About the role

As a Proposal Writer (Contractor), you will own the development of compelling, technically accurate responses to RFIs and RFPs. At the nexus of Rain’s engineering work, wildfire operations expertise, and customer needs, you’ll translate complex technical concepts into clear narratives that resonate with non-technical evaluators while keeping fidelity to the details that win awards. You’ll collaborate closely with the team to shape requirements, gather inputs, and rapidly iterate high-quality submissions. Our need for proposal-writing support is variable, so we’re looking to build a long-term, part-time contracting relationship.

What we do

Rain integrates with early wildfire detection to dispatch autonomous aircraft to suspected ignitions. Once dispatched, Rain’s Wildfire Mission Autonomy System perceives the fire, shares intelligence, develops a suppression strategy, and when approved, completes the water drop and evaluates its efficacy. Combining wildfire mission management, path planning, fire perception, suppression strategy, and suppressant targeting, Rain’s technology gives fire agencies the ability to stop wildfires in their earliest stages, before they grow out of control.

What you will do

• Own end-to-end development of RFI/RFP and grant responses—shaping proposal structure, and clear, evaluator-friendly narratives

• Translate Rain’s technical and operational capabilities into concise content that aligns tightly with solicitation requirements and evaluation criteria

• Partner with engineering, operations, leadership, and external teammates to gather inputs, interview SMEs, and turn material into polished submissions

• Create and maintain proposal artifacts (compliance matrices, outlines, schedules, content plans), keeping everyone aligned on deadlines and deliverables

• Draft, edit, and QA sections for clarity, consistency, and accuracy—ensuring a single voice and high-quality storytelling across the full package

• Use AI tools thoughtfully to accelerate drafting and iteration while maintaining rigor, traceability, and fidelity to source information

• Build and manage a reusable content library (past performance, resumes, capability statements, boilerplate, graphics requests) to improve speed and quality over time

• Coordinate review cycles, incorporate feedback efficiently, and drive submissions to completion under variable timelines and shifting priorities

• Support post-submission learning (debriefs, lessons learned, content improvements) to continuously raise Rain’s proposal hit rate

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience responding to local, state, or federal RFIs and RFPs

• Evidence of excellence in translating a wide variety of complex technical concepts to be accessible to a general audience 

• Strong interpersonal communication skills 

• Experience using AI tools thoughtfully to accelerate proposal development

• Previously held primary responsibility for grant writing or proposal projects that were successfully awarded 

• Have previously led grant writing or similar proposal writing projects for hard tech

What will make you a great fit

• Previous experience with SBIR proposals

• Previously responsible for issuing RFPs and RFIs to solicit industry responses as an employee of government agency

• Emphasis in past work on responding to federal RFIs and RFPs

• Experience responding to RFIs and RFPs issued by the Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Location

If you want to be remote or in-office, the choice is yours! Our office is located in Alameda, California - just across the Bay from San Francisco. The office is easily accessible by ferry, bike and scooter, and there is ample parking.

Legal Notice

This role involves access to information governed by U.S. export control laws. To comply, applicants must qualify as a “U.S. Person” (U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee). Employment offers are contingent upon meeting these requirements.