Proposal Writer (Remote)

At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, over 50 stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.

We are seeking a Proposal Writer to join our Bid team, where every bid we win puts Lakeshore materials into more classrooms. In this role, you will develop and rewrite persuasive content across complex bid responses, tailoring voice and depth of detail to reach the multiple audiences that secure new business. You will build and maintain the proposal templates and content library the rest of the Bid team works from—leveraging AI to develop it into new subject areas as Lakeshore opens into new business. You will drive new template formats and visual standards with our design team, identify opportunities to strengthen the proposal approach and implement those changes. And you will lead assigned bid responses end to end, from kickoff through final submission. 

A day on the job looks like this:

Developing and rewriting persuasive content across complex bid responses—creating net-new narrative from technical and programmatic source material, and tailoring voice, tone and level of detail so the same information lands with bid evaluators, district decision-makers and senior leadership 

Building and maintaining the proposal templates and content library the rest of the Bid team works from, creating new reusable content, keeping existing content accurate and current, and developing the library into new subject areas as Lakeshore opens into new business and new categories of work 

Driving the development of new template formats and visual standards with our design team—leading the working sessions that set format and visual direction, and ensuring new templates are consistent, on-brand and effective across the team 

Identifying opportunities to improve how proposals are built and implementing those changes with creative and the Bid team, analyzing where the current approach slows the team down or weakens responses, then building and rolling out the fix rather than waiting for it to be assigned 

Leading assigned bid responses end to end, from kickoff through final submission, and managing the schedule across concurrent bids 

Analyzing bid requirements and resolving input from sales, subject matter experts and creative to develop compliant proposal responses 

Ensuring final responses are accurate and consistent in grammar, style, formatting and voice 

Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for: 

Required: 

4+ years of experience in proposal writing, capture management or a similar role 

4+ years leading or coordinating projects with multiple stakeholders from start to finish 

Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Business or a related field 

Experience with RFP/RFQ response and proposal development processes end to end, including building and maintaining reusable content libraries and proposal templates 

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams—plus Adobe Acrobat Pro, TechSmith Snagit and AI writing and content tools 

Availability to flex your schedule to meet submission deadlines, including occasional off-hours work 

Preferred

6+ years in proposal writing, capture management or a similar role 

6+ years leading projects with multiple stakeholders; experience in B2B sales support or RFP/RFQ response 

Master’s degree, or a background in education, manufacturing, distribution or a related sector 

Strong research skills, including effective use of digital research tools 

What sets you apart