Proposal Writer / Capture Manager

About Us Swan delivers the future of defense and industry through scalable autonomous products. Swan is backed by leading defense VCs including a16z's American Dynamism fund. Role Overview Swan is seeking a Proposal Writer / Capture Manager to sit at the heart of our growth engine. In this role you are, first and foremost, a writer — you will craft the compelling technical narratives and documents that win new business — while also owning the capture process that shapes and qualifies the opportunities behind them. You'll partner across business development, engineering, program management, finance, legal, and the executive team to translate Swan's autonomy and hardware capabilities into mission-focused proposals that close deals. This is a build-it role. You'll create structure where none exists, manage competing priorities and overlapping proposal schedules, and navigate the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of a hyper-growth defense-technology startup. You thrive on short timelines, understand the U.S. Government acquisition process, and know how to move an opportunity from first contact to signed contract. Key Responsibilities • Own end-to-end proposal development — lead and write responses to Government and customer RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, white papers, SBIR/STTR, and OTA solicitations, from kickoff through submission. • Drive capture management for priority pursuits: qualify opportunities, build and execute capture plans, shape requirements with customers, and improve probability of win (pWin) through disciplined gate reviews. • Serve as lead writer — produce clear, compelling technical narratives that translate cutting-edge autonomy and hardware capabilities into customer- and mission-focused value propositions. • Build and maintain the opportunity pipeline; monitor SAM.gov , DIU, AFWERX/SpaceWERX, SOCOM, SBIR/STTR, and other channels; flag and qualify new opportunities for leadership. • Own and continuously improve the proposal process — schedules, compliance matrices, and color-team (pink/red/gold) reviews — ensuring on-time, fully compliant, high-quality submissions. • Develop and maintain strategic pricing and Basis of Estimate in partnership with finance; support cost/price volumes. • Lead teaming and partner strategy with primes, subcontractors, and non-traditional partners. • Build and curate a reusable content library of past performance, technical boilerplate, briefs, and graphics for use across the business. • Manage proposal content on unclassified and, as needed, classified systems, ensuring security compliance and proper marking/handling throughout. • Coordinate closely with Swan's engineering team to accurately represent our technology to potential customers. Qualifications and Skills • 5+ years of experience in proposal writing, capture management, or business development within government, defense contracting, or GovCon. • Exceptional writing and editing skills, with a demonstrated ability to generate large, compliant documents on short timelines. • Working knowledge of the U.S. Government solicitation and acquisition process (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, white papers, SBIR/STTR, OTAs). • Experience owning or driving capture plans, gate/color-team reviews, and win strategy (Shipley or a comparable methodology). • Proven ability to build process where none exists and to operate independently in a fast-paced, hyper-growth environment. • Strong cross-functional collaboration — able to extract technical content from engineers and translate it clearly for non-technical customers. • Comfort managing competing priorities and overlapping proposal schedules. • Must be a U.S. Person (this role requires access to export-controlled data); U.S. Citizenship may be required for certain classified pursuits. Preferred Qualifications • Experience with SBIR/STTR, OTAs, DIU, AFWERX/SpaceWERX, SOCOM, or other non-traditional DoD acquisition pathways. • Familiarity with autonomy, robotics, UAS, aerospace, or other hardware-centric defense products. • Shipley Associates and/or APMP certification. • Experience developing pricing strategies and Basis of Estimate / cost volumes. • Prior experience standing up a proposal or capture function at an early-stage company. • Active security clearance (Secret or TS/SCI). What We Offer Swan is a fast-paced, innovative, and collaborative startup environment. We offer a top-notch benefits package, including: • Top-tier health, dental, vision, short-/long-term disability, and life insurance, with full employee coverage and partial coverage for dependents • Flexible/reasonable vacation and sick leave • 401(k) plans, FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits Compensation & Location Base Salary: $140,000 – $185,000. Actual compensation within this range depends on experience, skills, and qualifications. This role is also eligible for equity and Swan's full benefits package. Location: Remote (U.S.) — Washington, DC or San Francisco strongly preferred. Swan is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, uniform service, veteran status, disability status, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law. Swan considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.