How to hire a proposal manager

How to hire a proposal manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step proposal manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a proposal manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new proposal manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a proposal manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a proposal manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect proposal manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents proposal manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Proposal Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Proposal Manager		$28-62
   Manager, Project Management	The role of a project management manager involves the planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of projects. Project managers oversee the scope of the entire project, the team, success or failure, and its resources... Show more	$35-69
   Contact Center Manager	A contact center manager is responsible for supervising and assisting the contact center staff in providing the highest customer service by responding to customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving their complaints. Contact center managers monitor the staff's performance and efficiency and strategize techniques to increase productivity and customer relations... Show more	$13-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • RFP
   • Proposal Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Business Development
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Project Management
   • SharePoint
   • Compliance Matrices
   • Federal Government
   • RFIs
   • Past Performance
   • Shipley
   • Proposal Outlines
   • Proposal Content

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage proposal response from receipt of qualify leads, RFIs, RFQs or RFPs through to final product ;.
   • Manage development of responses to request for proposals (RFPs) and requests for information (RFIs).
   • Lead color team reviews of proposal strategies, storyboards, win themes and content according to Shipley proposal process.
   • Implement Salesforce for division and manage pipeline and post-award contract documentation.
   • Provide oversight of final proposal production, including desktop publishing, proofreading, editing, printing, and binding.
   • Coordinate proposal efforts with SMEs, contracts, contractors, subcontractors, finance, human resources, and sub companies.

   More proposal manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the proposal manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A proposal manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a proposal manager in Nebraska may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level proposal manager. Additionally, a proposal manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average proposal manager salary

   $88,678yearly

   $42.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level proposal manager salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average proposal manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$109,273	$53
   2	California	$103,371	$50
   3	Ohio	$102,527	$49
   4	Maryland	$101,869	$49
   5	North Carolina	$101,523	$49
   6	District of Columbia	$99,240	$48
   7	New York	$98,516	$47
   8	Delaware	$98,350	$47
   9	Virginia	$96,419	$46
   10	Texas	$95,577	$46
   11	Massachusetts	$93,275	$45
   12	Oregon	$91,193	$44
   13	Pennsylvania	$90,629	$44
   14	Iowa	$89,326	$43
   15	New Hampshire	$87,595	$42
   16	Montana	$86,638	$42
   17	Nevada	$83,014	$40
   18	Louisiana	$82,824	$40
   19	Florida	$82,342	$40
   20	Kentucky	$80,121	$39

   Average proposal manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$137,662	$66.18
   2	Cradlepoint	$119,862	$57.63
   3	Microsoft	$118,925	$57.18	51
   4	Five9	$114,487	$55.04	2
   5	American Express	$111,098	$53.41	8
   6	American Institutes for Research	$110,926	$53.33
   7	Tantalus Systems	$109,101	$52.45	2
   8	Sierra Nevada	$108,100	$51.97	18
   9	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$106,849	$51.37	2
   10	Equinix	$106,537	$51.22	6
   11	Accenture	$106,533	$51.22	147
   12	CAMRIS International, Inc.	$106,239	$51.08	4
   13	Philips	$105,546	$50.74	3
   14	Ernst & Young	$105,546	$50.74
   15	Bank of America	$105,305	$50.63
   16	Parsons	$105,026	$50.49	114
   17	AeroVironment	$105,013	$50.49	11
   18	General Atomics	$104,940	$50.45	51
   19	Intel	$104,867	$50.42	14
   20	Northrop Grumman	$104,845	$50.41	93

4. Writing a proposal manager job description

   A good proposal manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a proposal manager job description:

   Proposal manager job description example

   Role/Department Description:
   Global Marketing at FactSet focuses on driving awareness and demand for FactSet's current and future solutions in support of company revenue goals. Through thought leadership, brand awareness initiatives and a consistent focus on the customer experience, we establish FactSet as a trusted partner helping to solve our client's greatest challenges through the power of collaboration. All along the customers' buying journey through retention, we partner with our business units, sales teams, and technology stakeholders to execute go-to-market strategies, deliver robust marketing programs and produce compelling content that attracts, engages, and converts qualified prospects and retains customers.
   Sales Enablement needs a specialist to focus on proposal management, responsible for the coordination and development of proposals. Responsibilities also include interfacing with technical personnel and coordinating submissions with Strategic Business Units, Sales and Sales Specialist.
   
   Responsibilities:
   Manage RFPio software and assigned product libraries Coordinate cross-functional efforts on specific client revenue opportunities by collaborating with the Sales teams and internal subject matter experts
   Ensure all proposals are fully executed from start to finish Qualify opportunities according to defined parameters
   Deliver compliant, professionally produced proposals within customer agreed upon timeframes Drive the proposal process leveraging RFPio software Guide opportunities to a timely and successful completion through the facilitation of status meetings in a matrixed environment and providing analysis of product solutions Create and present status and metrics reporting on bid opportunities and the associated project management activities for senior leadership to leverage
   Provide directives to junior RFP specialists as needed
   
   Required Skills:
   Bachelor's degree or higher Familiarity with finance, and fintech Experience in cross-departmental project management
   Cross-departmental organization Strong time management skills Attention to detail Delegate across multiple deliverables and teams Multi-tasking Manage and meet deadlines in an extremely fast-paced environment Work well under pressure Strong sense of ownership for deliverables Work as a team player Optional: Expertise in RFPio is a plus The budgeted amount range for this position in the State of Connecticut is $84,000 - $132,000 and in the State of Colorado $73,000 - $116,000.
   
   FactSet is an Equal Opportunity Employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right proposal manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your proposal manager job on Zippia to find and recruit proposal manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit proposal managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new proposal manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect proposal manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new proposal manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a proposal manager?