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Lodestar Space is building autonomous, AI-driven space defense systems for national security. The company develops Mithril, an autonomous intelligence platform designed to operate independently in space, conducting orbital reconnaissance, threat detection, and response operations. Backed by venture capital and government stakeholders, Lodestar is expanding across the U.S. Space Force, Department of War, and commercial satellite operators.
As Senior Technical Bid Writer, you will be the primary proposal writer translating Lodestar's sophisticated autonomous systems and space defense capabilities into winning government contracts. This is a hands-on role where your writing is the core deliverable. You will work across multiple acquisition vehicles (RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, SBIRs) targeting U.S. Space Force, AFRL, DIU, Space RCO, SDA, NASA, and Intelligence Community customers.
Key responsibilities include:
**Proposal Writing & Content Development:** Own technical, management, and past performance volumes for DoD, DoW, NASA, and IC solicitations. Translate complex engineering concepts—orbital mechanics, autonomous systems architecture, machine vision, edge computing, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), directed energy—into clear, compliant, evaluator-ready narratives without requiring heavy engineer redlines. Write executive summaries, capability descriptions, technical approaches, staffing narratives, and past performance sections. Build and maintain a reusable proposal content library to reduce per-submission workload.
**Solicitation Analysis & Compliance:** Perform thorough RFP decomposition (Section L, Section M, SOW, CDRLs, attachments) and produce compliance matrices and annotated outlines before writing begins. Track and enforce compliance across all volumes, ensuring every requirement is addressed and cross-referenced. Apply working knowledge of FAR and DFARS to ensure regulatory compliance. Flag solicitation ambiguities, conflicts, or requirement gaps early.
**Cross-Functional Coordination:** Work directly with technical teams to extract input efficiently through structured interviews and targeted Q&A. Coordinate inputs from Business Development, Finance, Legal, and Mission Operations. Support team reviews and incorporate feedback quickly. Own proposal schedules, draft cycles, and submission logistics across multiple concurrent opportunities.
You will operate with significant autonomy in a lean, high-velocity environment. There is no centralized proposal center—you own the end-to-end process with full backing from commercial and engineering teams.
**Requirements:**
- 3 to 6 years of hands-on technical proposal writing experience supporting DoD, DoW, NASA, or Intelligence Community customers
- Demonstrated experience writing for space systems, satellite technology, autonomous systems, defense software, or adjacent aerospace and defense domains; engineers must trust your first draft
- Proven ability to independently decompose complex solicitations (Section L/M analysis, compliance matrices, annotated outlines) before narrative writing begins
- Working knowledge of FAR and DFARS sufficient to parse requirements, identify compliance obligations, and write correctly
- Experience across multiple acquisition vehicles: RFPs, OTAs, CSOs, BAAs, SBIRs, and non-traditional defense pathways
- Exceptional written communication skills; proposals should read as mission-informed, not boilerplate-assembled
- Comfort operating in ambiguity with self-reliance and end-to-end ownership
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Political Science, Business, or related field (Master's preferred)
**Preferred Experience:**
- Specific experience writing for U.S. Space Force, AFRL, DIU, Space RCO, SDA, SpaceWERX, or NASA space systems programs
- Familiarity with USSF and DoW acquisition ecosystems including Space SBIR/STTR, STRATFI/TACFI, and Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) OTA vehicles
- Primary or sole proposal writer experience at a defense tech startup or emerging technology company (not large proposal center)
- Ability to read and interpret system architecture diagrams, orbital mechanics profiles, or hardware block diagrams and write accurate technical prose independently
- Experience with AI-enabled proposal tools for drafting, gap analysis, and compliance review
- Active Secret or Top Secret clearance or eligibility and willingness to obtain one
ITAR Requirement: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
