How To Become A Proposal Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a proposal specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The main duty of a proposal specialist is to evaluate business contracts for clients, usually on long-term projects and partnerships. Their goal is to ensure that their client knows exactly what they're getting into before signing on any dotted lines and that the proposal is accurate and effective.

The work responsibilities of a proposal specialist revolve around analyzing contracts, meeting with clients, verifying the authenticity and accuracy of documents, and reporting directly to key people involved in the proposal. They are also expected to respond to clients' inquiries and request efficiently and promptly.

Most proposal specialists have four-year degrees in a business-related course, but it is still possible to qualify for this position with a certificate or associate's degree. Either way, one must have prior related work experience to qualify for this position, as well as a good understanding of industry standards, general business laws, and proposal procedures.

In terms of the pay, an average proposal specialist makes around $32 an hour, which is roughly $67,000 per year.

ScoreProposal SpecialistUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,454

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 68.52%

male 31.48%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a proposal specialist

Explore proposal specialist education requirements

Most common proposal specialist degrees

Bachelor's

76.2 %

Master's

9.8 %

Associate

8.4 %

Start to develop specific proposal specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	10.25%
RFP	7.03%
SharePoint	5.76%
Project Management	5.48%
Subject Matter Experts	5.25%

Research proposal specialist duties and responsibilities

Implement Salesforce for division and manage pipeline and post-award contract documentation.
Provide editing, proofreading, word processing, graphics, and editing support for the technical volume of the proposal.
Employ various means to develop creative documents necessary to communicate the company's ability to perform services request in the RFP.
Edit and help develop relevant PowerPoint presentations.

Prepare your proposal specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your proposal specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a proposal specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable proposal specialist resume templates

Build a professional proposal specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your proposal specialist resume.

Apply for proposal specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a proposal specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do proposal specialists rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

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1 star

Proposal specialist reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

I am detail oriented with respect to all the requirements of the RFP, from initial "scrubbing" to compliance and review. I have managed writer submissions, tracking against established timeline and ensuring changes through final in-house review to include editing, proofing, and submission of the bid. I am also interested in editing/proofing nonscientific publications

Cons

Team contributors who miss deadlines or fail to address the specific requirements that in turn affect the process.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019