Proposal Writer Job at Cognia in Portsmouth

Content Summary: Proposal Writer at Portsmouth, for Cognia

Education is ever-evolving. And so are we.

We seek passionate people from diverse backgrounds who are committed to helping improve the work of schools as a trusted partner in advancing learning. By joining the Cognia team, you will be immersed in a community of energetic and resourceful people dedicated to a common vision to impact and inspire education providers to advance and enable pathways of success for all learners. At Cognia we have developed a holistic approach to education that empowers schools to create real outcomes and optimize learning for students of all backgrounds, servicing more than 36,000 institutions, 5 million teachers, and 25 million students in 85 countries. When you join Cognia, you join a team of experts passionate about our mission and embracing our core values in everything we do.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

The Proposal Writer is a member of the proposal team, working closely with the Proposal Manager, Senior Proposal Writer, Senior Director Proposals, and contributing authors in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. The Proposal Writer authors, revises, and edits written proposal content to clearly communicate the organization's solutions, value proposition, and differentiators. The Proposal Writer ensures text is compliant and responsive and is compelling and effective from the perspective of the client audience, adheres to the company style guide, and flows in consistency of voice and tone. This position requires developing and maintaining a deep understanding of the company's capabilities and experience, product and service offerings, and business strategy and translating them into effective proposal text and presentations. This position demands excellent command of the English language along with solid observational skills and an attention to detail.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES:

• Determine proposal writing approach by studying requests for proposals (RFPs), attending strategy and solution meetings, and understanding client needs and win themes.
• Confer with corporate leadership, business development, and Proposals team to understand the message/story to be conveyed and write/revise text to ensure the vision is achieved in final documents.
• Interview functional area subject matter experts and conduct research necessary to understand the client, business opportunity, and proposed solution and translate this information into accurate, comprehensive content and documents.
• Lead planning sessions with proposal team members and key stakeholders; develop proposal content plans.
• Develop original content to effectively position corporate products, services, solutions, competitive advantages, and market discriminators, and to address client buying criteria.
• Customize proposal content to meet specific client requirements and context; update the proposal text library with new content for potential re-use.
• Review contributing authors' text for compliance with requirements matrix, win themes, and proposal writing best practices. Direct authors in revision strategies; conceptualize graphics, review and finalize with graphic artist.
• Review, revise, and edit proposal responses from a variety of stakeholders for consistency of voice and tone, adherence to style guide and writing approach.
• Ensure proposal content meets standards and expectations for readability, consistency, and editorial quality.
• Obtain approvals by reviewing proposals with key providers and Proposal Manager and Proposal Sponsor.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement and achieve improved proposal-writing results by contributing to department process improvement efforts.
• Perform duties and fulfill responsibilities that may, from time to time, include related or unrelated tasks.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Communication Arts, Marketing or other relevant field from an accredited College or University required
• A minimum of three (3) years' experience in proposal writing, marketing, publishing or business development required
• Demonstrated writing and editorial skills required
• Education industry experience preferred

Competencies:

• Excellent written and verbal skills, including advanced editing and proofreading skills
• Proven ability to convey complex technical information clearly and persuasively to audiences with varying levels of technical subject matter expertise
• Advanced mastery of Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio) as well as Adobe Acrobat Professional, Outlook, SharePoint
• Strong visual presentation skills; graphic design and desktop publishing skills a plus
• Use problem solving and investigative research skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Collaborate effectively with others throughout the organization, including using virtual collaboration tools
• Provide productive feedback to others for the purpose of improving the quality of the final deliverables
• Organize and prioritize multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and maintain high standards for quality
• Education market knowledge or experience desired; client-centric focus
• Work flexible or extended hours, as needed, to meet deadlines

Anticipated Travel (may include local, national, and/or international travel):

• Limited travel (0-10%)
• Travel to Annual All Staff Company Meeting required

At Cognia, we recognize the critical role played by our teams in carrying out the organization's important educational mission. As a reflection of that recognition our exceptional benefits offerings include generous paid time off and holiday breaks, comprehensive insurance plans, and a 12.5% retirement savings contribution which is immediately vested, all effective on your date of hire. This represents an affirmative commitment by the organization to attract and retain the highest quality workforce - to ensure our continued ability to effectively serve our mission for years to come.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristics protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations. Cognia is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.