[Hiring] RFP Specialist @Onward Search

Role Description

Onward Education is seeking a part time highly organized and detail-oriented RFP Specialist to support the continued growth of our K-12 education staffing division. This role will serve as a strategic partner to our Sales, Recruiting, Compliance, and Leadership teams by identifying, managing, and securing new business opportunities with school districts, educational service agencies, state education organizations, and other public-sector entities nationwide.

The RFP Specialist will be responsible for managing the full lifecycle of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), contract renewals, vendor registrations, and staffing bids. This individual will play a critical role in helping school districts access highly qualified professionals, including special education teachers, school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, behavioral health professionals, nurses, occupational therapists, and other essential school-based personnel.

The ideal candidate has experience working with K-12 school systems, public-sector procurement processes, or education staffing organizations and can effectively translate district staffing needs into compelling, compliant, and competitive proposals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Education, Communications, Marketing, or a related field preferred.
• 3-5+ years of experience in proposal management, RFP response, bid management, education staffing, public-sector procurement, or a related field.
• Knowledge of education staffing, school-based services, special education, behavioral health, nursing, or related services preferred.
• Familiarity with district procurement processes, cooperative purchasing organizations, and public-sector proposal requirements.
• Exceptional written communication, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Strong project management, organizational, and time-management abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, procurement portals, CRM systems, and proposal management tools.

Requirements

• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of K-12 education staffing challenges, district priorities, special education service delivery models, and workforce shortages.
• Research school districts, educational service agencies, state education departments, and cooperative purchasing organizations to identify new staffing opportunities.
• Build knowledge of school-based staffing categories including special education, related services, behavioral health, nursing, and educational support roles.
• Stay informed on education funding trends, procurement requirements, and initiatives impacting district staffing decisions.
• Identify, track, and evaluate RFPs, RFQs, staffing bids, renewals, and vendor registration opportunities across K-12 education markets.
• Monitor district procurement portals, state purchasing websites, cooperative purchasing networks, and bid notification services.
• Conduct strategic opportunity assessments, including probability of win, staffing feasibility, service scope, compliance requirements, and profitability.
• Support go/no-go decision-making by providing leadership with opportunity summaries and recommendations.
• Develop win themes and proposal strategies that align with district priorities and Onward Education's strengths.
• Lead the proposal process from opportunity identification through final submission.
• Analyze RFP requirements, evaluation criteria, staffing specifications, and contract terms.
• Create proposal schedules, responsibility matrices, submission checklists, and project timelines.
• Coordinate cross-functional contributions from Sales, Recruiting, Compliance, Finance, Operations, and Leadership teams.
• Ensure proposals clearly communicate Onward Education's staffing capabilities, compliance processes, candidate quality, and commitment to supporting student outcomes.
• Write, edit, and manage proposal responses tailored specifically to school districts and educational organizations.
• Maintain proposal libraries that include district-specific language, staffing methodologies, compliance narratives, references, resumes, and corporate qualifications.
• Partner with Customer Support & Compliance teams to accurately communicate onboarding, credential verification, fingerprinting, licensure validation, training, and ongoing employee support processes.
• Ensure all submissions meet district requirements and are completed accurately and on time.
• Manage electronic submissions through district procurement portals and other public-sector purchasing systems.
• Coordinate responses to clarification requests, presentations, finalist interviews, pricing discussions, and contract negotiations.
• Track proposal outcomes, award notifications, and contract renewals.
• Partner with Sales, Recruiting, Operations, and Compliance teams to successfully transition awarded contracts into implementation.
• Ensure key contract requirements and service commitments are documented and communicated internally.
• Track proposal activity, contract awards, win rates, renewal success, and other key performance metrics.
• Conduct win/loss analyses to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Gather feedback from school districts and internal stakeholders regarding proposal quality and competitiveness.
• Recommend process improvements, templates, and tools that increase efficiency and proposal effectiveness.
• Build a scalable, repeatable proposal process that supports long-term growth within the education division.

Benefits

• Salary Range: $30-35h, based on experience.
• This is a part time role.
• Comprehensive benefits and PTO package, including 401k, offered for Full Time employees.

Application Deadline

We will be accepting applications for this role until 8/7/26.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply.

Onward is an equal opportunity employer. We value a culture of inclusion and diversity within our workforce and are committed to maintaining a workplace free from prohibited employment conduct, including discrimination or harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, domestic partner status, civil partnership, status as a covered veteran, status in the Uniformed Services of the United States, citizenship and any other characteristic protected by State and Federal law.