Capture & Proposal Writer Job at ACDI/VOCA in Washington

Content Summary: Capture & Proposal Writer at Washington, for ACDI/VOCA Overview:

Since 1963 and in 148 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that designs and delivers technical and management solutions in agriculture, economic growth, and resilience to promote economic prosperity and social inclusion. Beyond our competitive compensation, full array of insurances, generous 401(k) plan, parental leave, commuter subsidy, career development, we also offer a vibrant, friendly, diverse, inclusive, passionate, and inspiring work environment.

ACDI/VOCA has been named a Top Workplace in 2024 by the Washington Post! In just our first year vying for the award, ACDI/VOCA ranked 7^th out of the 100 companies named to the list in the mid-size category (150-499 employees).

This position will support business development and capture efforts across the organization by developing and writing clear, compliant, and compelling material for concept notes, responses to requests for information (RFIs), and proposals for a range of clients, with an emphasis on USAID. The person may be assigned as a lead technical writer or as a contributing writer responsible for specific sections such as management/staffing section, background/context analysis, executive summary, annexes, and corporate capabilities. They will support proposal writing from the capture phase through submission, working with other capture/proposal team members to develop win strategies and translate technical approaches and other ideas into concise and persuasive text and visuals. They will also contribute to continuous improvement in proposal writing skills, tools, and practices including supporting the development and delivery of training and mentoring and developing or updating writing tools and guidance. When not actively writing proposals, this person will support the broader business development function as directed.

• Masters degree required in a relevant field such as English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Economics, Agriculture, International Development, or other related field; Additional years of experience will be considered lieu of advanced degree.
• Minimum six (6) years of relevant work experience in international development with at least 2 years of experience proposal writing, preferably for USAID, MCC, and USDA. Additional knowledge of non-US government proposals/business development is a plus.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally required; may be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid 19 based on country requirements.
• Must be authorized to work in the US without requiring company sponsorship.

The salary range for this position is $80,901 to $105,067; candidate's relevant experience and skills, as well as our internal equity, will be considered before an offer is extended. This role is a hybrid position based in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:

Capture & Proposal Writing (85%)

• Review, analyze, and interpret technical requirements within business forecasts, RFIs, solicitations and other client documentation to gain a thorough understanding of the audience, situation, and objectives of each business opportunity.
• During capture and preparation phases, work with team to develop creative win strategies and themes that clearly demonstrate capture value, customer needs, ACDI/VOCA-specific discriminators, competition assessment, and business cases/proof points.
• Conduct research as required on client needs, opportunity information, competitive landscape, and ACDI/VOCA capabilities/capacity. Translate information into informative analyses and actionable strategies.
• Closely and proactively collaborate with Proposal Lead (PL), subject matter experts (SMEs), program and other relevant staff, partners, consultants, and others to gather needed information and integrate contributions into a cohesive technical proposal or section.
• Identify potential risks related to assigned areas and collaborate with relevant proposal team members to produce avoidance and mitigation strategies.?
• Conceptualize, write, review, and revise solicitation-compliant, persuasive content in line with win strategy, as assigned (e.g., concept note, presentation deck, RFI-response, technical approach, management approach, staffing plan, organizational capability, annexes, etc.).
• Review, edit, and rewrite content developed by others as needed.
• Demonstrate ACDI/VOCA voice and style and technical familiarity with ACDI/VOCA strategies and approaches and ensure accuracy and quality of all proposal content?
• Incorporate draft and color review feedback from multiple sources into documents and presentations, adjudicate comments from reviewers, and track status of reviewer comments. Seek out additional reviews/inputs and conduct additional research as required to address feedback.
• Collaborate with proposal team and graphic designers to ideate and make excellent use of graphical elements.
• Help ensure technical proposal corresponds to budget and other cost volume documents.
• With proposal team, be prepared to respond quickly and competitively to questions from client post-submission.
• Adhere at all times to established templates, outlines, schedules and deadlines and maintain proper version control.
• May participate in capture trips and/or write from international locations to facilitate collaboration with local partners and proposal team members.
• Participate in proposal review sessions, capturing feedback, making recommendations, and executing necessary revisions.
• Maintain excellent communication with proposal team and other key stakeholders throughout.

Business Development Support (15%)

• Develop and maintain process and procedure documentation. Train other team members on correct use and implementation.
• Manage proposal and other relevant content and documentation libraries, ensuring content is accurate and updated on a regular basis.
• Recommend, develop, and implement process improvements to enhance proposal quality. Periodically analyze and make recommendations based on donor feedback.
• Mentor staff formally and informally to increase the organizations writer capacity; share examples of writing in winning proposals, particularly content commended by the client. Provide training as requested.
• Identify, recommend, and attend relevant events, workshops, trainings, etc. to enhance skills and industry knowledge.
• Contribute to long-term positioning plans/client profiles and conduct research as assigned.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships within and knowledge of the client community, including Government agencies, industry primes, and potential partners and personnel.
• Proactively collect information and communicate about new markets, opportunities, and competition to the Business Development Group
• Assist in developing methods and materials to communicate to clients what we do (priority technical areas) and where we do it (priority geographic areas).

Other duties

• Support and enhance the company's culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion and align with our corporate values by treating others with respect and congeniality.
• Ability to host or attend in-person meetings when required.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required; reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Masters degree required in a relevant field such as English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Economics, Agriculture, International Development, or other related field; Additional years of experience will be considered lieu of advanced degree.
• Minimum six (6) years of relevant work experience in international development and at least 2 years of experience writing proposals, preferably for USAID, MCC, and USDA.
• Demonstrated excellence in writing winning technical proposals that are compliant with the requirements, responsive to client needs and showcase win strategy. Includes excellent use of graphics. Strong preference for experience writing winning proposals in sectors such as economic growth, resilience, food security, access to finance, and gender, youth and social inclusion.
• Proven familiarity with international donor programs and/or their procurement processes. International project management and/or field experience a plus.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines and quality standards in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated ability to ability to conduct research, gathering information from multiple sources including desk and field research; to work with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to quickly build a basic understanding of highly technical concepts; and to distill large quantities of technical information into concise, salient, logical, persuasive, and easily understandable text.
• Proven ability to facilitate complex, technical discussions of participants with varied perspectives; able to summarize and to identify action items and next steps.
• Strong analytical skills: able to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to visualize, articulate, conceptualize, and solve complex issues and to present and substantiate a logical, persuasive written argument.
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural, communication, organizational, and troubleshooting skills, with excellent attention to detail, and the ability to adapt communication style to different audiences, to collaborate effectively remotely, and to maintain grace and productivity under pressure.
• Proficiency with PC-based word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database applications, remote communication and collaboration platforms such as Teams and SharePoint, Dynamics 365 or similar CRM system, and demonstrated ability to use Internet as a research tool. Basic graphic design skills or experience leveraging Artificial Intelligence writing technologies?are a plus.
• Knowledge of market systems, sustainable agriculture, resilience, access to finance, investment, climate adaptation, nutrition, and/or gender/youth inclusion is preferred.
• Fluency in English required. Professional proficiency in another language, particularly Spanish, French, or Portuguese is a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally required; may be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 based on country requirements.
• Must be available during core business hours and/or operating hours for international time differences; flexibility to work more hours when needed.
• Flexibility to work in-office based on work demands.
• Must adhere to our company's Health Safety Code of Conduct and demonstrate the organization's commitment to sustaining a healthy and safe work environment.