Job Description

About This Opportunity

We are seeking a Proposal Development Lead. In this role, you will help Cascade's Customer Engagement team deliver high-quality, compliant, and compelling proposals to meet company sales goals. The Proposal Development Lead follows detailed checklists to coordinate the entire RFX*-based sales process from opportunity assessment through proposal development, interviews, contract negotiations, and handoff to the delivery team. The Proposal Development Lead can expect to coordinate approximately twelve active proposals in various stages at any given time. * RFX = Request for Proposals, Qualifications, Information, etc

Future-Focused AI-Ready Culture

At Cascade Energy, we’re actively shaping how AI gets deployed in the real world, in our tools, our client engagements, and our daily work. Our approach has always been relationship-driven and expertise-led, and AI is how we multiply the impact of both.

Successful Cascadians are curious and resilient. They embrace change, seek smarter ways to create impact, and take ownership of their own growth. We embed AI into our work in ways that are responsible and human-centered, and we actively develop our people to deploy it creatively and confidently.

We believe the future belongs to organizations that pair emerging technology with genuine human expertise. That future is being built here. . . .come be a part of it!

What You Will Be Doing

Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Project Management: manages proposal team activities to support milestone achievement, including scheduling meetings, developing work plans, assigning and tracking action items, and following up to keep proposal efforts on schedule.
• Assignments: owns and delivers on the full lifecycle of proposals for large and/or priority sales efforts, with the ability to work on higher-stakes proposals as experience increases.
• Responsible for leading Cascade’s most important proposal efforts.
• Proposal Development: conducts research and outreach required to draft RFX response and coordinates with subject matter experts for input as needed.
• Post-Proposal Facilitation: manages and drafts initial responses to post-proposal requests including interview presentations, follow-up questions, and revisions.
• Contract Negotiations: manages communications and maintains organized records during contract negotiations. Proficient at reading and interpreting contractual documents, managing redlines, and drafting required deliverables such as scopes of work, subcontractor agreements, logic models/diagrams, and guidance documents.
• Knowledge Transfer: supports compilation and transfer of relevant materials and information to program delivery team.
• Mentorship: provides mentorship support for Proposal Coordinator I and II roles. Supports some initiatives (e.g., workload balancing) in coordination with Sales Operations Manager.
• Teamwork: contributes to the team’s high-quality written proposals by proofreading proposals and collaborating on proposal efforts. Identifies process improvements and works with the team to implement them.
• RFX Discovery: regularly monitors inboxes and check websites for relevant opportunities.
• Emerging Technology: utilizes AI tools (such as Copilot, Claude, and others) and other emerging technology to refine proposal content, enhance productivity, and improve business outcomes.

This is a full-time, exempt position, preferably located in Portland OR. We are also open to non-Portland candidates who reside near one of Cascade Energy’s offices with a willingness to travel occasionally.

Qualifications

Applicants for this role are required to have:

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Communications, Journalism, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 6+ years’ experience writing and editing proposals, grants, marketing materials, or other business development content.
• Experience working with energy efficiency, demand response, decarbonization, climate, and sustainability programs, or, a very similar industry.

Compensation & Benefits

The full salary range for this full-time, exempt position in Portland OR is $92,400 - $138,600. At Cascade, transparency and fairness are core to how we work. We post the full salary range for every role because we value clarity and equity. Our offers are thoughtfully determined based on factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and internal equity, to ensure fairness. We aim to ensure consistency and integrity in every decision.

Our total rewards include competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and financial security. We provide health, dental, and vision coverage, along with flexible spending and health savings account options that include employer contributions. Additional benefits include life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, paid parental leave, and a 401(k)-retirement plan with a guaranteed 3% employer contribution. Cascade is proud to offer an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), annual cash performance bonuses, paid vacation and sick time, and an inclusive, flexible holiday policy. To further support wellbeing, we provide a $500 contribution that can be applied to an HSA, FSA, or Lifestyle Spending Account.

Application Process

We would appreciate a current resume with your application. We would also appreciate a letter of interest describing why our team or the position resonates with you, and how your experience makes you a great choice for the role.

• Please, no phone calls.
• Please, no outside recruiters or agencies.
• Cascade Energy is not able to provide sponsorship for work authorization in the U.S., which includes OPT.

Click here to join our Talent Community -- it’s the best way to keep up with and learn more about Cascade Energy! In occasional mailings, we’ll brief you on our industrial decarbonization efforts and share more about our company culture and what makes Cascade a great place to join and to grow.

About Us

Cascade Energy is a leading provider of energy efficiency, energy management, decarbonization, and sustainability solutions for the industrial, commercial, and public sectors across North America. We have a 30-year history of delivering high-value services through electric and gas utility-offered programs and directly to industrial and commercial enterprises.

Our reputation for stellar, high-quality work has expanded our reach throughout North America to serve clients ranging in size from small to Fortune 500 companies in their pursuit of wide-ranging decarbonization and energy savings objectives. Cascade Energy has 14 offices throughout the US and employees in 30 states.

Why Work at Cascade?

As a 100% Employee-Owned Company (ESOP), Cascadians foster and value a culture of equals, initiative, and ownership. Our teams reflect our core company values: Do the Right Thing; Put Others First; Seek Shared Success; Learn Constantly; and Be Industrious. Our customers are vitally important to us, and we pride ourselves on stellar customer service. Our team members are a dedicated and diverse group of ambassadors, representing Cascade Energy, striving to embody our values, ensure we are responsive, and consistently delighting our customers.

In alignment with our values and doing better, Cascade Energy celebrates and values diversity as vital for increased creativity and innovation and faster problem solving, and we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination and harassment. Learn more about what we do to create a welcoming environment at Cascade by visiting Culture and Belonging | Cascade Energy.

Cascade promotes a healthy work-life balance and appreciates employee contribution in all areas. We walk the talk about our commitment to learning constantly, with a focus on the ongoing development of every team member. Cascade is a strong supporter of flexible working arrangements, and offers role-dependent options for remote, hybrid, and in-office work.

AI Usage During our Recruitment Process

We value doing the right thing and authenticity in our hiring process. All application materials, including resumes, cover letters, and assessments, must reflect your own original work. The use of AI tools including Gemini, Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT, other large language models or generative AI, Grammarly, and resume builders to assist is acceptable only when your personal experiences, voice, and descriptions of your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications are accurately and meaningfully represented. Submission of work that is not your own or the use of AI impersonation or deepfake simulators during screening calls and videos will disqualify you from consideration.

AAP/EEO Statement

Cascade is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion and religious practices, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or family, marital, or veteran status. To request a reasonable accommodation during the application and interviewing process, please contact the Cascade recruiter. Cascade Energy uses the federal E-Verify system to determine eligibility for work in the United States and conducts post-job offer, pre-employment drug screening.