Proposal Coordinator

By Light Professional IT Services LLC readies warfighters and federal agencies with technology and systems engineered to connect, protect, and prepare individuals and teams for whatever comes next. Headquartered in McLean, VA, By Light supports defense, civilian, and commercial IT customers worldwide.

We are hiring a Proposal Coordinator to support our proposal team with a strong emphasis on desktop publishing (DTP), editing, and production excellence. This is a junior-level role with clear growth potential for candidates eager to develop deeper proposal skills (e.g., compliance, content development, knowledge management, and automation) and a growth track to Proposal Management.

Ideal candidates are highly organized, deadline-driven, and take pride in producing clean, professional deliverables. Candidates with a graphics background or a strong secondary proposal skill-such as prompt engineering with AI tools, knowledge management, or proposal graphics-are especially encouraged to apply.

This is a hybrid role based in McLean, VA or Hanover, MD, requiring a minimum of two (2) days per week onsite.

Provide day-to-day coordination support to active proposals: meeting scheduling, agendas, action item tracking, and status updates.
• Perform desktop publishing and formatting in Microsoft Word: templates, styles, section numbering, headers/footers,TOCs/LOFs/LOTs, and layout consistency.
• Support editing (copyediting and light substantive editing) for clarity, consistency, grammar, and adherence to proposal conventions.
• Assist with file organization, naming conventions, and version control in SharePoint/Teams or designated proposal repository.
• Support review cycles by routing drafts, consolidating comments, maintaining trackers, and helping ensure adjudication closure.
• Coordinate proposal assets: resumes, past performance, management plans, compliance artifacts, forms, and required attachments.
• Support final production: PDF creation, quality checks, file packaging, and upload/submission support.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience (including internships or applicable work).
• 0-3 years of experience in proposal support, DTP, marketing production, technical editing, or similar transferable role.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Word formatting and document production.
• Strong editing and attention to detail (grammar, consistency, formatting accuracy).
• Ability to prioritize tasks and perform effectively under deadlines.

• Proposal graphics experience (PowerPoint/Adobe/Illustrator/InDesign or equivalent).
• Secondary proposal skill such as:
  • Prompt engineering / AI tool support (e.g., AwardedAI or similar)
  • Knowledge management (content libraries, tagging, reuse workflows)
  • Advanced production support (PDF optimization, accessibility, portal submission rules)
• Familiarity with government proposal processes (RFP compliance, color reviews, submissions).