Proposal Writer

K-Solv Group; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Garner Environmental Services in Houston, TX seeks a skilled Proposal Writer to lead the development of compliant, persuasive submissions for federal, state, local government, and private sector opportunities. The role collaborates with operations, business development, and executives to deliver tailored responses addressing solicitation requirements.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience creating competitive proposals and qualifications packages, translating complex requirements into

Qualifications

• Five+ years of direct experience writing and developing proposals for government agencies or commercial clients.
• Drafting substantial portions of RFP/RFQ/RFI responses including executive summaries, approaches, and past performance.
• Strong understanding of government and commercial procurement processes and evaluation criteria.
• Experience translating solicitation requirements into compliance matrices and outlines.
• Ability to develop original proposal content from interviews, operational information, and SME input.
• Experience coordinating contributions from operations, business development, leadership, and teaming partners.
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and document organization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple submissions with tight deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaboration tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage proposal activities across the full lifecycle from opportunity assessment to post-submission archiving.
• Analyze solicitations to identify requirements, deadlines, and supporting documents.
• Support market research, customer intelligence, and competitive assessments for opportunities.
• Create schedules, compliance matrices, response outlines, and writing assignments.
• Facilitate proposal kickoff and team reviews; track feedback to resolution.
• Write executive summaries, technical approaches, staffing narratives, and past performance sections.
• Tailor content to customer needs and evaluate criteria; collaborate with BD and operations.
• Interview SMEs to develop accurate, project-specific proposal narratives.
• Describe resource mobilization, staffing, quality assurance, and contract compliance.
• Coordinate with pricing and operations to align content with scope and pricing.

Skills

Proposal writing

RFP/RFQ/RFI writing

Government procurement knowledge

Compliance matrices

Content development

Stakeholder coordination

Editing and proofreading

Multitasking & meeting deadlines

MS Word/MS Excel/MS PowerPoint

Tools

Loopio

GovWin

Bonfire

Jaggaer

SharePoint

Microsoft Copilot

Job description

Location: Houston TX

Position Summary

The Proposal Writer leads the development of compliant, persuasive proposals in response to federal, state, local government, commercial, and private-sector solicitations. These include Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs), Statements of Qualifications (SOQs), and other competitive procurement opportunities. This position supports Garner Environmental Services’ growth across disaster response, emergency management, disaster recovery, environmental services, infrastructure, and related consulting markets.

This is a hands-on proposal writing role requiring direct experience developing competitive submissions for government agencies, commercial clients, or both. The Proposal Writer collaborates with operations, business development, subject matter experts, and executive leadership to communicate Garner’s capabilities, relevant experience, staffing resources, and proposed approach in a manner that addresses each solicitation’s requirements and evaluation criteria.

Candidates must demonstrate direct experience writing competitive proposals and qualifications packages. Experience limited to IT documentation, software documentation, user guides, or policies and procedures manuals does not satisfy the proposal writing requirements for this position.

The ideal candidate has developed proposals for disaster response, FEMA-funded recovery programs, emergency management, environmental services, infrastructure, public works, industrial services, or related government and commercial contracts.

Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of direct experience writing and developing proposals for federal, state, or local government agencies, commercial clients, or a combination of both.
• Demonstrated responsibility for drafting substantial portions of RFP, RFQ, or RFI responses, including technical approaches, management plans, executive summaries, qualifications, and past performance.
• Strong understanding of government and commercial procurement processes, solicitation structures, evaluation criteria, and proposal submission requirements.
• Experience translating solicitation requirements into compliance matrices, response outlines, and clear, responsive proposal narratives.
• Ability to develop original proposal content from interviews, operational information, project records, and input from subject matter experts.
• Experience coordinating contributions from operations, business development, leadership, and teaming partners.
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and document organization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple submissions, competing priorities, and short turnaround times.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaborative document management tools.

Responsibilities and Duties

Proposal Development and Management

• Manage proposal activities throughout the full proposal lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, kickoff, compliance review, content development, reviews, production, submission, and post-submission archiving.
• Analyze solicitations, amendments, and agency responses to identify requirements, evaluation factors, deadlines, and required supporting documentation.
• Support opportunity identification, qualification, and bid/no-bid evaluations by conducting market research, customer intelligence reviews, and competitive assessments.
• Create proposal schedules, compliance matrices, response outlines, and writing assignments.
• Facilitate proposal kickoff meetings and coordinate Pink Team, Red Team, Gold Team, and final production reviews. Track reviewer feedback through resolution.
• Write compelling executive summaries, technical approaches, management plans, staffing narratives, qualifications, and past performance sections.
• Tailor proposal content to the customer’s needs, project scope, evaluation criteria, and Garner’s proposed approach.
• Collaborate with business development and operational leaders to develop proposal themes, differentiators, and supporting evidence.
• Interview subject matter experts and operational personnel to obtain the information needed to develop accurate, specific proposal narratives.
• Clearly describe how Garner will mobilize resources, staff projects, manage work, maintain quality, and meet contract requirements.
• Integrate teaming partner and subcontractor content into a consistent, cohesive response.
• Coordinate with pricing and operational personnel to ensure proposal narratives align with the proposed scope, staffing, and pricing.
• Support pricing narratives and cost volume documentation when required.
• Organize internal proposal reviews, incorporate feedback, and resolve content gaps before submission.
• Verify that final submissions meet formatting, page limits, attachment requirements, and submission instructions.
• Develop responses supporting disaster response, FEMA-funded recovery programs, environmental remediation, emergency management, industrial services, infrastructure, and related government and commercial services.

Proposal Research and Content Development

• Interpret engineering reports, applicable FEMA and HUD program guidance, operational plans, and contract requirements to develop clear, accurate proposal content.
• Translate complex technical and operational information into persuasive narratives that explain Garner’s ability to perform the requested services.
• Research government agencies, commercial clients, opportunities, competitors, and program requirements to support proposal planning and development.
• Develop project descriptions and past performance summaries that demonstrate relevant experience and results.
• Maintain and continuously improve corporate content libraries, boilerplate materials, resumes, project descriptions, past performance records, and reusable proposal assets.
• Review existing content for accuracy and relevance, tailoring it to each opportunity.
• Incorporate lessons learned from proposal reviews and customer debriefings into future submissions.
• Maintain company registrations and profiles within federal, state, local, and commercial procurement portals.

Preferred Qualifications and Industry Experience

• Certification through the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) is preferred, not required.
• Experience developing proposals involving one or more of the following:

Experience developing proposals involving one or more of the following:

• o FEMA-funded disaster recovery programs.
• o Emergency management services or consulting.
• o Disaster response and recovery operations.
• o Environmental remediation and environmental services.
• o Public infrastructure or public works programs.
• o Government contracts requiring rapid mobilization and field operations.

• Experience supporting capture planning, teaming arrangements, and structured proposal reviews.
• Experience with proposal management platforms, procurement portals, content management systems, and proposal automation tools (e.g., Loopio, GovWin, Bonfire, Jaggaer, SharePoint, Microsoft Copilot, or similar platforms).

Preferred Tools and Processes

• GovWin IQ or similar government opportunity research platforms.
• SAM.gov and state or local procurement portals.
• SharePoint or comparable proposal content libraries.
• Proposal compliance matrices and content management processes.
• Structured proposal reviews, including Pink Team and Red Team reviews.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to write customer-focused proposals that clearly connect company capabilities to solicitation requirements.
• Strong proposal planning, research, and content organization skills.
• Ability to distinguish required proposal content from background information and prioritize material relevant to evaluation criteria.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to obtain timely information from busy stakeholders.
• Exceptional attention to detail, including consistency across narratives, staffing plans, schedules, and supporting documents.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Resourcefulness in identifying missing information, resolving inconsistencies, and moving proposals forward.
• Flexibility to adapt to solicitation amendments, changing priorities, and compressed deadlines.
• Sound judgment when handling confidential business information and proposal materials.
• Willingness to work outside regular business hours when necessary to meet submission deadlines.
• Ability to follow company policies, procedures, and document control requirements.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• This is an office-based role involving extended periods of computer use, writing, editing, and document review.
• Occasional visits to operational or project locations may be necessary.
• Ability to move within office or project environments and occasionally lift or move office materials weighing up to 10 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.

The statements above describe the general purpose and responsibilities of this position and are not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or tasks that may be assigned.