Employers

Proposal managers may find employment in various types of companies and in a wide array of industries in the corporate, governmental, and not-for-profit sector. Individuals may, for example, be hired by organizations offering grants to not-for-profit groups or in the private sector finding staff or monies to handle business opportunities. They may also find opportunities at companies that sell services in almost any field of commerce.

Starting Out

Proposal managers may start out as proposal writers in trade associations, not-for profit organizations, and other organizations that use grants to fund their programs. Opportunities may also be located in the corporate world, advertising agencies, and public relations firms.

Advancement prospects for proposal managers depend on their career aspirations and the success of the proposals they produce. A manager who consistently provides successful proposals will be highly valued in his or her field. Proposal Managers advance through promotion to senior management positions, moving on to bigger or higher profile proposals, or even switching to larger companies with more resources and higher salaries. The latter can lead to increased responsibilities and stress as well as earnings. Others climb the career ladder through promotion to capture managers, a role that leads corporate executives. Others open their own consulting firm for proposal writing.

Check for job openings on some of the better known career sites such as Monster.com, Simplyhired.com and Indeed.com.

Grant writing seminars are helpful to learn skills for ascertaining what organizations want and how to effectively develop and write proposals. Applying for and winning grants for not-for-profit organizations will be good experience.

Start your career by searching for jobs as proposal writers. Get some experience and move up the career ladder.

While certification is voluntary, it may help give you the edge over other applicants.