Proposal & Business Development Specialist – Construction & Restoration (Hybrid/Remote)
HRI Group
Location: Uxbridge / Greater Toronto Area, Ontario
Job type: Full-time, Permanent
Work arrangement: Hybrid / Remote
Schedule: Monday to Friday, with occasional flexibility for proposal deadlines, client meetings and industry events
About HRI Group
HRI Group is a Canadian construction and restoration company specializing in heritage restoration, structural rehabilitation, building-envelope restoration and related construction services.
Our projects require a combination of specialized construction knowledge, careful planning, strong project execution and effective collaboration with owners, consultants, architects, engineers, subcontractors and public-sector organizations.
We are seeking an organized, commercially minded and highly skilled Proposal & Business Development Specialist to support proposal development, competitive pursuits and business-development activities across our restoration and construction operations.
This position is ideal for someone who combines strong writing and document-production abilities with attention to detail, deadline management and an interest in the construction industry.
Position Overview
The Proposal & Business Development Specialist will coordinate and develop high-quality submissions for RFPs, RFQs, EOIs, prequalification packages, tenders and other client opportunities.
You will work closely with estimating, project management, operations, technical personnel and company leadership to collect project information, develop persuasive content, organize supporting documentation and deliver professional submissions on time.
The role will also support business development through opportunity research, client and market intelligence, qualifications materials, project profiles, CRM or opportunity tracking, client outreach and coordination of industry events or meetings.
This is a hybrid/remote position. Much of the proposal writing, research, documentation and coordination may be completed remotely; however, scheduled attendance at the Uxbridge office and occasional meetings, site visits or industry events in the Greater Toronto Area may be required.
Key Responsibilities
Proposal and Bid Coordination
- Coordinate proposal and qualification submissions from initial opportunity review through final delivery.
- Review RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, EOIs, prequalification documents and tender requirements.
- Identify mandatory requirements, evaluation criteria, submission instructions and deadlines.
- Develop proposal schedules, responsibility matrices and submission checklists.
- Coordinate input from estimating, project management, operations, finance, safety and technical personnel.
- Maintain clear timelines and follow up proactively on outstanding content.
- Ensure all required forms, certificates, project information and supporting documentation are included.
- Organize proposal reviews and incorporate approved revisions.
- Perform final quality-control checks before submission.
- Coordinate electronic and physical submissions when required.
- Maintain organized records of submitted proposals and supporting documentation.
Proposal Writing and Editing
- Draft clear, persuasive and client-focused proposal content.
- Develop executive summaries, company profiles, project approaches, team descriptions and relevant experience sections.
- Write and edit responses to technical and non-technical evaluation questions.
- Translate technical construction information into concise and compelling business language.
- Tailor standard content to each client, project and procurement opportunity.
- Edit material supplied by technical contributors for clarity, consistency, grammar and tone.
- Ensure responses directly address evaluation criteria.
- Maintain consistent terminology and messaging throughout each submission.
- Support the development of presentation materials for shortlisted interviews and client meetings.
- Proofread final documents carefully for accuracy and professionalism.
Qualifications and Project Experience
- Maintain current company qualifications information.
- Develop and update project profiles, case studies and experience summaries.
- Maintain information on relevant restoration and construction projects.
- Coordinate staff biographies and project-team qualifications.
- Track reference projects that demonstrate relevant experience.
- Maintain approved corporate descriptions, service information and standard proposal content.
- Develop reusable content while ensuring individual proposals remain tailored to the opportunity.
- Help maintain photographs, project data and supporting marketing assets.
- Coordinate updates as new projects are completed or project information changes.
Opportunity Research
- Research public and private construction opportunities relevant to HRI Group.
- Monitor procurement portals, industry sources and other approved opportunity channels.
- Identify potential RFPs, RFQs, prequalification opportunities and upcoming projects.
- Gather information about prospective clients, consultants and projects.
- Monitor relevant heritage, institutional, commercial and infrastructure markets.
- Help identify opportunities aligned with HRI Group’s experience and capabilities.
- Prepare concise opportunity summaries for internal review.
- Track important dates including prequalification deadlines, site meetings, question periods and closing dates.
- Assist management in maintaining visibility into the future opportunity pipeline.
Business Development Support
- Support business-development initiatives with prospective and existing clients.
- Research organizations, projects and key stakeholders prior to meetings or outreach.
- Prepare company capability presentations and qualifications materials.
- Help coordinate introductory meetings and client presentations.
- Maintain organized records of business-development activities.
- Track follow-up actions and upcoming opportunities.
- Assist with preparation for networking events, conferences and industry meetings.
- Coordinate marketing and supporting materials for business-development activities.
- Help maintain relationships with owners, consultants, architects, engineers and other industry partners.
- Support follow-up after proposals, meetings and events.
- Assist with client feedback and lessons-learned activities following successful and unsuccessful pursuits.
CRM and Pipeline Management
- Maintain accurate opportunity and business-development records.
- Track proposal status, deadlines, client contacts, estimated project values and next steps.
- Update opportunities as they progress through the pursuit process.
- Maintain client and consultant contact information.
- Track upcoming renewals, prequalifications and procurement opportunities.
- Produce routine opportunity and pursuit reports for management.
- Help maintain visibility into active, pending and future opportunities.
- Ensure important client interactions and follow-up activities are documented.
- Support ongoing improvements to business-development data and reporting.
Proposal Compliance and Quality Control
- Create and maintain compliance matrices for major submissions.
- Verify that every mandatory requirement has been addressed.
- Check page limits, formatting, file naming, forms and submission requirements.
- Confirm signatures, certifications and required attachments are included.
- Review proposal documents for internal consistency.
- Verify project names, dates, personnel information and other factual content.
- Ensure graphics, tables and photographs are properly placed and clearly labelled.
- Confirm final files are complete and submission-ready.
- Maintain version control throughout the proposal process.
- Support continuous improvement of proposal templates and quality-control procedures.
Collaboration With Estimating and Project Teams
- Work closely with estimators to understand opportunity requirements and bid strategy.
- Coordinate information regarding project scope, construction approach and relevant experience.
- Support development of value propositions and differentiators.
- Collaborate with project managers to develop project descriptions and lessons learned.
- Obtain technical input from specialists when required.
- Help ensure proposal messaging accurately reflects HRI Group’s capabilities.
- Coordinate information for shortlisted presentations and interviews.
- Maintain effective communication during time-sensitive proposal periods.
Marketing and Communications Support
- Assist with development of project case studies and capability statements.
- Support updates to corporate presentation materials.
- Help develop award submissions, industry profiles and project announcements when required.
- Coordinate approved project photographs and supporting information.
- Assist with website or digital content related to company capabilities and completed work.
- Maintain consistent company messaging across proposals and business-development materials.
- Support development of targeted materials for specific markets or client groups.
Required Qualifications
- Two or more years of experience in proposal coordination, proposal writing, business development, marketing, construction administration or a related professional role.
- Strong professional writing, editing and proofreading skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- Strong organizational and project-coordination skills.
- Ability to interpret detailed RFP, RFQ and prequalification requirements.
- Experience coordinating information from multiple contributors.
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- Ability to create polished, professional business documents.
- Comfortable working with Adobe Acrobat or comparable PDF software.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Ability to work independently while maintaining proactive communication with the team.
- Strong follow-up skills and personal accountability.
- Ability to handle confidential commercial and project information appropriately.
- Ability to work effectively in a hybrid/remote environment.
- Legal authorization to work in Canada.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous proposal experience in construction, architecture, engineering, infrastructure, restoration or professional services.
- Experience preparing construction RFP, RFQ, EOI or prequalification submissions.
- Familiarity with public-sector and institutional procurement processes.
- Experience with heritage restoration, building rehabilitation, building envelope or general construction is an asset.
- Understanding of construction terminology and project delivery.
- Experience working with estimators, project managers, architects or engineers.
- Familiarity with CRM or opportunity-management software.
- Experience with Adobe InDesign is an asset.
- Experience preparing project sheets, resumes, organizational charts or graphics for proposals.
- Knowledge of Canadian construction procurement and tendering practices.
- Experience coordinating shortlisted interviews or client presentations.
- Experience supporting business-development or client-relations initiatives.
- Post-secondary education in business, marketing, communications, construction management, architecture, engineering or a related field.
Equivalent combinations of education, proposal experience, construction-industry knowledge and demonstrated skills will be considered.
Skills We Value
- Proposal coordination
- Proposal writing
- RFP and RFQ responses
- Bid coordination
- Prequalification submissions
- Pursuit management
- Business development
- Construction marketing
- Client research
- Opportunity tracking
- Technical writing
- Copy editing
- Document production
- Microsoft Word
- PowerPoint
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe InDesign
- CRM management
- Project coordination
- Construction
- Heritage restoration
- Building rehabilitation
- Building envelope
- Infrastructure
- Attention to detail
- Deadline management
Benefits
Benefits are subject to eligibility and applicable company plans and policies and may include:
- Hybrid and remote-work flexibility
- Full-time, permanent employment
- Extended health and dental benefits for eligible employees
- Paid vacation and applicable statutory holidays
- Company-supported professional-development opportunities
- Company-provided or approved business technology and software
- Exposure to significant heritage, restoration and rehabilitation projects
- Collaboration with experienced construction, estimating and project-management professionals
- Opportunities to expand expertise in proposal management, construction marketing and business development
- Career-development opportunities as experience and responsibilities grow
- A professional environment focused on quality, teamwork and long-term client relationships
Hybrid / Remote Work Expectations
This position follows a hybrid/remote work model.
The successful candidate must maintain reliable internet access and a quiet, professional workspace suitable for focused proposal work, confidential discussions and video meetings.
Regular availability is required during agreed business hours.
Employees will collaborate through email, telephone, video conferencing, shared documents, business systems and other approved platforms.
Scheduled attendance at HRI Group’s Uxbridge office may be required for proposal planning, major submission reviews, team meetings, training or other business needs.
Occasional travel within the Greater Toronto Area may also be required for client meetings, site visits, proposal interviews, conferences or industry events.
Because proposal deadlines are fixed, occasional flexibility may be required near major submission dates.
What Success Looks Like
A successful Proposal & Business Development Specialist will:
- Deliver complete and professional proposals on schedule.
- Identify proposal requirements early and track them carefully.
- Produce clear and persuasive written content.
- Maintain strong quality control across submissions.
- Follow up proactively with contributors before deadlines become urgent.
- Maintain accurate opportunity and business-development records.
- Understand HRI Group’s services and communicate them effectively.
- Identify relevant opportunities that align with the company’s capabilities.
- Develop organized and reusable project and qualifications information.
- Support productive relationships with clients and industry partners.
- Collaborate effectively with estimating, project management and leadership.
- Continuously improve proposal quality, consistency and efficiency.
Ideal Candidate
You may be a strong fit for this position if you enjoy combining writing, organization and business strategy.
You are comfortable opening a detailed RFP, identifying exactly what the client is asking for and creating a practical plan to complete the submission.
You can turn technical input from estimators, project managers and construction professionals into clear, polished language without changing its meaning.
You are highly organized and do not rely on last-minute reminders to manage deadlines.
You understand that a strong proposal must be both persuasive and compliant. Excellent writing does not compensate for a missing mandatory requirement, and perfect compliance does not compensate for generic content that fails to explain why the company is a strong choice.
You are also interested in the broader commercial side of construction and enjoy researching opportunities, clients and markets rather than focusing only on document production.
Application Process
Please submit your current résumé highlighting relevant experience in proposal coordination, proposal writing, construction, marketing or business development.
Candidates are encouraged to identify experience with:
- RFPs and RFQs
- Construction proposals
- Prequalification submissions
- Proposal writing and editing
- Business development
- Public-sector procurement
- Adobe InDesign
- Microsoft Office
- CRM or opportunity-management systems
- Construction, engineering or architectural services
Candidates selected for further consideration may participate in:
- An initial telephone or video interview
- A structured interview focused on proposal and business-development experience
- A brief discussion of previous proposal work or writing samples
- A final interview with management
Any hiring assessment will be reasonable in scope, directly related to the position and will not involve completing unpaid commercial proposal work.
Only candidates selected for the next stage will be contacted.
Equal Opportunity
HRI Group considers applicants based on qualifications, relevant experience, demonstrated capabilities and the requirements of the position.
We are committed to maintaining a respectful and inclusive recruitment process and providing equal employment opportunities in accordance with applicable law.
Accommodation is available during the recruitment and selection process upon request.
Pay: $79,106.15-$107,221.30 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Profit sharing
- RRSP match
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Greater Toronto Area, ON
