Senior Proposal Lead and Writer; Proposal Specialist IV

Senior Proposal Lead and Writer (Proposal Specialist IV)

Join AECOM as a Senior Proposal Lead and Writer to support our DoD proposal team. This hybrid position blends remote and in‑office work and may be based in or near Austin, TX.

At AECOM, we deliver a better world by transforming skylines, improving commutes, providing clean water, and optimizing infrastructure. With a global team of over 50,000 professionals, we partner with clients to solve complex challenges and build enduring legacies.

AECOM seeks an experienced proposal professional to lead key proposals and presentations, provide guidance from pre‑RFP positioning through interview stages, and manage a team of proposal staff for our Federal Civilian and DoD Proposal teams. The role covers diverse expertise areas including studies, planning, design, construction, environmental, program management, and more.

• Collaborate with regional and Business Line teams on identified priority pursuits, including pre‑positioning, capture, RFQ and RFP responses, and shortlist interviews.
• Report to the Proposal Team Lead within the Government Marketing group.
• Lead large, complex, must‑win pursuits from capture through interview, potentially across multiple disciplines and geographies.
• Facilitate workshops and sessions to support capture managers in developing win strategies.
• Analyze debriefs, apply lessons learned, and refine strategy and reviews.
• Create detailed annotated outlines, write first‑draft content, prepare compliance lists, and manage capture and proposal schedules.
• Lead writing of proposal sections (cover letters, executive summaries, past performance, management approaches, resumes, and staffing). Provide guidance to technical authors.
• Participate in Go/No‑Go decisions, capture strategies, and greenlight analyses, ensuring compliance with delegation of authority guidelines.
• Facilitate color reviews, leverage lessons learned, and support continuous improvement.
• Maintain quality and compliance of all deliverables and support debriefs to gather client feedback.
• Manage filing of proposals on secure server and CRM, and stay familiar with key IDIQs and managers.
• Contribute to strategic planning, marketing intelligence evaluation, customer insight analysis, and the development of win strategies.
• Lead special projects and contribute to internal training program development.

• BA/BS degree plus 6 years of relevant proposal experience, ideally within US Federal and/or DoD sectors or equivalent education/experience.

• BA/BS in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing, or related field; alternatively AA/two‑year degree plus one year of related experience.
• 8+ years of proposal management and writing experience, preferably in Federal Civilian and/or DoD sectors.
• Federal environmental proposal experience and APMP/SMPS certification are pluses.
• Strong writing, editing, grammar, and style skills.
• Proven leadership of multi‑disciplinary or multi‑geography proposals valued >$20 million.
• Deep understanding of proposal and presentation best practices, including message conveyance, theme articulation, and evaluation criteria handling.
• Experience applying industry best practices to support positioning and client development.
• Proficiency with desktop publishing (Adobe Creative Suite), graphics (InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, Photoshop), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaborative tools (Teams, SharePoint).
• AI usage experience and Salesforce CRM knowledge are pluses.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, follow up, and deliver on commitments.
• Professional demeanor, excellent interpersonal skills, discretion with confidential matters, and the ability to work independently or collaboratively.
• Diplomacy, resourcefulness, and problem‑solving mindset.

• Relocation assistance and/or per diem are not offered.
• Position does not include sponsorship for U.S. work authorization.

Annual salary range: $90,000 – $110,000, commensurate with education, experience, and location.

AECOM offers comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability, paid time off, leaves of absence, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, and a retirement savings plan. As a Fortune 500 firm with $16.1 billion revenue (FY 2024), AECOM is a global infrastructure leader dedicated to delivering innovative, sustainable solutions.

AECOM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All information will be kept confidential in accordance with EEO guidelines.