About the role
About the Role
Forterra is seeking a skilled and versatile Proposal Writer & Business Development Analyst to support the company's growth efforts across a range of business development activities. The role will focus primarily on developing compelling, compliant proposal and capture content, while also contributing market research, business analysis, and cost and pricing support that strengthen pursuit strategy and decision-making.
This is an ideal role for a strong writer with an analytical mindset who can translate complex technical, operational, strategic, and quantitative inputs into clear, persuasive materials for government and defense customers. The right candidate is highly organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, and comfortable moving between narrative development, research, and data analysis in a fast-paced environment.
The Proposal Writer & Business Development Analyst will partner closely with capture, growth, technical, program, finance, contracts, and leadership teams to develop high-quality written products and actionable insights that improve Forterra's competitive positioning and support successful pursuit outcomes.
What
You’ll
Do
Lead the writing, editing, and refinement of proposal content for U.S. Government and defense opportunities
Develop a broad range of business development materials, including RFI and Sources Sought responses, solution briefs, white papers, capability statements, executive summaries, customer briefings, and other strategic pursuit content
Translate technical, operational, programmatic, and quantitative inputs into clear, compelling, and customer-focused written responses
Partner with capture and growth teams to develop win themes, discriminators, and messaging aligned with customer priorities and opportunity strategy
Interview subject matter experts and cross-functional contributors, synthesize disparate inputs, and convert them into polished written products with a unified voice
Support proposal development through storyboarding, outlining, drafting, editing, compliance reviews, and incorporation of review feedback
Conduct targeted market and competitive research using public budgets, procurement forecasts, acquisition histories, industry reporting, and other relevant sources
Analyze customer priorities, acquisition strategies, market trends, and competitor positioning; synthesize findings into concise opportunity briefs and capture recommendations
Support opportunity qualification, capture planning, and pipeline reviews with structured business analysis, research, and data-driven insights
Support cost and pricing analysis by gathering inputs, reviewing historical awards and market benchmarks, documenting assumptions, and developing basic pricing scenarios
Collaborate with Finance, Contracts, Program, and technical teams to validate cost and pricing assumptions and support bases of estimate, pricing narratives, and internal reviews
Create clear exhibits, briefing materials, and executive summaries that communicate research findings, business implications, and pricing considerations
Maintain and improve reusable content, market intelligence, templates, research sources, and writing standards
Contribute to continuous improvement of proposal, research, analysis, and business development processes, tools, and best practices
What We’re Looking For
A writer-first business development professional with strong analytical curiosity and sound judgment
A detail-oriented and process-driven problem solver who can produce high-quality work in high-stakes environments
A clear communicator who can distill complex technical, business, and quantitative inputs into persuasive narratives and actionable insights
Someone who thrives in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments and enjoys collaborating across technical and business functions
A proactive contributor who anticipates needs, takes ownership of deliverables, and consistently meets deadlines
What
You’ll
Need
Relevant experience in proposal writing, proposal development, business development writing, technical writing, market research, business analysis, or federal/defense communications
Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to turn complex inputs into clear and persuasive content
Experience supporting U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or federal contracting pursuits
Familiarity with proposal and business development materials such as RFIs, Sources Sought responses, white papers, solution briefs, and executive briefings
Demonstrated ability to conduct research, evaluate source quality, identify key findings, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information
Working knowledge of business analysis concepts, including market sizing, opportunity assessment, competitive analysis, and pipeline or capture support
Comfort working with cost and pricing inputs, historical data, assumptions, and basic financial or scenario models
Strong spreadsheet skills and the ability to organize, analyze, and communicate data clearly
Ability to work effectively with technical, program, finance, contracts, business development, and executive stakeholders
Strong verbal communication skills, including the ability to interview contributors and reconcile disparate inputs
Ability to balance compliance, clarity, analytical rigor, and persuasiveness across written and quantitative deliverables
High degree of ownership, responsiveness, discretion, and problem-solving ability
What We Love to See
Experience writing or conducting market analysis for defense, autonomy, robotics, software, mobility, or other advanced technology markets
Experience researching U.S. Government budgets, acquisition plans, contract vehicles, procurement histories, or competitive landscapes
Familiarity with federal acquisition, contracting, and proposal processes, including both pre-RFP and live proposal efforts
Experience supporting cost volumes, bases of estimate, price-to-win activities, or pricing strategy in a federal contracting environment
Experience building or interpreting basic cost, pricing, market-sizing, or business-case models
Experience editing contributions from multiple authors into a unified voice
Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Business, Economics, Finance, Political Science, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
US Salary Range
$110,000.00- $135,000.00 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:
Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.
Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.
Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment.
About Forterra
Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.