Senior Proposal Writer in San Diego, California at Firestorm

At Firestorm Labs, driving business growth through compelling proposals, and empowering customers with clear technical documentation are essential. As a Senior Proposal Manager supporting our Business Development team, your mission is to partner closely with product, engineering, capture, and proposal teams to deliver accurate, updated, and easy-to-understand documentation. You will play a key role in creating business development materials ensuring our teams are fully equipped to win contracts and support customers effectively. You will work closely with our Business Development and Capture Managers to develop and manage the documentation that supports all phases of capture and proposal efforts. You’ll help shape strategic proposal content that integrates capture strategies, win themes, and discriminators tailored to mission-critical customer needs in the defense space. This includes crafting compelling narratives, proposal sections, and supporting materials that align with capture strategies and customer needs. In addition to business development deliverables, you may also be asked to support production of user-focused technical documentation such as operational manuals, procedures, checklists, and release notes that help end users operate and maintain Firestorm’s advanced defense systems. You’ll bring a hunger for knowledge, a thirst for quality, and an eye for accuracy. Strong critical thinking and the ability to digest technically complex information are vital. You will help define and build documentation processes, tools, and templates to scale these efforts across the company. The management in coordinating stakeholders and managing documentation roadmaps will set the standard for clarity, quality, and consistency across written materials at Firestorm Labs. What You’ll Do

• Manage the end-to-end proposal development process, including kickoff planning, content schedules, outlines, compliance matrices, writing assignments, and internal reviews to ensure timely, compliant, and high-quality submissions.
• Generate, review, and edit user-focused documentation supporting proposal, and business development efforts. This includes support to whitepaper, proposal responses, technical narratives, and pricing materials.
• Engage with SMEs and cross-functional stakeholders (Pricing, ITAR, Legal, Solution Architects etc) to develop proposal artifacts that are clear, concise, persuasive, compliant, and compelling.
• Ensure content is accurate, error-free, and aligned to RFx requirements, company processes, capture strategies, and industry best practices.
• Support the development of pricing strategies and narratives in coordination with finance and capture leadership, ensuring alignment between technical solution and cost volumes.
• Manage multiple concurrent RFPs, RFIs, white papers, and unsolicited proposal efforts, balancing near-term priorities and long-term growth objectives.
• Build and continuously refine proposal processes, templates, and content libraries to improve scalability, repeatability, and efficiency across future pursuits.
• Create and contribute to documentation style guides, processes, lifecycle workflows, and toolkits to improve quality, efficiency, and scalability of documentation efforts.
• Identify and implement opportunities for continuous improvement across the capture and proposal lifecycle, applying lessons learned to optimize future pursuits and increase win probability.
• In conjunction with the Business Development Leads, manage the “go/no-go” process, deciding which pursuits to dedicate resources to, ensuring high ROI
• Manage and prioritize multiple concurrent documentation projects and deadlines, adapting quickly to shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Identify gaps or risks in documentation efforts, proposing and implementing solutions to keep projects on track.
• Participate in tooling selection and implementation for authoring, version control, desktop publishing, and content management to enable efficient documentation workflows.
• As required, provide support to the development and maintenance of technical manuals, operational procedures, checklists, templates, troubleshooting guides, and release notes to support end users and internal teams.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Technical Writing, English, Communications, or a related field.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoW security clearance
• 6+ years of experience as a Proposal Manager, preferably supporting DoW and Federal Government Contracting within the defense, aerospace, or technology sectors.
• Proven track record of writing, editing, and managing complex proposals and technical documentation under tight deadlines.
• Experience synthesizing information from technical subject-matter-experts and cross-functional teams into clear, concise, and persuasive documents.
• Demonstrated ability to incorporate win strategies and customer-specific language into proposal narratives that resonate with evaluators.
• Familiarity with Federal proposal structures and writing styles, including those found in Sources Sought, Requests For Information FI, Requests For Proposal, Requests For Quote analysis, compliance matrices, and narrative development for technical, management, and past performance volumes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to tailor messaging for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and version control/document management systems.
• Strong management and organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Experience supporting contract deliverables and a working understanding of government solicitation processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CRM platforms such as Salesforce, etc.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment or startup.
• Familiarity with defense industry standards, DoD regulations, and proposal compliance requirements.
• Military exposure and experience, particularly with military technical documentation writing and formatting standards (e.g., S1000D, MIL-STD-40051).
• Knowledge of infrastructure modernization, applications/software development and sustainment, cloud solutions, warfighter solutions, and agile methodologies for defense, civilian, space, and national security sectors of the federal government.
• Knowledge of business development lifecycle.
• Experience writing technical user-facing documentation, style guides, and scalable documentation processes.

Who We Are At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world-class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting-edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost.
Work Environment

• Position is based at Firestorm Headquarters in San Diego, CA.
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating. Relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.

Compensation

• Base salary: $120,000 - $140,000 base, commensurate with experience
• Equity: Meaningful equity grant in a growth-stage defense technology company

The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve. Benefits & Perks Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in July, & December.
• Generous Parental Leave
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Accident insurance
• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.

Export Control Compliance To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce. Equal Opportunity Statement Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.