The Proposal Writer will manage the development of proposals for government and commercial clients, ensuring compliance with requirements and effective communication of value propositions.
Machinify is a leading healthcare intelligence company with expertise across the payment continuum, delivering unmatched value, transparency, and efficiency to health plan clients across the country. Deployed by over 85 health plans, including many of the top 20, and representing more than 270 million lives, Machinify brings together a fully configurable and content-rich, AI-powered platform along with best-in-class expertise. We’re constantly reimagining what’s possible in our industry, creating disruptively simple, powerfully clear ways to maximize financial outcomes and drive down healthcare costs.
About the Role
This is one of the most consequential hires we'll make this year. Proposals are how we grow the business and how the market sees us — every response is a sample of how Machinify thinks, writes, and competes. Done well, it compounds: better wins, better content, better positioning the next time we're in front of a buyer.
You'll sit on the Marketing team and operate as the connective tissue across Legal, Product, Operations, Finance, Clinical, and our broader subject matter community. The work spans state and federal government procurements (Medicaid RAC, Employee/Retiree, MCO oversight, FFS audit) and commercial health plan opportunities — and we need someone who can move fluently between the two.
This isn't a role for someone who wants to format templates. We need a builder — someone who treats every proposal as an opportunity to raise the bar on the next one, and who is genuinely excited about using AI to do that work better and faster than was possible a year ago.
What You'll Do
Own the full proposal lifecycle, across government and commercial. Lead RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, and ITBs from intake through submission. Government healthcare procurements will be a meaningful share of the work, alongside commercial health plan opportunities. Move fluently between the two.
Build an AI-first content engine. Use Claude (including Claude Cowork for desktop file and task workflows) and other AI tooling as a core part of how you work — not as a novelty. Build a structured, retrievable content repository. Draft, compare, and pressure-test sections against requirements. Reuse strong language without losing the specificity that wins. If your AI workflow stops at ChatGPT prompts, this isn't the right seat.
Orchestrate cross-functional SMEs. Most of the substance comes from people who don't write proposals for a living — clinical leaders, product managers, audit ops, legal, finance, security. Pull the right input from the right person at the right moment. Synthesize. Close the loop. Lead with the ask when you write to executives.
Tell the story. Hold the bar. Compliance is table stakes. Winning proposals read like the team actually understands the buyer's problem. Bring an eye for narrative — what to lead with, what to cut, how to make a 200-page government response feel inevitable. Develop a point of view on what makes or breaks each win, and bring it to the team.
Manage the process. Manage, simplify and automate review cycles, hold deadlines, coordinate pricing and legal sign-off, navigate procurement portals, own the submission. Maintain the content (AI/Claude) library post-submission so the next proposal starts further down the field.
Treat ethics, confidentiality and information security as non-negotiable throughout.
What You Bring
Must-haves
- 4+ years of proposal writing experience, including government healthcare RFPs. Ideally a good working knowledge of how state Medicaid procurements, RAC programs, FFS vs. MCO structures, and encounter auditing actually work.
- Direct experience with payment integrity, claims audit, or healthcare cost containment.
- Experience contributing to commercial health plan RFPs in addition to government work.
- Familiarity with proposal management tools and content library platforms.
- Strong written communication — including the ability to translate technical and clinical content into persuasive narrative, and to write tight executive summaries that lead with what matters.
- An eye for storytelling, even inside a 200-page government response. Instinct for what makes or breaks a win — and a willingness to argue for it.
- Strong project management instincts: scheduling, resource coordination, milestone tracking, and the judgment to know when to escalate.
- Demonstrated ability to use AI tools meaningfully in your day-to-day work — and curiosity to push further. We'll ask you about this.
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications, or related field (equivalent experience considered).
- Comfort working independently in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with shifting priorities.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
Who You Are
- Builder mindset. You see the content library, the AI workflow, and the SME process as products to improve — not just inputs to a deadline.
- Collaborative by default. You get energy from pulling smart people together to produce something none of them would have produced alone.
- AI-curious, not AI-credulous. You use these tools because they make the output better, and you know when not to trust them.
- Calm under deadline pressure. Two procurements landing the same week doesn't break you.
- Team-first. We're a small group inside a growing company. Culture is built in small moments — pitching in on someone else's deadline, sharing what you learned on the last submission, flagging risk early.
What We Offer
- Work from anywhere in the US — Machinify is digital-first
- Top medical, dental, and vision offerings
- FSA / HSA
- Tuition reimbursement
- Competitive salary, 401(k) with company match, and meaningful equity
- Flexible time off and additional health and wellness benefits
- A trusting environment where you'll feel empowered to do your best work
Equal Employment Opportunity at Machinify
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Machinify is an employment at will employer. We participate in E-Verify as required by applicable law. In accordance with applicable state laws, we do not inquire about salary history during the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application or recruitment process, please let our recruiters know. See our Candidate Privacy Notice at: https://www.machinify.com/candidate-privacy-notice/
Machinify Palo Alto, California, USA Office
Downtown Palo Alto is known for its lively style, trendy shops, plenty of bars, restaurants and great coffee stores. The office is easy to get to, and just a couple of minutes walk from the Caltrain station.
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