How to hire a proposal writer

How to hire a proposal writer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step proposal writer 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 writer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new proposal writer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a proposal writer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The proposal writer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A proposal writer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, proposal writers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of proposal writer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Proposal Writer	Description	Hourly rate
   Proposal Writer	Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. They also develop, gather, and disseminate technical information through an organization’s communications channels.	$23-46
   Editor	An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be... Show more	$16-37
   Managing Editor	Managing editors are individuals who coordinate and oversee the editorial activities of a publication. They administer the daily operations or a website or publication, such as generating ideas and planning and editing content... Show more	$28-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Subject Matter Experts
   • PowerPoint
   • Business Development
   • Proposal Content
   • Past Performance
   • Project Management
   • SMEs
   • Proofreading
   • Federal Government
   • SharePoint
   • Veterans
   • Proposal Sections
   • Medicaid
   • Executive Summaries

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage proposals for DoD, aerospace, and commercial customers.
   • Manage prospective client information, proposal and marketing strategies through Salesforce.
   • Analyze contract documents, coordinate subcontractors and manage RFI s throughout cost proposal submission process.
   • Identify, plan, manage and respond to RFPs and RFIs from prospective clients, resulting in increase potential business.
   • Implement Salesforce for division and manage pipeline and post-award contract documentation.
   • Manage SharePoint file organization system and wiki cooperation sites to facilitate cooperation among internal and external proposal response participants.

   More proposal writer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your proposal writer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A proposal writer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a proposal writer in Oklahoma may be lower than in Virginia, and an entry-level proposal writer usually earns less than a senior-level proposal writer. Additionally, a proposal writer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average proposal writer salary

   $68,706yearly

   $33.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level proposal writer salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average proposal writer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$102,799	$49
   2	Virginia	$88,368	$42
   3	Maryland	$82,501	$40
   4	New York	$81,515	$39
   5	Arizona	$79,301	$38
   6	California	$76,688	$37
   7	Massachusetts	$74,674	$36
   8	Connecticut	$74,091	$36
   9	North Carolina	$73,559	$35
   10	New Jersey	$73,558	$35
   11	Michigan	$70,525	$34
   12	Texas	$66,817	$32
   13	Illinois	$66,396	$32
   14	Georgia	$65,622	$32
   15	Rhode Island	$65,510	$32
   16	Ohio	$64,064	$31
   17	North Dakota	$63,999	$31
   18	Nevada	$63,387	$30
   19	Florida	$63,150	$30
   20	Oregon	$62,163	$30

   Average proposal writer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Precise Software Solutions	$112,874	$54.27
   2	Accenture	$106,727	$51.31	24
   3	Amazon	$106,460	$51.18	22
   4	SAIC	$93,667	$45.03	13
   5	HCSC	$93,220	$44.82
   6	Salient CRGT	$91,667	$44.07
   7	Aetna	$91,652	$44.06
   8	Elevance Health	$90,596	$43.56
   9	World Wide Technology	$89,973	$43.26
   10	RTI International Metals	$89,854	$43.20
   11	Forrester	$86,433	$41.55
   12	McKesson	$86,071	$41.38	1
   13	Sherpa	$85,953	$41.32
   14	U.S. Bank	$85,654	$41.18
   15	Battelle	$85,562	$41.14
   16	Fusion Technology	$85,273	$41.00
   17	Tyler Technologies	$84,920	$40.83
   18	CTG	$84,753	$40.75	1
   19	General Dynamics	$84,214	$40.49	4
   20	CVS Health	$83,839	$40.31	49

4. Writing a proposal writer job description

   A proposal writer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a proposal writer job description:

   Proposal writer job description example

   Holman is a global automotive leader that serves both commercial and consumer clients The Holman Way by always doing the right thing for our people, our customers, and the community since 1924. The Holman story began nearly a century ago as a single Ford dealership in New Jersey. Today, Holman, headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, is one of the largest family-owned automotive service organizations in North America with more than 6,500 employees across North America, the UK, and Germany.
   
   Holman delivers a unique range of automotive-centric services including industry-leading fleet management and leasing; vehicle fabrication and upfitting; component manufacturing and productivity solutions; powertrain distribution and logistics services; commercial and personal insurance and risk management; and retail automotive sales as one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States. Guided by its deeply rooted core values and principles, Holman is continuously Driving What's Right.
   What will you do?
   Creates compelling sales proposals, presentations, sell sheets, executive summaries, and other sales collateral, customized as needed to reflect the unique needs and circumstances of a buyer. Owns and facilitates the bid proposal process by coordinating the response to Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) with internal stakeholders. Meets proposal deadline by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, review, and approval; coordinating requirements with contributors; writing and assembling proposal requirements; facilitating approvals; and transmitting proposals. Facilitates project strategy discussions including kickoff and draft review calls. Develops proposal strategy by performing due diligence, studying RFP, identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs, and collaborating with account owners. Gathers proposal information by identifying sources of information; coordinating submissions and collections; identifying and communicating risks associated with proposals. Re-writes/edits proposal contributions from a variety of stakeholders, including sales, marketing, technical/operations teams, finance, and legal. Writes persuasively, including original content or customizes existing content for prospects and clients. Provides additional support for the sales team, including due diligence, client references, program descriptions, industry information, and additional support as needed. Ensures 100% compliance with deadlines and submission requirements. Adheres to ARI's brand voice, templates, style guidelines, and messaging methodology. Exhibits consistent quality of work, including clear, concise and grammatically correct writing. Demonstrates ongoing proficiency in subject matter knowledge about the organization, products and services, sales process and strategy, as well as industry and competitive differentiation. Liaises with subject matter experts, marketing team, peers, and leadership to develop sales content. Maintains proposal content database and library of sales tools and collateral. Supports all stages of the ARI sales process and company marketing efforts as needed. Cross-trains with department on other tasks; performs other duties and special projects as assigned.
   
   What are we looking for?
   Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Communications preferred. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Exceptional writing and communication skills Excellent customer service skills Proven skills in producing and editing exceptional proposal content within a complex business environment, or related experience. Experienced in working in a collaborative environment, including leading exploratory kick off sessions, participating in key review meetings/final document review, content sign off and document production Experience with Upland Qvidian (or other RFP software) and Salesforce.com a plus
   
   At Holman, we exist to pro vide rewarding careers and better lives for employees and their families. We hire, train, empower, and reward exceptional people. Our journey is guided by our desire to get it right every time and the acknowledgement that we have an opportunity to be better. To be better, we have to do better, and to do better we must know better. That's why we are listening, open to learning new things - about ourselves and each other. We will never stop striving for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion because we are successful together when we feel trusted and supported. It's The Holman Way.
   
   Holman provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   
   This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find proposal writers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find proposal writer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit proposal writers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 writer

   Once you've selected the best proposal writer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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