What is the Average Proposal Writer Salary?
Whether you’re just starting out as a proposal writer or have experience under your belt, you want to land a job that pays an impressive salary. According to the salary reporting platform Glassdoor, the proposal writer’s salary lies between $37,000 and $151,000.
Although accepting lower-paying jobs earlier in your career path is standard, as you build experience, you’ll seek job opportunities with a higher base salary.
Remember that a good proposal writer is harder to find than regular writers, and employers are ready to pay more for writers whose skills match the company’s requirements. In addition, since a proposal writer writes formal business proposals for potential clients, the proposals must be perfect if a company wants to get the client.
This article covers how much a proposal writer makes and how the average salary correlates to your skills. Let’s start.
Average Proposal Writer Salary
Besides the job position, people forget how much the job location impacts the average salary—a proposal writer working in San Francisco has a different average base salary than a writer in New York City.
Although you might not have the option to work in a city with better salary opportunities, it’s good to consider the differences.
Furthermore, you’ll find different results since different job websites have different salary resources from which they gather compensation data. As such, it’s important to check other sources to get the best overview of salary ranges.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a popular job and recruiting website where you can find information on almost any job position in the U.S. Besides relying on the user-salary report, Glassdoor also leverages different algorithms when determining average salaries.
According to Glassdoor, the average proposal writer’s salary is $73,105. However, Glassdoor lets you filter out company size, location, and position seniority since the base salary range can differ.
Indeed
Indeed is another popular job website. According to Indeed, the national average total for proposal writers is $68,265.
Additionally, salaries range from $12,757 to staggering $340,335. It is an excellent showcase of how different proposal writer salaries can be. The career journey can be long and cumbersome, but the higher you climb and the better your job title is, the higher your cash compensation gets.
Payscale
Finally, a third website worth mentioning is Payscale. According to their data, the average salary for proposal writers in the United States is $60,641.
Payscale’s average salary estimate is lower than that of the previous two websites. Since the way websites report data, the reasons for different national average salaries can be company types, cities, and job positions.
For beginner proposal writers, as starting career advice, it’s better to search for companies that help you grow rather than aiming for ones that pay well. Although total compensation is essential, struggling to land a well-paid job can be discouraging.
Career Outlook for a Proposal Writer
After gaining professional experience, an individual can progress to a proposal manager position. After handling more crucial responsibilities, they can advance to a senior proposal manager role. Alternatively, they can become a proposal coordinator or a project manager within the organization.
The average compensations for more senior positions on the technical writer career path (as per PayScale and reported in March 2022) are given below:
Proposal Manager
A proposal manager oversees a team of proposal writers and guides their output. Since it is a more senior role and involves managerial duties, the average annual pay for the part is $79,145. Additionally, the role can receive extra compensation like bonuses, commissions, and profit-sharing.
Senior Proposal Manager
This role is a much more senior position and involves project management and business development duties too. Therefore, it requires more than eight years of experience in the field. Additionally, it receives a significantly higher average annual pay of $99,736, and more experienced senior proposal managers can get up to $111,000.
You need the necessary skills and knowledge to rise through the ranks on the proposal writer career path. If you want to become a more competent proposal writer and achieve higher compensation, check out our certification at TechnicalWriterHQ.
Top Paying Cities for Proposal Writers
As per ZipRecruiter, the cities with the top-paying proposal writing positions, categorized by location in the U.S., are given below.
U.S. West Coast
- Los Angeles: $66,777
U.S. Midwest/Rocky Mountains
- Chicago: $69,098
U.S. East Coast
- Reston: $71,911
- Arlington: $67,499
U.S. South
- Tampa: $62,729
- Dallas: $67,535
Education Level for Proposal Writer Role
The proposal writing position is vital for the organization since communication skills are essential in attracting and securing support. Therefore, organizations prefer to hire individuals with the ideal qualifications for this role.
A proposal writer should have a Bachelor’s in business or a related field. They can focus on a specialty and gain skills in that area of focus to land a more well-suited role.
Since certifications help proposal writers showcase their writing skills and business aptitude, you should pursue them to get a well-paying position. Some prominent ones are mentioned below:
- TechnicalWriterHQ offers a dedicated proposal writing course that covers all the fundamentals and prepares you for professional opportunities.
- Candid Learning offers an entry-level proposal writing certification with hands-on exercises.
Proposal Writer Salary Across Top Companies
According to Glassdoor, here is the annual average proposal writer salary in some of the top firms across different industries.
- U.S. Bank: $59,212
- J.P. Morgan: $89,130
- PwC: $86,468
- Deloitte: $115,290
- IBM: $65,000
Conclusion
Besides your capabilities, proposal writer salaries depend primarily on your company, industry, and city. To successfully negotiate better pay opportunities, focus on creating a robust portfolio through work and getting the proper certifications.
You won’t become a great proposal writer in a day, but as long as you’re persistent, you can open the doors to a great career.
The industry is constantly evolving, and growing as a writer never ends. Average salaries and a writer’s requirements and responsibilities change over the years. So, staying on top of the latest trends is another way to ensure career wins.
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about proposal writing.
What does the proposal process entail for a federal government project?
The proposal process involves multiple stages of preparation, review, and approval. Initially, proposal development teams, including specialized proposal writers, analyze the request for proposal (RFP) documents to understand the requirements. Following this, they collaboratively draft the proposal, ensuring it aligns with government standards and project objectives. The draft undergoes several revisions to refine its content and strategy before submission. Post-submission, the team may wait, during which additional verification of details and compliance with federal guidelines often occurs.
How important is proposal management in developing a successful proposal?
Proposal management is crucial in steering the proposal development process efficiently and effectively. It encompasses planning, organizing, and overseeing all aspects of the proposal to ensure it meets the stringent demands of the soliciting body, often a federal agency.
What are the typical responsibilities of a proposal writer working on federal government proposals?
A proposal writer’s primary responsibility is to produce precise, persuasive, and compliant text for proposals targeting federal government projects. This role involves extensive research to understand the project requirements, collaboration with subject matter experts to gather necessary information, and crafting narratives that align with the federal government’s objectives and criteria. Proposal writers must also revise and refine their drafts based on feedback from proposal managers and other stakeholders, ensuring the final submission is compelling and technically accurate.
What qualifications are typically required for a proposal writer job in the federal sector?
Most federal sector proposal writer jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as English, Communications, or Journalism. However, a master’s degree can be particularly advantageous, providing greater research, writing, and analysis skills that are crucial for developing comprehensive and persuasive proposals. Employers may also seek candidates with specific skills in federal proposal writing due to the unique requirements and strict compliance standards involved.
If you are new to proposal writing and are looking to break-in, we recommend taking our Proposal Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of being a proposal writer and how to write winning proposals.
