Proposal Writer

Socket.dev; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity-based compensation

PTO and holidays

Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

Performance-based bonus

Job summary

Space Kinetic is seeking a Proposal Writer to secure partnerships, contracts, and funding by translating complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives across DoD, SBIR, NASA, and commercial programs. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and business development, offering a unique opportunity to shape how our technology is understood and adopted by the market.

The position can be onsite at the El Segundo, CA office or remote, with responsibilities spanning

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Writing, Engineering, Business, Communications, or related field.
• 3+ years of proposal writing, technical writing, or government contracting experience.
• Understanding of government procurement, including FAR-based solicitations, SBIR/STTR programs, and OTA or commercial pathways.
• Ability to translate complex technical information into clear and compelling content.
• Strong writing, editing, organization, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead proposals from opportunity analysis and outlining through final submission.
• Write technically accurate content for DoD, SBIR, NASA, commercial, and strategic opportunities.
• Translate engineering and strategy inputs into clear narratives, graphics, and proposal components.
• Ensure compliance with RFP, RFI, and BAA requirements and submission protocols.
• Manage proposal schedules, content collection, technical reviews, color-team reviews, and production.
• Maintain reusable content, including boilerplate, past performance, capability statements, and graphics.

Skills

Proposal writing

Technical writing

Government contracting

Content development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Writing, Engineering, Business, Communications, or a related field

Job description

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

As a Proposal Writer at Space Kinetic, you will play a critical role in securing the partnerships, contracts, and funding that power our mission. You will lead the development of high‑quality proposals for government agencies, commercial customers, and strategic partners: translating complex technical concepts into compelling, clear, and compliant narratives. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and business development, offering a unique opportunity to shape how our technology is understood and adopted by the market.

This is a full-time position that can either be worked onsite at the El Segundo office or remote.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead proposals from opportunity analysis and outlining through final submission.
• Write technically accurate content for DoD, SBIR, NASA, commercial, and strategic opportunities.
• Translate engineering and strategy inputs into clear narratives, graphics, and proposal components.
• Ensure compliance with RFP, RFI, and BAA requirements and submission protocols.
• Manage proposal schedules, content collection, technical reviews, color-team reviews, and production.
• Maintain reusable content, including boilerplate, past performance, capability statements, and graphics.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor’s degree in Writing, Engineering, Business, Communications, or a related field.
• 3+ years of proposal writing, technical writing, or government contracting experience.
• Understanding of government procurement, including FAR-based solicitations, SBIR/STTR programs, and OTA or commercial pathways.
• Ability to translate complex technical information into clear and compelling content.
• Strong writing, editing, organization, and project management skills.
• Experience with compliance matrices, color reviews, proposal outlines, and related proposal tools.
• Ability to manage evolving priorities in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. TS/SCI clearance.

What We’d Love:

• Aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing proposal experience.
• Experience with large-scale IDIQ, BAA, FOA, or SBIR Phase II/III proposals.
• Understanding of classified program workflows.
• Experience creating graphics, infographics, or data visualizations.

Where You’ll Be:

• The position can be onsite in El Segundo, CA or worked remotely.

What We Offer:

• Equity-Based Compensation
• Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Unique Performance-Based Bonus Structure

ITAR Requirements:This position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Candidates must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, Protected Individual as defined by law), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here

Equal Employment Opportunity:Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disabilityor any other legally protected status.

The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job‑related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

Pay Range

$90,000—$125,000 USD