Proposal Specialist IV

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This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and ambitious Senior Bid/Proposals and Marketing professional to join our team. AECOM is looking for a Proposal Specialist IV to join AECOM’s Federal Marketing team. Our clients include both Federal Defense and Civilian agencies, and you will have the opportunity to work with highly specialized teams across Environment sectors primarily in the USA. A successful Federal Marketing/Proposal Specialist has leadership qualities and demonstrates a collaborative mindset, superior communication skills, problem solving ability, organizational skills, and transparency. He/she is a strategic thinker and pushes the status quo for continuous improvement:

Leading winning proposals of AECOM service offerings to DoD and Civilian Agencies

This will be a hybrid position including a combination of both remote and in-office work schedules, that can be based in, but not limited to: Chicago, IL.

Job Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to

As part of the Federal Government Environment team, serves as a proposal manager to assist winning work to the Environment Business line (BL) and regions.

Interfaces with business line growth team and operations to support the process of winning work. Leads responses to client RFI/RFQ/RFPs and applies standard pursuit processes to ensure efficiency in schedule and bid compliance. Responsible for print, electronic and oral proposal deliverables. Provides market research and competitive intelligence and leverages data systems and tools to support proposal strategy and business strategic planning efforts. 

Job Summary

• Responsible for leading large, complex, priority must-win pursuits from capture through to interview stage, as required, which may include multiple disciplines/geographies.  
• May facilitate workshops/sessions to support the capture manager in development of the win strategy. 
• Analyzes debriefs and applies lessons learned to add value to strategy and reviews. 
• Creates detailed annotated outlines and write first-draft content, compliance lists, and capture and proposal schedules, with the ability to pivot if requirements change.   
• Leads writing of proposal sections such as cover letters, executive summaries, past performance sections, management approaches, and resumes/staffing sections. Provides annotated outlines and writing guidance to authors of technical sections.   
• Participates actively in Go/No-Go, capture strategies and greenlight analyses and drives compliance with delegation of authority guidelines, capture planning and positioning activities, providing leadership and direction, where required.  
• Facilitates color reviews for assigned pursuits, and applies lessons learned to add value to proposal and win plan.  
• Serves as a reviewer on color reviews for priority pursuits led by others, as needed, applying in-depth institutional knowledge.  
• Responsible for quality and compliance of all deliverables. 
• Supports debriefs and gathering of client feedback on proposals to ensure and demonstrate continuous improvements. 
• Responsible for proposal and project filing on the secure server and CRM. Knows where to go for all recent submittals and project descriptions. Is familiar with the top IDIQs and top IDIQ managers and project managers.  
• May participate in strategic planning that includes evaluating marketing intelligence, identifying customer concerns and key issues, and developing win strategies to thread into strategic pursuits. 
• May contribute to development and implementation of internal training program on topics related to core processes, tools, practices or other special topics.  
• May lead special projects involving teams of BL staff, as directed by Governments Marketing Lead 

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree + 6 years of experience collaborating within a marketing team to lead and/or support proposal activity, or a demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
• Strong knowledge of proposal best practices and procedures, work processes, and tools as related to Federal proposal management of RFQ/P responses.
• Strong working knowledge of InDesign as well as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Developed understanding of effective proposal and presentation writing and production.
• Demonstrates excellent writing and editing skills, consistently applying strong attention to detail and a drive for continuous quality improvement.
• Ability to produce accurate, compliant, and compelling work independently and with others.
• Evidence of successful leadership.
• Proven organizational and administrative skills, including the ability to complete varied work tasks on schedule, guide deliverable efforts by others, and manage documents and deadlines effectively.
• Initiative, skill, and personal commitment to manage multiple projects and details concurrently, follow up, and bring tasks and projects to completion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Journalism, English, Communications, Marketing, or a related field.
• Working knowledge of and interest in the A/E industry. Knowledge of AECOM’s projects, people, credentials, and competitors is a plus.
• Working knowledge of collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, etc.
• Experience with SAM.gov, GovWin, FedConnect, and SalesForce is preferred but not required.

• This position does not include sponsorship for United States work authorization now or in the future
• Relocation assistance and/or per diem is not offered for this position

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM 

AECOM is proud to offer comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absences, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan. 

AECOM is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. Learn more at aecom.com. 

What makes AECOM a great place to work 

You will be part of a global team that champions your growth and career ambitions. Work on groundbreaking projects - both in your local community and on a global scale - that are transforming our industry and shaping the future. With cutting-edge technology and a network of experts, you’ll have the resources to make a real impact. Our award-winning training and development programs are designed to expand your technical expertise and leadership skills, helping you build the career you’ve always envisioned. Here, you’ll find a welcoming workplace built on respect, collaboration and community—where you have the freedom to grow in a world of opportunity. 

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.