Senior Technical Bid Writer

Lodestar; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Lodestar Space is seeking a skilled proposal writer to translate complex space technologies into compliant, evaluator-ready narratives for DoD, NASA, and IC opportunities. You will work closely with our engineering team to extract input and craft compelling submissions that meet stringent requirements.

The role emphasizes writing ownership, rigorous Section L/M analysis, and tracking compliance across multiple solicitations while collaborating with Business Development, Legal, Finance, and

Qualifications

• 3–6 years of hands-on technical proposal writing for DoD, DoW, NASA or IC.
• Experience writing for space systems, satellite tech, defense software, or adjacent aerospace domains.
• Proven ability to decompose complex solicitations (Section L/M analysis, compliance matrix, annotated outlines).
• Working knowledge of FAR and DFARS for compliant submissions.
• Experience across multiple acquisition vehicles: RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, SBIRs.
• Exceptional written communication; ability to translate engineering concepts into evaluator-ready narratives.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and taking ownership end-to-end.

Responsibilities

• Write technical, management, and past performance volumes for prime and subcontractor submissions.
• Ensure compliance across all volumes with thorough analysis and annotated outlines.
• Coordinate inputs from cross-functional teams (BD, Legal, Finance, Mission Operations) to deliver cohesive submissions.
• Own proposal schedules, draft cycles, and submission logistics for multiple opportunities.

Skills

Proposal writing

Space systems knowledge

Compliance & analysis

Independent; self‑reliant

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering / Aerospace / Political Science / Business

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Lodestar Space is rewriting the paradigm of national security in orbit. We don't wait for a decade-long government requirements cycle; we build autonomous capabilities ahead of the threat and deliver them at the speed of relevance.

As space transforms into a contested operational and war-fighting domain, our national security assets and critical infrastructure that underpins our modern way of life faces unprecedented vulnerabilities. Lodestar addresses this crisis head-on. We are the architects of Mithril, the world's first fully autonomous, AI-driven intelligence designed to operate independently in space. We're building Mithril to autonomously maneuver and enable complex RPO missions, while simultaneously conducting the length of the kill-chain from detection, classification and intent prediction, to responding to orbital threats in denied environments. Combining cutting‑edge machine vision, onboard edge computing, and pioneering fires and effects architectures, Lodestar gives warfighters and commercial operators unprecedented situational awareness and space superiority in the final frontier.

Backed by elite deep-tech venture capital, international space agencies and government stakeholders, Lodestar is rapidly expanding its footprint across the U.S. Space Force, the Department of War, and major commercial satellite operators. We are a lean, high‑autonomy team of engineers and operators building the space defense infrastructure of tomorrow. Join us.

About the Job

Our engineering team is building some of the most technically sophisticated autonomous systems in the defense space ecosystem. Your job is to make sure that sophistication is translated into winning contracts.

This is a hands‑on practitioner role where your writing is the work. You will collaborate closely with our technical team, learning what they have built and helping translate it into compliant, compelling, evaluator‑ready proposals that resonate with government evaluators. We are a lean and supportive team that moves fast — you will have real ownership over your work and the autonomy to do it well, with the full backing of the commercial and engineering team behind you.

You will work across RFIs, RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, SBIRs, etc. primarily targeting U.S. Space Force, AFRL, DIU, Space RCO, SDA, NASA, and Intelligence Community customers.

What You’ll Do

1. Proposal Writing and Content Development

• Own the writing of technical, management, and past performance volumes for prime and subcontractor submissions across DoD, DoW, NASA, IC, etc. solicitations.
• Translate complex engineering concepts — orbital mechanics, autonomous systems architecture, machine vision, onboard edge computing, RPO, directed energy, etc. — into clear, compliant, evaluator‑ready narrative without requiring engineers to draft or heavily redline your work.
• Write executive summaries, capability descriptions, technical approaches, staffing narratives, and past performance write‑ups that are both compliant and compelling.
• Build and maintain a reusable proposal content library — boilerplate, capability sheets, past performance templates — that reduces per‑submission workload over time.

2. Solicitation Analysis and Compliance

• Perform thorough RFP decomposition — Section L, Section M, SOW, CDRLs, and all attachments — and produce compliance matrices and annotated outlines before writing begins.
• Track and enforce compliance across all volumes, ensuring every requirement is addressed, cross‑referenced, and verifiable at submission.
• Apply working knowledge of FAR and DFARS to ensure submissions meet regulatory requirements without over‑engineering the response.
• Flag solicitation ambiguities, conflicts, or requirement gaps early and raise them before they become submission‑day problems.

3. Cross‑Functional Coordination

• Work directly with Lodestar's technical team to extract input efficiently — structured interviews, architecture reviews, and targeted written Q&A rather than open‑ended drafting requests.
• Coordinate inputs from Business Development, Finance, Legal, and Mission Operations to assemble complete, cohesive submissions on deadline.
• Support team reviews and incorporate feedback quickly without losing compliance or narrative coherence.
• Own proposal schedules, draft cycles, and submission logistics across multiple concurrent opportunities.

Qualifications

• 3 to 6 years of hands‑on technical proposal writing experience supporting DoD, DoW, NASA, or IC customers. We need someone who can execute independently on day one.
• Demonstrated experience writing for space systems, satellite technology, autonomous systems, defense software, or adjacent aerospace and defense domains. You need to understand what you are writing about well enough that engineers trust your first draft.
• Proven ability to decompose complex solicitations independently — Section L/M analysis, compliance matrix development, annotated outlines — before a single word of narrative is written.
• Working knowledge of FAR and DFARS sufficient to parse solicitation requirements, identify compliance obligations, and write to them correctly. You do not need to be a contracting officer — you need to be dangerous enough to catch the issues that matter.
• Experience across multiple acquisition vehicles: RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, and SBIRs. Non‑traditional defense acquisition pathways are a significant part of our pipeline.
• Exceptional written communication skills. Your proposals should read like they were written by someone who understands the mission — not assembled from a library of boilerplate.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and self‑reliance. There is no proposal center here. You own it end to end.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Political Science, Business, or a related field required. Master's degree in a related field preferred.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Specific experience writing for U.S. Space Force, AFRL, DIU, Space RCO, SDA, SpaceWERX, or NASA space systems programs