Capture Strategist

Northwoodspace
US
RemoteCareer-pivot friendly

Why this role

Pace
Varied
The Capture Strategist role demands a high-velocity approach, as evidenced by the need to support multiple simultaneous pursuits and drive proposal development timelines efficiently.
Collaboration
High
This role requires strong cross-functional collaboration, as the Capture Strategist must coordinate inputs from various teams, including business development, engineering, and leadership, to ensure cohesive and compelling proposals.
Autonomy
High
The Capture Strategist operates with a high degree of autonomy, leading the development of strategic written materials and serving as the primary author and project manager for proposals.
Decision Impact
Team
Decisions made by the Capture Strategist significantly impact the company's success, as they are responsible for framing opportunities early and driving proposal development from shaping through submission.
Role Level
Individual Contributor
The role is complex, requiring the ability to translate technical concepts into clear narratives and manage multiple simultaneous pursuits.
Career Pivot Friendly
Welcomes transferable skills
Individuals with experience in business development, strategic communications, or proposal writing in industries such as aerospace or defense can easily transition into this role, leveraging their skills in shaping opportunities and crafting compelling narratives.

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • shaping customer-facing opportunity strategies
  • leading development of strategic written materials
  • driving proposal development timelines
Typical background
capture, proposal strategy, proposal writing, business development, strategic communications

Transferable backgrounds

  • Coming from Proposal Writer in Aerospace
    Technical Writing · Proposal Development
    The experience in translating complex technical concepts into clear, persuasive narratives directly aligns with the Capture Strategist's role.
  • Coming from Business Development Manager in Defense Tech
    Cross-functional Collaboration · Customer Relationship Management
    The ability to work closely with various teams and understand customer needs is crucial for success in this role.
  • Coming from Consultant in Government Technology
    Strategic Thinking · Project Management
    A background in strategic consulting, particularly in government technology, provides the necessary skills for framing opportunities and managing proposal development.

Skills & requirements

Required

Capture And Proposal StrategyTechnical WritingCross-functional CoordinationProject ManagementFederal Acquisition Processes

Preferred

Experience With U.S. Government CustomersCommercial Or International Customer ProposalsWin Strategy And Competitive Positioning

Stack & domain

Capture StrategyProposal StrategyProposal WritingBusiness DevelopmentStrategic CommunicationsRFIRFPWhite PapersTechnical NarrativesPresentationsProposal DevelopmentContent InfrastructureResponse PlaybooksFederal Acquisition ProcessesProposal StructuresEvaluation CriteriaTechnical WritingCommunicationTeamworkLeadershipProblem-solvingAdaptabilityCuriosityAerospaceDefenseGovernment TechnologySpace Communications

About the role

As a Capture Strategist at Northwoodspace, you'll spend your days crafting compelling narratives that turn complex technical concepts into winning proposals, working best with someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and excels at cross-functional collaboration.

Original posting from Northwoodspace via Ashby

About Northwood:

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between earth and space and bring the benefits of space to the masses through innovations in space communications technologies. If you are energized by building at a high-velocity company and seeing your work deployed in locations around the globe with real impact, we want you at Northwood.

Role:

Northwood Space is seeking a Capture and Proposal Strategist to help shape and win strategic opportunities across U.S. Government, international government, and commercial customers. This person will play a central role in translating customer needs, technical capabilities, and business priorities into compelling capture strategies and high-quality written materials that position Northwood to win.

This role sits at the intersection of business development, strategy, and execution. The right candidate will be an exceptional writer and strong cross-functional operator who can help frame opportunities early, drive proposal development across multiple stakeholders, and turn complex technical concepts into clear, persuasive, customer-aligned narratives. They will work closely with growth, engineering, mission, product, and leadership teams to support priority pursuits from early shaping through submission.

Responsibilities:

  • Support capture strategy for priority opportunities across U.S. Government, international government, and commercial customers
  • Shape customer-facing opportunity strategies by translating mission needs, procurement signals, and competitive context into clear win themes and differentiated positioning
  • Lead development of strategic written materials, including RFIs, RFPs, white papers, technical narratives, presentations, and other customer-facing documents
  • Serve as a primary author and project manager for proposals, coordinating inputs across business development, engineering, product, mission management, legal, finance, and leadership teams
  • Drive proposal development timelines, content integration, reviews, and final deliverables across multiple simultaneous pursuits
  • Build and maintain reusable content, proposal infrastructure, and response playbooks that improve quality and speed over time

Basic Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience in capture, proposal strategy, proposal writing, business development, strategic communications, or related roles in aerospace, defense, government technology, or other complex technical industries
  • Experience supporting or leading responses to RFIs, RFPs, white papers, presentations, or similar strategic customer-facing documents, including translating complex technical concepts into clear written narratives
  • Ability to work in-person in Los Angeles or Washington, DC

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience supporting capture and proposal efforts for U.S. Government customers, including defense, civil, or national security agencies
  • Experience supporting commercial or international customer proposals, strategic bids, or partnership materials
  • Experience contributing to win strategy, competitive positioning, customer messaging, or opportunity shaping prior to formal solicitation release
  • Familiarity with federal acquisition processes, proposal structures, and evaluation criteria
  • Experience writing about highly technical products, systems, or mission concepts in aerospace, communications, infrastructure, defense-tech, or related fields
  • Experience at an early-stage startup or other fast-paced, high-growth environment

Additional Information:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Source: Northwoodspace careers (Ashby)

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