Global Planning Solutions is seeking a driven and intellectually curious Business Development Research & Proposal Writer to build and fuel our conference acquisition pipeline. This is a front-line business development role. You will identify international congresses, conferences, associations, and emerging business opportunities before they reach the market, research the organizations behind them, identify key decision-makers, and develop compelling proposals that help Global Planning Solutions secure new clients.
If you are energized by investigative research, strategic market intelligence, and turning that intelligence into persuasive, polished writing that wins business - this role was designed around you.
THE ROLE
Congress Opportunity Research & Pipeline Development
- Monitor and analyze sales databases, association channels, bid portals, industry platforms, and other sources to identify international congresses, conferences, and strategic business opportunities.
- Track congress rotation cycles, future host destinations, bid timelines, and upcoming RFP opportunities to identify conferences before they reach the open bidding stage.
- Research professional, scientific, medical, academic, and industry associations that may require conference management or association management services.
- Identify Canadian and international associations whose conferences or congresses align with GPS's expertise and prepare strategic prospect profiles for the Business Development team.
- Research conference histories, attendance trends, governance structures, current management models, incumbent service providers, contract renewal opportunities, and organizational priorities to identify potential opportunities.
- Identify and profile potential local hosts, academic champions, association leaders, researchers, and institutional partners capable of supporting future conference bids.
- Map association governance structures, conference committees, executive leadership, board members, decision-makers, and key influencers to support targeted business development outreach.
- Build and maintain a structured pipeline of prospective associations, conferences, and congresses, ranked by strategic fit, feasibility, and competitive positioning.
- Develop detailed prospect profiles and strategic briefing documents to prepare GPS leadership and Business Development Managers for client outreach.
- Research competitor activity, industry trends, emerging sectors, leadership changes, and organizational developments that may create new business opportunities and strengthen GPS's long-term business development strategy.
Local Host Identification & Stakeholder Mapping
- Identify and profile potential Canadian academic, scientific, medical, and professional champions capable of hosting a congress - including department heads, society officers, and institutional leaders.
- Map association governance structures, decision-making bodies, and key influencers to determine who holds bid authority and how GPS should approach them.
- Develop detailed prospect profiles and stakeholder briefings to prepare GPS leadership and Business Development for outreach.
Proposal & Bid Document Development
- Write, structure, and produce compelling bid documents, congress proposals, and RFP responses that position GPS as the definitive choice for international congress management.
- Respond to open RFP opportunities with well-researched, tailored proposals that address the specific priorities of each association and how GPS can assist.
- Translate complex research and market intelligence into clear, persuasive, commercially focused narratives aligned with GPS positioning.
- Collaborate with GPS Business Development team, leadership, destination partners, and venues to gather supporting content, data, and destination intelligence for each bid.
- Maintain a proposal library, bid calendar, and template system to support quality and turnaround across multiple concurrent opportunities.
WHAT YOU BRING
- 3–5+ years of experience in research, proposal writing, business development, bid management, consulting, associations, conferences, marketing, or a related field.
- Exceptional written English with the ability to write clear, persuasive, and professionally formatted proposals, presentations, and business documents.
- Strong research and investigative skills with the ability to identify organizations, key decision-makers, conference opportunities, and strategic business prospects.
- Excellent analytical skills with the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and identify trends, patterns, and opportunities.
- Experience researching associations, conferences, industries, markets, or stakeholders and translating that research into actionable business intelligence.
- Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, including advanced document formatting, styles, tables, graphics, and page layout. Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel is also required.
- Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in a remote environment while collaborating effectively with internal teams.
- Professional communication skills and the ability to prepare briefing documents and materials that support business development activities.
- Experience developing proposals, RFP responses, bid documents, business cases, or strategic presentations for competitive opportunities is considered a strong asset.
- Familiarity with professional associations, international conferences, congress bidding, destination marketing, tourism, or the meetings industry is considered an asset.
- Bilingualism (English/French) is considered a strong asset.
A BIT ABOUT US
Global Planning Solutions has been delivering international conference management since 1970. We are one of only five companies in Canada, and fewer than 200 worldwide, certified by the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO). With over 1,700 conferences delivered across 30+ countries, we serve as full Congress Secretariat for professional associations across the complete conference lifecycle.
This role sits at the front end of our business development pipeline - identifying new conference and association clients, uncovering strategic opportunities, and helping GPS win the conferences and partnerships that we ultimately deliver.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Reports To
President / Vice President
Benefits
Package available after 3 months
Salary
Competitive — please include salary expectations with application
HOW TO APPLY
Qualified candidates are invited to submit their resume and cover letter, along with salary expectations, by email to [email protected]. Please include "Business Development Research & Proposal Writer" in the subject line.
Global Planning Solutions encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Applications submitted outside of the above process will not be considered.
Pay: $47,902.94-$60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Work from home
Work Location: Remote
