Freelance Writer

Are you an experienced freelance proposal writer who is a storyteller at heart? Do you thrive in a role where you can take initiative and think creatively? Are you looking for a role that has impact as part of a growing small business? Sports Connection is searching for a motivated, resourceful, and enthusiastic proposal and technical writer. The ideal candidate has experience writing federal communications proposals. As a member of this collaborative team, the proposal writer will partner Sports Connection lead proposal writer, Vice Presidents, Project Managers and Subject Matter Experts, to provide thoughtful, thorough., and compliant technical responses to assigned federal proposals within our business development pipeline. The ideal candidate will be a strong and concise writer and have experience with the full proposal lifecycle. A proposal jack of all trades, the person in this role will help shape and build our proposal writing and management function. In this role, you will serve as a strategic writer and content developer, editor, and project manager, partnering with other capture and business development team members to help our company continue to grow. Location: This is a 100% remote role. We are open to part-time freelance/hourly consultants. Responsibilities: Proposal Writing and Management Lead planning and writing of proposals (including but not limited to responses to RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and other related content such as oral presentations or vehicle on-ramping data calls); manage multiple projects/proposals simultaneously Coordinate with leadership team, technical SMEs, pricing lead, and staffing teams to lead kick-off meetings and develop response strategies (win themes, pricing approach, staffing needs, etc.) Write content, composing an engaging story that is compliant and aligns with scoring criteria; incorporate feedback from leadership and SMEs to ensure a consistent story, tone and style that will resonate with clients Manage the proposal development process from start to finish (analyzing requirements, establishing a schedule, leading kick-off meetings and color team reviews, developing a compliance matrix, coordinating SME input, completing final review and submission) Provide training and mentoring to Sports Connection staff on the proposal lifecycle and technical writing Proposal Strategy and Planning Work with the rest of the team to establish and meet business development goals Develop and maintain a calendar of upcoming proposals, identifying the level of effort and resources needed to be successful Manage proposal surge resources (as needed) and help plan for future staffing needs as the team grows Help maintain ongoing relationships with prime contractors and support requests related to executing option years and winning recompetes Ensure transparency across a matrixed team, including leading monthly leadership status meetings, supporting updates and reporting for quarterly meetings, coordinating directly with client-facing teams Processes and Best Practices Recommend and implement best practices to improve efficiency and quality of proposal development responses Maintain and continually update a library of standard/boilerplate proposal language, Sports Connection methodologies, past performance examples, proposal graphics, and response templates Lead internal debriefs following proposal submissions and apply lessons learned to future proposals Support other operational functions, including monitoring the release of government solicitations, documenting the status of proposals in our CRM system, and ensuring all proposal files are kept up to date Complete other writing assignments related to marketing, business development and other in-house projects, as necessary Qualifications: 2+ years of relevant experience, including proposal writing experience to include leading the development and submission of whitepapers, RFI responses, and other proposal artifacts A minimum of 1 year of experience writing federal proposals and understanding compliance Exceptional writing skills and experience writing for varying stakeholders/audiences; familiarity with change management, stakeholder engagement and communications, and technology adoption strongly preferred Demonstrated ability to craft tailored proposal responses based on understanding of the client requirements Experience with and strong understanding of Federal procurement processes and the full lifecycle of proposal development, bid planning, shredding RFPs, developing compliance matrices, and leading color team reviews Active listening skills; ability to translate input from SMEs, clients, or other team members into a cohesive proposal response Strong Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams) skills, including using and maintaining Word templates Ability to work independently, adjust to shifting priorities, and turn around projects on short timelines Excellent organization, communication, and project planning skills, with sharp attention to detail, accuracy and quality, even on time-sensitive projects Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously; effectively manage time and prioritize workload Thrives in cross-functional, matrixed, and multi-disciplinary team structures Driven, enthusiastic team player confident in taking initiative and thinking creatively Whats in it for you? Sports Connection prides itself on having a unique and flexible culture. We value hard-working, self-motivated and dedicated employees and are committed to providing an opportunity for tremendous career growth and earning potential. About Sports Connection: Sports Connection owns and operates Sports & Family Entertainment Centers in Charlotte NC. Our 2 Sports Centers are located in South Charlotte at 10930 Granite Street and North Charlotte at 8626 Hankins Road. Our Family Entertainment enter is located in the Ballantyne area in South Charlotte at 11611 Ardrey Kell Road. Sports Connection first opened in 1995 as a 4 court volleyball facility named Volleyball Unlimited and with the addition of a soccer field in 1998, the name was changed to Sports Warehouse. In 2007, the new name Sports Connection was introduced when the Ballantyne Family Entertainment Center was opened with Laser Tag, Arcade, Bowling, Rock Wall, Ropes Course and many other games and attractions. In 2011, Sports Connection added the third location in North Charlotte when it purchased the Charlotte Sports Center. In addition to being voted the best place to have a party in Charlotte, Sports Connection also is the proud sponsor of the Carolina Juniors Volleyball Club that currently has over 2000 girls ages 8-18 learning and playing volleyball each year. Sports Connection is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. Job Types: Full-time, Part-time Pay: $29.86 - $39.10 per hour Benefits: 401(k) Dental insurance Flexible schedule Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Schedule: 8 hour shift Monday to Friday Supplemental pay types: Signing bonus Work Location: Remote