Senior Proposal Manager (Public Sector)

General Purpose

To lead the creation, management, and oversight of public sector proposal processes, ensuring successful submissions that are accurate, compliant, competitive, and reflect our equity lens. This role’ main focus will be on writing engaging and persuasive public sector proposals, while also identifying and pursuing new public sector opportunities,managing the complexities of government/public RFPs, and ensuring that our Agency’s value and capabilities are communicated effectively.

What You Will Be Doing: Creating a More Just and Equitable Society

As a Senior Proposal Manager (Public Sector), you will lead our public sector business development efforts by overseeing and writing high-quality, compelling proposals that align with government/public agency RFP requirements. This includes reviewing, managing, and customizing proposals to reflect priorities and goals. You will write the proposal content, ensuring that each submission tells a clear, persuasive narrative, and delivers a compelling value proposition through an equity lens. You will also identify new opportunities, manage the intricacies of public sector RFPs, and guide cross-functional teams to create tailored responses that articulate our Agency’s unique value and competitive edge. This role involves strategic oversight, hands-on writing, and collaborative leadership to influence meaningful business growth through impactful public sector work.

Examples of the types of proposals you will work on writing and preparing for submission may include addressing barriers to mobility and transportation in underserved communities; rebranding beloved places, spaces, infrastructure, and government agencies that make up the fabric of our community; working with community groups and city departments to advance reform of government fees and fines that adversely impact low-income residents and communities of color; raising awareness about environmental resilience; creating marketing strategies and branding that reflects an equity lens; crafting integrated communications strategies to reach people where they are; and creating public policy initiatives that ensure diversity and inclusion is valued.

Who You Are

Your career has focused on public sector, mission-driven work, and you are passionate about driving meaningful social impact. Your values are aligned with those of our Agency, and you are skilled at using your expertise to make a difference in diverse communities.

You are…

• Strategically savvy, with a proven ability to identify opportunities and navigate the complexities of public sector business development.
• A clear and persuasive communicator, adept at simplifying complex ideas into compelling narratives tailored for public sector audiences.
• A meticulous writer, skilled at producing articulate, engaging, and error-free proposal content. A self-starter who thrives in deadline-driven environments, managing multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining high standards of quality and accuracy
• An insightful analyst, staying current on government policies, public sector trends, and community challenges to guide strategy.
• A collaborative problem-solver, skilled in coordinating cross-functional teams and adapting to changing priorities.
• Equity-minded, ensuring all proposals reflect inclusivity and align with the needs of diverse stakeholders.

You have…

• Extensive public sector proposal writing experience, including managing government RFPs from development to submission.
• A deep understanding of public procurement processes and the nuances of public sector compliance and equity frameworks.
• Demonstrated expertise in proposal lifecycle management, with the ability to streamline workflows and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple demands and lead collaborative teams.
• An eye for both details and big-picture strategy, ensuring proposals are polished and strategically aligned.

Proven research skills, enabling you to quickly synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepares maintains and manages a proposal process including the matrix outlining all the deadlines, milestones, deliverables, and accountability for every proposal.
• Drafts and completes proposals across multiple business segments within established deadlines
• Thoroughly analyze all sections of the RFP to interpret the requirements set forth by the agencies
• Proofread and edit all material for correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting as applicable to the specific materials requested
• Provide hands-on proposal services as needed to include scheduling, outlining, storyboarding, and section-writing; designing, revising, and incorporating meaningful graphics; conducting reviews; editing and rewriting as needed for readability and compliance.
• Provides accurate and timely follow-up in support of negotiations.
• Partners with expert and knowledge-based staff to manage the entire RFP/RFQ process
• Manages workload and prioritizes activities to ensure delivery of high-quality deliverables to meet internal and external deadlines
• Partner with CEO to develop new business leads and relationships
• Standardize and implement procedures based on best practices to ensure the timeline, process, and completion of an RFP submission is successful
• Other duties as needed or required

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, English, Business, or Technical Writing (a plus)
• Minimum 2 years of proposal/technical writing. Must have experience responding to government RFPs. Experience responding to engineering, architecture, or technology RFPs a plus! Minimum 2 years managing the proposal process from beginning to end
• Knowledge of business development requirements for a small firm doing business with public sector clients
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (preferably with a Mac) and Google Suite
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (CSS) – Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign would be a plus but not a requirement 
• Experience with community relations is a plus!

About Us

D&A Communications is an equity-first communications agency creating meaningful and lasting social change for 25 years. We are devoted to bridging the needs of diverse communities and our client’s goals through integrated communications, authentic engagement, and public participation programs that create real-world transformation. Our mission is to build human connections and empower all people to make a transformative change that elevates our communities, creating a more just and equitable society. 

At D&A Communications, we believe in transparency and open communication. We value everyone’s feedback, creativity, and innovative thinking. We are an eclectic team of self-motivated warriors working together to impact our community positively. Our goal is to grow and develop all our team members to their fullest potential. The common thread that ties us all together is our passion for making a difference.

About Our Culture 

We encourage your ideas and input, and as an equity-first agency, your voice and lived experience make a significant impact both internally and on the communities we serve. We believe in work/life balance and are constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of our employees and our community. We champion making space for our team members to have the freedom to openly and actively contribute their diverse perspectives. We believe that people work best in an environment where they are recognized for their efforts and respected as individuals. We work collaboratively as a team. We measure our success against our values:

Grit – We get s##t done

Courage – We are brave and daring

Intentional – We are committed to meaningful work

Fluency – We are experts in the language of Communications

Impact – We believe in doing good by doing better

Resilient – We are quick to respond and recover with optimism and conviction

Creative – We believe in bold, future-focused ideas

We foster a hardworking, energetic, passionate, creative, and remote-first culture. D&A also promotes a dynamic working environment, offering full-time jobs with no travel requirements and optional remote flexibility. Eligible employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package and competitive compensation that includes medical, dental, and health benefits and LTD, STD, ADD/Life. Benefits include vacation and sick time, holidays, a 401(k) matched by D&A, a professional development stipend,  and a monthly phone/internet reimbursement. We strongly believe in and gladly support investing in our employees, their health and well-being, future retirement, and professional development.

Application Process: JoinUs and Be a Part of Something That Matters

Please submit a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and other necessary information (i.e., link to your portfolio or writing samples) to hr@davis-pr.com. Please include the position you are applying for in the email subject line. No faxed applications will be accepted. Please no phone calls.