Commissionaires Nova Scotia (CNS) is the province’s leading provider of security, safety, training, and identification services. Winner of the 2025 Canadian Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs)- Outstanding Partnership, we are a part of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, our parent federation employing over 22,000 commissionaires across Canada. We exist to provide meaningful employment for veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, their families, and anyone else who wants to contribute to the security and well-being of Nova Scotians.
We are looking for a highly engaged, positive, and professional individual to join our team as a Proposal Writer. You’ll play a key role in developing compelling, high-quality proposals and coordinating responses to RFPs, RFQs, and other procurement opportunities that support the organization’s continued growth and success.
We are recognized for providing the highest quality of security services in Nova Scotia, with global certifications for our exceptional customer service, management standards, and environmental stewardship.
WHAT WE OFFER
A sought-after employer and community partner, we can help you achieve your goals through challenging work, professional development, and career advancement opportunities. We strive to continually improve and leverage technology in the security industry across Nova Scotia.
Join the 2025 OSPA Award Winning Team and benefit from:
- Competitive salary of $70,000–$80,000 per year
- Health, drug, and dental benefits
- Life and accident insurance
- Annual vacation leave, plus up to 3 paid personal days per year
- 10 paid Sick Days per year
- Paid Federal Holidays
- Commissionaires Retirement Savings Program (RRSP/TFSA matching)
- Free uniforms and equipment (if applicable)
- High-quality, formal, and paid on-the-job training
- Annual paid loyalty award
- Education assistance funds and family scholarship programs
- Advancement opportunities within a large, national organization
POSITION SUMMARY
The Proposal Writer plays an important role in supporting the organization’s growth and long-term success. As part of a team supporting the organization’s growth, this position leads the development of competitive proposals and responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Requests for Information (RFIs), and other procurement opportunities.
Working collaboratively with technical subject matter experts, operational leaders, executives, and external partners, the incumbent brings together organizational expertise to develop compelling value propositions and high-quality submissions. Success in this position requires strong relationship management, persuasive writing, project management, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate multiple concurrent proposals within demanding deadlines.
Major Responsibilities
PROPOSAL MANAGEMENT & RFP RESPONSES
- Leads the end-to-end development of proposal responses.
- Analyzes solicitation requirements and develops compliance matrices.
- Coordinates proposal kick-off meetings and pursuit strategies.
- Develops proposal schedules, milestones, and production plans.
- Assigns writing responsibilities and manages contributor inputs.
- Writes, edits, and integrates proposal content from multiple stakeholders.
- Ensures all proposal submissions meet client requirements and organizational quality standards.
- Manages proposal reviews, red-team reviews, and executive approvals.
- Coordinates final formatting, production, and submission activities.
- Maintains proposal libraries, templates, boilerplate content, and best practices.
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT & TECHNICAL WRITING
- Develops compelling executive summaries, management approaches, corporate experience sections, and value propositions.
- Translates technical information into persuasive and customer-focused content.
- Ensures consistent branding, messaging, and positioning across all submissions.
- Continuously updates and improves reusable proposal content.
PROPOSAL STRATEGY & COORDINATION
- Reviews customer needs, procurement requirements, and evaluation criteria to inform proposal responses.
- Works with internal stakeholders to identify organizational differentiators and key proposal themes.
- Supports leadership and subject matter experts in developing competitive and responsive submissions.
- Researches relevant client, industry, and procurement information to support proposal development.
- Participates in proposal planning and go/no-go discussions as required.
REPORTING, ANALYTICS & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
- Maintains Customer Relationship Management (CRM) records, opportunity tracking systems, and proposal databases.
- Prepares reports on business development activities, pipeline status, proposal metrics, and win rates.
- Analyzes proposal outcomes and implements lessons learned.
- Recommends process improvements to increase efficiency and proposal quality.
Education and Knowledge
i. Education (Minimum Required): Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Public Administration, Engineering, Commerce, or a related field.
ii. Certifications:
- Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance and/or an RCMP Enhanced Reliability security clearance.
- Valid Nova Scotia driver's license.
iii. Skills and Abilities: (Minimum Required)
- Exceptional written communication and editing skills.
- Proposal writing and content development.
- Strategic thinking and analysis.
- Relationship management and networking.
- Project planning and coordination.
- Facilitation and meeting management.
- Presentation and communication skills.
- Time management and prioritization.
- Research and information gathering.
- Management of multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines.
- Interpretation and analysis of complex procurement documents.
- Stakeholder influence without direct authority.
- Cross-functional collaboration across departments and organizational levels.
- Strategic thinking while managing detailed execution requirements.
- Production of high-quality work under tight deadlines.
- Sound judgment and decision-making.
- Adaptability to changing priorities and business needs.
iv. Professional/Technical Knowledge:
- Business development principles and growth strategies.
- Public and private sector procurement processes.
- Proposal development methodologies and best practices.
- Contracting and competitive bidding processes.
- Sales pipeline management.
- Market research techniques.
- Customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
- Strategic planning and opportunity assessment.
- Technical and persuasive writing principles.
- Project management practices.
- Sound understanding of government procurement processes / public administration.
- Advanced MS Office Suite skills, particularly with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint.
- CRM platform proficiency
v. Past Experience:
- 3-8 years of progressive experience in business development, proposal management, capture management, sales support, marketing, or related functions.
- Demonstrated experience leading successful RFP, RFQ, and RFI submissions.
- Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and managing competing deadlines.
- Track record of contributing to revenue growth or successful contract awards.
- Experience in the security industry, CAF, or RCMP would be considered a strong asset.
vi. Work Conditions:
- Travel throughout Nova Scotia may be periodically required for client meetings, conferences, networking events, and presentations and when required is a condition of employment.
- This position is primarily office-based, however, remote work is permitted.
- Ability to work extended hours during critical proposal submission periods is required.
- Frequent interaction with senior leadership, technical teams, clients, and external partners.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply by September 9, 2026. Only those selected to move forward in the process will be contacted.
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