In addition to more traditional instructional design efforts, I have extensive experience in the realm of technical communications and federal proposals. To me, technical communication and instructional design work are truly two sides of the same coin, as both ask you to consider your audience and tailor development accordingly. The main distinguisher here, is that technical communication often entails dealing with two separate audiences - the individual who has created the product or content you are meant to discuss, as well as the person that ends up being the recipient of that message.

As such, it is important that you focus on the task at hand - understanding what the originator is attempting to explain and knowing how to translate that for the intended audience.

Strategy is another key component of the proposal writing process - and one that cannot be overlooked. At the end of the day, you must make a compelling argument, prove your relevant expertise, ensure compliancy, and make sure that all parts of the proposal work toward this end.

A few select examples of my work in this realm are discussed below.

Proposal Management Plan

Role: Lead Writer and Editor

Developed a comprehensive management plan for a Department of Defense proposal, aligning technical requirements with customer objectives. I streamlined input from multiple SMEs, ensuring compliance with Section L & M while maintaining a clear, persuasive narrative.

Impact: Contributed to a compliant, compelling proposal package that positioned the team for award consideration on a multi-million-dollar IDIQ.

Cybersecurity Policy & Procedure Guide

Role: Technical Writer

Authored and updated cybersecurity policy and procedure documentation in alignment with NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, and HIPAA Security Rule. Translated regulatory requirements into user-friendly guidance for technical staff and business leaders.

Impact: Improved policy adoption and audit readiness; reduced onboarding time for new employees by providing clear, actionable documentation.

Compliance Matrix Development

Role: Technical Writer

Created and maintained a detailed compliance matrix mapping RFP requirements to proposal content. Collaborated with capture and proposal managers to ensure all deliverables were met and properly cross-referenced.

Impact: Guaranteed full compliance with RFP evaluation criteria, reducing risk of disqualification and supporting a more efficient proposal review cycle.

DoD Proposal Development – $99M IDIQ Contract

Role: Proposal Writer and Narrative Lead

Joined an in-progress proposal effort for a $99M DoD IDIQ contract and quickly identified challenges including fragmented content, lack of unified voice, and absence of a compelling value narrative. Conducted a full content review to extract benefits from disparate inputs, facilitated team alignment around a central theme, and rewrote sections to ensure clarity, consistency, and persuasiveness across the entire proposal.

Impact:

• Established a unified proposal narrative, enabling contributors to align technical expertise with customer-focused value.

• Improved clarity and consistency through iterative content reviews, simplifying complex technical ideas for evaluators.

• Recognized for bringing structure and writing expertise that transformed a disjointed draft into a cohesive, persuasive proposal.

• Directly contributed to the award of a $99M IDIQ contract, advancing the next phase of the LCS IVSE courseware program.

Additional efforts (redacted)

Due to the nature of the industry, there are countless instances where I am unable to provide details regarding my work. As such, while unable to provide specifics, I’d like to elaborate on the sort of contributions I have made to additional proposals.

Strategy is huge in the world of proposal writing. Differentiators—things you offer, that the customer cannot find elsewhere—are invaluable to positioning yourself. Within technical proposals, these distinguishing features often fall under one of the following.

The quality of your:

• Products/services

• Management Plan

• Technical Approach

• Personnel

In developing strategy tied to such areas, I have simultaneously gained invaluable knowledge related to Project and Capture Management—estimating and projecting work, creating detailed schedules and timelines, allocating personnel, and budget-related activities. Not only do you get to work with the more concrete, data-driven side of the coin, but proposal writing is great because you then get to put such factors to use and sell them. Persuasively constructing an argument to sway opinion is probably the most rewarding part of this process, a rare opportunity to connect with customers and exert direct influence on business growth.

You’d be hard pressed to find a role able to ever-so-delicately tread between the two quite as elegantly as proposal writing does. And it’s that duality that will always keep me coming back for more.