Proposal Writer / Growth Operations Manager

Proposal Writer / Capture & Growth Manager

Growth / Business Development · Remote (U.S.), Washington, DC or San Francisco preferred · Full time

About Us

Swan delivers the future of defense and industry through scalable autonomous products. Swan is backed by leading defense VCs including a16z’s American Dynamism fund.

Role Overview

Swan is seeking a Proposal Writer / Growth Operations Manager to sit at the heart of our growth engine. In this role you are, first and foremost, a writer. You will craft the compelling technical narratives and documents that win new business, while also owning the capture process that shapes and qualifies the opportunities behind them. You will partner across business development, engineering, program management, finance, legal, and the executive team to translate Swan’s autonomy and hardware capabilities into mission-focused proposals that close deals. This is a build-it role. You will create structure where none exists, run the proposal operation end to end, keep the pipeline and internal initiatives moving, and navigate the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of a hyper-growth defense-technology startup. You thrive on short timelines, understand the U.S. Government acquisition process, and know how to move an opportunity from first contact to signed contract. This position supports DoD, OTA, SBIR/STTR, DIU, and other federal technology pursuits.

Key Responsibilities

Proposal Writing and Technical Content

• Serve as primary author for technical and management proposal volumes, including technical and management approaches, past performance narratives, staffing approaches, Quality Management Plans, Risk Management Plans, Statements of Work, CDRLs, and supporting technical documentation.
• Produce supporting artifacts including white papers, quad charts, one-pagers, and capability statements.
• Translate complex engineering concepts into clear, persuasive, evaluator-focused proposal languag