Proposal Writer

Kuali, Inc.; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Proposal Writer to enhance their proposal strategy and support sales initiatives. This role is pivotal in crafting compelling proposals that showcase the value of innovative software solutions for higher education. As part of a fully remote team, you'll enjoy a collaborative culture that values diversity and inclusion. The position offers a flexible four-day work week, exceptional benefits, and the opportunity to make a significant impact in a company dedicated to empowering educational institutions. Join a passionate team where your contributions are valued and recognized.

Benefits

4-day work week

Flexible remote work

Full premium medical coverage

401(k) matching

Employee stock options

Paid maternity/parental leave

Unlimited paid time off

Skill development support

Recognition platform

Company retreats

Qualifications

• Detail-oriented with strong communication and editing skills.
• Experience in proposal writing for SaaS or higher education preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage technical content for proposals.
• Ensure proposal quality and timely delivery.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for proposal success.

Skills

Proposal Writing

Communication Skills

Attention to Detail

Research Skills

Organization Skills

Team Collaboration

Time Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Experience in SaaS or Higher Education

Job description

Kuali is hiring a Proposal Writer to oversee all proposal/RFP operations for the full portfolio of Kuali products. This position will be responsible for managing and iterating on an overall proposal strategy that is consistent, efficient, and persuasive. The Proposal Writer will own the execution and delivery of all prospect requests prior to contracting. This critical role will ensure that our proposals help potential Kuali customers understand the value our solutions and our community can provide.

Who are we? Kuali builds software solutions for higher education. We help our customers — colleges & universities — focus on providing a fantastic education to students by decreasing their administrative costs. We work in a competitive space, ripe for innovation, with users ready to be delighted. Our culture of openness, trust, and empowerment is woven into every facet of our work. We’re a small, remote team where every role matters. Our Proposal Writer role is an opportunity for you to contribute directly to our success by supporting Sales and collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive impactful results.
Our Culture
As a company, we are guided by our cultural values:

We learn from and teach each other, we practice transparency and empathy, we delight in delivering value to our customers, and we WIN!

We work remotely, and have for years. Distributed work is in our bones, with a history of institutions working across state lines on open-source software for more than ten years. Our employees each work in the environment where they’re happiest, from Pennsylvania to Seattle. We work consciously to create a collaborative and healthy remote work culture, and we travel to meet in person a few times each year. We feel it’s important for employees to come to work refreshed and ready for the week so we have a four day work week policy, Monday-Thursday.

At Kuali, we embrace diversity and inclusion at every level. We value and respect individuals from all backgrounds, recognizing that a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives fuels our success as a company and enriches our collective human experience.

What you’ll be responsible for

1. Develop Technical Content: Write a variety of technical content from Subject Matter Expert (SME) interviews/contributions, research, and personal knowledge to create compelling, winning proposals.
2. Manage Content Library: Create, organize, and maintain a library of reusable assets to ensure precise, compliant, and persuasive proposal content.
3. Lead Proposal Development: Oversee the creation, improvement, and distribution of proposals for both solicited and unsolicited RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs.
4. Ensure Proposal Quality: Take ownership of the quality of each proposal from draft to final delivery by performing rigorous quality assurance checks and helping to ensure that responses are precise, complete, and meet technical and business proposal requirements.
5. Coordinate Proposal Delivery: Ensure timely submission of proposals, in either electronic or printed form, that are fully compliant with solicitation instructions.
6. Collaborate Across Teams: Work with Sales, Product, Marketing, Finance, and potentially other areas of the Company to create persuasive proposals that effectively and clearly position Kuali’s solutions to meet the needs of customers and prospects.
7. Identify Improvement Opportunities: Conduct post-submission reviews to identify potential opportunities to improve future responses, including submitting FOIA requests to obtain competitor information.
8. Support the Sales Process: When not engaged in active proposal preparation, performing other tasks to support the sales process.
9. Represent Kuali: Uphold and demonstrate Kuali values, brand, and mission in all interactions.

About you

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player who will contribute to a team culture built on trust and mutual respect. We believe the best results are achieved by teams who represent a broad range of ideas and perspectives. We value employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. You may be a great fit for this role if:

1. You align with Kuali’s values: You are excited to contribute to an environment that reflects them.
2. You are detail-oriented: You have an amazing attention to detail and take pride in delivering high-quality work.
3. You are an amazing communicator: You are a great listener and communication is clear, concise, and tailored to your audience. You possess strong editing skills.
4. You are organized, communicative, and accountable: You possess excellent organization and prioritization skills. You own your role entirely, while being open to feedback, suggestions, edits, and new ideas.
5. You are self-motivated and eager to grow: You have a thirst for knowledge especially within higher education. You are proactive and your enthusiasm shows.
6. You are resourceful and solution-oriented: When you're faced with a problem, you work to solve it with tact, persistence, and urgency.
7. You are Resourceful: You have the ability to conduct research and synthesize information from multiple sources (subject matter experts, previous proposals) into a cohesive, easy-to-read, and persuasive final product. You are good at adapting to various people and personalities.
8. You are able to multitask effectively: You are good at working on multiple concurrent projects that sometimes have short turn-around times.
9. You are team Oriented and set up for success on a remote team: You love being helpful and supportive and thrive on the successes of the team. You’re comfortable being part of a fully remote team, and you have a suitable home working environment or alternative.

We’d be delighted if you also bring experience with:

1. Working at a SaaS company that provides solutions for higher education.
2. A proven track record of managing RFP responses that result in being short-listed to move on to next steps, like demonstrations.
3. Proposal writing/management for State or Federal Government customers or customers who receive State/Federal funding, especially higher education.

We offer a 4-day, 32-hour work week (we call Thursdays "Kuali Friday"), flexible remote work with no expectation of returning to an office setting, a truly exceptional benefits package including full premium coverage for employee and dependent medical and dental care, 401(k) matching, employee stock options, paid maternity/parental leave, all the paid time off you need (just work it out with your manager), encouragement and support in learning and improving your skill-sets, a recognition platform to reward your contributions with meaningful incentives, and company retreats to connect, recharge, and collaborate.