &F

Casual Work Environment

Progressive Associate Recognition

Short- & Long-Term Disability

Professional development

Annual social and community events

Annual Education Assistance Program

401K with bi-weekly Safe Harbor

On-site Free Parking

Job summary

SupplyCore is seeking a Lead Proposal Specialist to independently manage federal RFx responses, from kickoff to submission. You will own compliance matrices, draft volumes, lead RFI/Market Research efforts, and coordinate color-team reviews, ensuring compliant, win-ready proposals for DoD and GSA opportunities.

Reporting to the BD & Proposal Manager, you will collaborate with SMEs, maintain content libraries, and guide junior staff while delivering persuasive, customer-focused content on tight

Qualifications

• 5+ years of proposal experience with DoD/government contracting preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in English, Business, or related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; meticulous editing.
• Self-driven, able to manage multiple proposals under deadlines.
• Proficiency with MS Office; Shipley/APMP training preferred.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead proposal efforts across the Shipley lifecycle from planning to submission.
• Draft, edit, and own proposal content to ensure compliance and persuasiveness.
• Manage RFI/Sources Sought/Market Research end-to-end with SMEs.
• Coordinate color team reviews and maintain the content library.
• Ensure formatting, page counts, and submission readiness for DoD/GSA bids.

Skills

Proposal management

Government contracting

Attention to detail

MS Office

Adobe Acrobat/InDesign

Education

Bachelor's degree in English or Business

Tools

SharePoint/Teams

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Adobe Acrobat

InDesign

Illustrator

Job description

About SupplyCore:

SupplyCore is a Certified Small Business federal contractor to the Department of Defense (DoD) and General Services Administration (GSA). We prioritize supporting our Military, allies, and Government customers worldwide. In partnership with our expansive supply chain, we provide products and services that enable our customers to complete their mission and sustain readiness anywhere.

To learn more visit here;One Company. One Mission. - SupplyCore Inc.

Job Summary:

The Lead Proposal Specialist is an experienced proposal professional responsible for independently managing the day-to-day execution of federal RFx responses. Reporting to the BD & Proposal Manager, this role owns proposal execution from start to finish, including developing and maintaining compliance matrices, drafting and editing proposal volumes, leading RFIs, Sources Sought, and Market Research responses, coordinating color team reviews, and maintaining the proposal content library. This position is focused on bidding and winning federal contracts and is not a sales role.

Key Deliverables and Responsibilities:

Independent Proposal Execution & Compliance

• Independently lead assigned proposal efforts across the Shipley lifecycle (Proposal Planning → Development → Review → Submission).
• Thoroughly review and interpret RFPs and related solicitation documents toidentifyrequirements, evaluation criteria, deliverables, submission instructions, and deadlines; build and own the compliance/requirements matrix andmaintainit through submission.
• Track updates and amendments to active solicitations, post updates, prepare andsubmitquestions to the government during the Q&A/clarification period;monitorand incorporate government responses.
• Independently draft, write, edit, and own proposal content, ensuring persuasive, compliant, and customer-focused content align to solicitation requirements and the company style guide.
• Independently manage the RFI/ Sources Sought/ Market Research process end-to-end, coordinating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and preparing andsubmittingwritten responses.
• Own final production and submission activities, ensuring all proposal volumesmeetformatting, page-count, and submission requirements and areaccurate, complete, and submission-ready.

Reviews, Process & Continuous Improvement

• Schedule and coordinatecolor team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold) around team schedules, applying Shipley best practices andconsolidatingreviewer feedback into proposal drafts.
• Monitor SAM.gov, GovWin, and related portals toidentifynew solicitation opportunities
• Participatein strategy discussions and pre-RFP business development efforts, ensuring win strategies and themes are effectively carried through into written content.
• Assist with post-submission debriefs andlessons learned, applying insights to strengthen future proposals.

Content, Document Management & Team Support

• Own andmaintainthe proposal content library, including boilerplate, reusable content, past performance, resumes/templates, graphics, etc. and lead content-refresh initiatives with SMEs.
• MaintainSharePoint/Teams folder structures, file-naming standards, and document version control to ensuresubmissionreadiness.
• Coordinate with SMEs and stakeholders to gather inputs,maintainaccountability to deadlines, and keep proposal efforts moving.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and mentorship to team members, and support proposal-related training and work instructions.
• Provide support to the RFQ and other transactional/one-off bid processes as needed, coordinating with suppliers to prepare andsubmitresponses.

• 5+ years of proposal experience, with a strong understanding of government contracting and solicitation requirements; Federal or DoD experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in English, Business, or related field preferred; relevant proposal or professional/technical writing experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree. May include military personnel formally trained or with relevant service experience in lieu of civilian experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong grammar, mechanics, and editing ability. Highly meticulous, reviewing and editing one's own work to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Self-driven and proactive; takes initiative to resolve challenges and organized to execute multiple projects at once while adhering to deadlines.
• Proficient with Adobe products like Acrobat, In Design, and Illustrator (preferred)
• Training in Shipley and/or APMP proposal management process (preferred)
• Proficiency working with MS Office (SharePoint/Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

What we offer: We care about our associates and strive to provide the most up to date benefits.

• 3 weeks of PTO with a generous accrual policy
• Wellness Program
• 14 company paid annual Holidays.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible Work Life Balance
• Nationwide Medical, Dental, Vision, & FSA
• Casual Work Environment
• Optional Additional Life Insurance
• Progressive Associate Recognition Program
• Short- & Long-Term Disability
• Company Provided Professional development
• Annual social and community events
• Annual Education Assistance Program
• Company provided PC and office supplies
• 401K with bi-weekly Safe Harbor contributions
• On-site Free Parking [Hybrid/ In-person]

• 401K with bi-weekly Safe Harbor contributions

Pay: $70,000 - $100,000

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.