Public Sector RFP Specialist
Location: Canada—Remote (Eastern or Central time zone preferred)
A note on length — this posting is intentionally longer than most. That is deliberate. It gives you a realistic preview of the role and clear guidance on how to present your application, so we suggest reading it in full.
About SOVRA
SOVRA is a leading public procurement platform trusted by more than 7,000 government agencies and over 1 million suppliers across North America. Our work sits at the intersection of technology, public service, and accountability, helping governments operate more efficiently and transparently on behalf of the communities they serve.
What makes SOVRA unique is our deep focus on the public sector. Our solutions are purpose-built to solve real, complex procurement challenges, balancing compliance with usability and innovation. That commitment has been recognized with the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) Certification from the National Procurement Institute, reflecting our high standards and impact on the market.
At SOVRA, the work you do matters. Every improvement we make helps public organizations stretch taxpayer dollars further, operate with greater transparency, and deliver better outcomes for millions of people. We're a growing, mission-driven company where smart, curious people come together to build technology that serves the public good.
Learn more at sovra.com.
About the job
SOVRA is looking for a Public Sector RFP Specialist to join its proposal team. This is a newly created role driven by the continued growth of SOVRA and the increasing number of high-value, complex solicitations. These opportunities require dedicated ownership to ensure a strategic, compliant, and competitive response process that supports SOVRA's growth objectives.
The role serves as the lead for SOVRA's strategic public-sector proposal responses, driving response strategy, compliance, content development, stakeholder engagement, and submission execution. These opportunities span SOVRA's diverse public-sector customer base, including state and provincial agencies, education institutions, and special districts across North America.
Public-sector solicitations for procurement solutions involve complex requirements, detailed compliance and evaluation criteria, and, at times, tight submission timelines. What the proposal team submits is what an agency evaluates SOVRA on, so every response must meet the high standards of accuracy, clarity, and compliance expected by public-sector buyers and internal stakeholders alike.
What will your main responsibilities look like?
Solicitation Analysis & Response Strategy
You independently lead the review and analysis of RFx documents, develop the end-to-end response strategy, and determine how key customer requirements should be addressed in the proposal.
You develop compelling, customer-focused proposal content with integrated win themes that reflect SOVRA's strengths while ensuring all requirements and compliance criteria are addressed
Proposal Management
You own the proposal schedule from end to end, so every deliverable is tracked, prioritized, and submitted on time and in the form the solicitation requires.
You run proposal milestone meetings from kick-off through status checks and follow-ups, keeping timelines and accountability visible across every contributing team.
Cross-Functional Coordination
You act as the proposal to lead across departments, gathering input from subject matter experts, sales, product, services and other teams resolving gaps before they reach the submission.
You keep every section consistent and accurate, so a response reads one document rather than a set of separate contributions.
Content & Continuous Improvement
You write and edit proposal content, so each response is clear, compliant, and persuasive, and you build reusable material that stays tailored to each customer.
You use Responsive and AI-enabled proposal tools to improve turnaround and consistency, and you carry lessons learned from each submission into the next one.
What will you bring to this role?
Public-sector RFx track record — you have 2+ years developing proposals in response to public-sector solicitations, preferably in technology or SaaS. This experience is essential for the role.
Procurement process knowledge — you understand how public-sector procurement works and what a solicitation requires of a compliant response.
Strategic Proposal Leadership — You have led high-value, strategic proposals partnering with executives, sales leaders, and subject matter experts to develop winning responses.
Proposal platform experience — you have worked hands-on in Responsive or a comparable RFP and proposal management platform.
Project management and organization — You manage proposals, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously while keeping deliverables on track.
Writing and editing strength — you write clearly and persuasively, and you edit and proofread to a standard that holds up in front of an evaluation committee.
Document management — you keep proposal documents, versions and templates organized across a long response cycle.
Stakeholder communication — you explain complex solutions clearly, in writing and in conversation, to both business and technical audiences.
Independent ownership — you work independently and drive stakeholders toward deadlines without extensive supervision.
Accuracy and accountability — you hold a high standard for detail and take ownership of the quality and accuracy of the proposal.
Core tooling — you are proficient in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Adobe Pro.
Authorization to work in Canada — we cannot sponsor work visas or transfers at this time.
What are the assets that would make you stand out?
Handling high value strategic solicitations — you have responded to solicitations from large public-sector agencies, where scale and evaluation criteria add complexity. Candidates whose public sector experience sits with smaller agencies are equally encouraged to apply.
Sales experience — you have worked in or alongside a sales team and understand where a proposal sits within a wider pursuit.
AI-enabled RFx tools — you have used AI tools hands-on to draft, assemble or quality-check solicitation responses.
APMP certification — APMP certification is preferred, with a strong understanding of proposal management for best practices.
You should apply if
You want to own the response to the largest and most complex public-sector solicitations, where the outcome depends on judgment and structure as much as on writing.
You want your work to be the thing an agency evaluates a vendor on, and you want that responsibility held by one person rather than spread thin.
You are drawn to the public sector, where purchasing decisions are made in the open and measured against a standard of accountability.
What we look for in applications
We review every application individually and assess it on its own merits rather than screening keywords. The most useful applications are specific: the solicitations you have responded to, the agencies or sectors behind them, your own role in the response, and the outcome, with numbers wherever you have them. When you name a proposal platform or an AI tool, add a brief note on what you used it to do, since a tool list on its own says little. Specific detail about your own work tells us more than a general summary of responsibilities.
What does success look like?
By 3 months: You have developed a strong understanding of SOVRA's solutions, proposal processes, reusable content library, approval workflows, and key subject matter experts. You actively contribute to strategic public-sector proposals in collaboration with the proposal team by coordinating content development, managing assigned proposal sections, and supporting compliance and submission activities.
By 6 months: You independently manage strategic public-sector proposal opportunities with limited oversight, leading proposal schedules, coordinating cross-functional contributors, ensuring compliance, and driving content development through submission.
By 12 months: You are a trusted advisor for SOVRA's most strategic public-sector pursuits, consistently leading compliant, compelling responses and contributing to proposal process improvements, content strategy, and win-rate optimization.
Our interview process
Our process is designed to be thorough while respecting your time. Three conversations cover the substance of the role and how you would work with the team, with the possibility of a final conversation with leadership.
Recruiter screen — your background, what you are looking for, and the practical details of the role.
Hiring manager panel interview — with the hiring manager and the Manager of Sales Operations, covering your proposal experience and how you approach a complex solicitation.
Cross-functional interview — with VP of Strategic Sales, covering how you work with subject matter experts and stakeholders outside the proposal team.
Leadership interview — a final conversation with a member of the leadership team, where scheduling allows.
Why you should join us
SOVRA serves the public sector, and the work carries the weight that comes with that purpose. Every improvement to our platform helps government agencies operate more efficiently and deliver greater value to the communities they serve. We are a company in a period of deliberate growth, and we are looking for professionals who want genuine ownership of their work and a direct hand in building the organization around them. In this role, that ownership is real: your work on public-sector solicitations shapes how SOVRA presents itself to the agencies evaluating it.
Our benefits include the following, with full details shared during the hiring process:
Comprehensive health and medical coverage.
Paid time off.
A structured learning and development program.
Paid parental leave.
If this role aligns with your experience and ambitions, we encourage you to apply.
Thank you for your interest in SOVRA. However, only selected candidates will be contacted.
At SOVRA, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We provide a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. In addition, we are committed to ensuring pay equity across our organization and regularly review our compensation practices.
