Senior Proposal Lead - Hybrid Work, Shape Proposals

SMMA; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee-owned firm (ESOP)

Hybrid work-from-home policy

Competitive benefits package

MA Paid Family and Medical Leave

401(k) with company match

Employee Assistance Program

Mentor/protégé program

Educational and licensure reimbursemen

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

SMMA, a Cambridge-based design firm, is seeking a Senior Proposal Lead to drive the pursuit lifecycle across seven market sectors. You will align multidisciplinary teams, craft compelling narratives, and ensure compliant, high-quality submissions that support business development.

Based in a fast-paced environment, you will manage opportunities from identification through interviews, coordinate with market leaders and SMEs, and maintain proposal content libraries while tracking status in our

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Marketing, Journalism, Business, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience leading qualifications, proposals, and interview materials, preferably within the AEC industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex pursuits and coordinating multidisciplinary teams through all phases of the proposal development process.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical content into clear, persuasive, client-focused messaging.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy, quality, and compliance.
• Strong research, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead full pursuit lifecycle, including opportunity evaluation, kickoff meetings, strategy development, content creation, reviews, submissions, and interview preparation.
• Analyze RFIs, RFQs, RFPs, and other procurement documents to identify requirements, assess pursuit opportunities, and develop response strategies.
• Develop proposal schedules, compliance matrices, outlines, assignments, and review processes to ensure timely, high-quality submissions.
• Compose and format documents with strong reader-friendly graphic/layout skills.
• Collaborate with market leaders, technical staff, and subject matter experts to gather information, define win themes, and develop compelling proposal content.
• Write, edit, and tailor proposal narratives to clearly communicate SMMA's qualifications, experience, and value proposition.
• Coordinate with subconsultants and project partners to obtain required qualifications, schedules, certifications, and commitment materials.
• Conduct opportunity searches and maintain firm profiles and qualifications within procurement portals and industry databases.
• Manage and maintain proposal resources, including project descriptions, resumes, templates, boilerplate content, and lessons learned.
• Track pursuits, maintain pipeline data and opportunity records in Vantagepoint, and provide regular pursuit status reporting to market leadership.
• Participate in post-submission debriefs and pursuit analyses, identifying opportunities to strengthen future proposals and processes.
• Stay informed on industry trends, client priorities, competitor activity, and proposal best practices within the AEC industry.

Skills

Strong writing & editing

Project management

Strategic thinking

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Vantagepoint

Job description

SMMA, a Cambridge-based design firm, is seeking a Senior Proposal Lead to drive the pursuit lifecycle across seven market sectors. You will align multidisciplinary teams, craft compelling narratives, and ensure compliant, high-quality submissions that support business development.

Based in a fast-paced environment, you will manage opportunities from identification through interviews, coordinate with market leaders and SMEs, and maintain proposal content libraries while tracking status in our