What Does a Proposal Manager Salary Pay? (2023 Trends)

What does the average proposal manager make in 2023? We’ll bet the number is more than you think.

But amidst questions around a recession—and slashed budgets—people are seeking more than just compensation from their careers. They also want job security, flexibility, benefits, and, above all else, satisfaction.

So we looked into how bid managers and proposal teams are faring through Loopio’s 2023 Trends Report—asking about pay, demographics, responsibilities, and satisfaction in the workplace. In total, we heard from 1,500 teams that respond to RFPs, with 900+ representatives from specialized roles in proposal management (which is the focus of this blog).

In our second annual salary report, we unearthed a few concerning trends—like pay gaps between genders—but also plenty of reasons to be hopeful. Overall, people are earning above-average salaries, plus staying in this field because they love their work.

Keep reading to learn about:

• The Average Proposal Salary
• Salary Changes by Seniority
• How Age Impacts Pay
• Salary Differences Between Genders
• Outlook on Career Satisfaction & Growth

The overall average salary is $89,800 USD annually—with the majority earning between $51k to $125k. This reflects an increase from last year’s average of $87,000 USD for bid and proposal managers. However, it’s important to note that a 3% salary increase is not keeping pace with average U.S. inflation rates, which were 6.5% in 2022.

Looking at the national average in the United States, other sources report similar proposal manager salaries: workplace compensation publisher PayScale estimates $86,048 per year.

On average, proposal professionals make significantly more than the median U.S. annual income for individuals, $54,132. However, salary ranges do vary by role, age, and gender, which we’ll dig into in the next section.

Average pay, of course, varies by type of role, as well as seniority. Our research shows that as responsibilities increase, so too does pay. Those at the leadership level should expect to enter the six-figure range (at the low end), while proposal managers earn 23% more than writers on average.

Breaking out the results by company size provides a different picture. While proposal writer salaries appear to climb with company size, proposal manager salaries are not scaling at the same rate.

On the other hand, salary ranges do appear to correlate with age (likely as proposal professionals have more years of experience). Those who are just starting their careers as RFP writers can expect a salary that’s almost $40,000 lower than the overall profession average of $89,800.

Pay also varies widely by region. According to Comparably’s data, the highest-paid proposal managers work in San Francisco, where they earn $151,929. Before you flip your possessions and book a flight to SFO, however, consider that data in context. San Francisco’s cost of living is more than double the national average.

All to say, the average proposal manager can expect to be reasonably well-compensated as they climb the ladder or progress in their career. But as we’ll explore next, it’s important to examine who gets to be “well-compensated”?

Out of the teams surveyed for Loopio’s 2023 RFP Trends Report, proposal roles are predominantly comprised of people who identify as women (64%), followed by minority who identify as men (30%) and a small percentage of those who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming (1%).

Despite being in the minority, men are still the top earning gender across all levels of responsibility. The differences between salary appear to be smallest at the RFP writer level, with the largest gap at the leadership level. It’s important to note, the sample size is smallest at the leadership level. The group compared below is comprised of 150 RFP writers, 690 proposal managers, and 60 people in leader/exec-level positions.

It’s unsurprising that job security is top of mind for all employees in our economic climate, with layoffs and a potential recession looming. A global survey from Workmonitor found that the most important thing employees want from work is job security—which we can see reflected below, with most proposal professionals expecting to stay or advance in the same career path.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) expect to be in a more senior proposal role within the next five years. I mean, as they should 😉.

Plus, 30% of proposal professionals were promoted within the last 12 months. This may seem like a lot, but considering that RFPs influence an average of 39% of a company’s top-line revenue—an extra $10k annually sounds like a bargain.

Interestingly, security and salary are not the main reasons RFP managers and other proposal professionals stay in their field. Enjoyment is the most important reason for staying in the industry.

Another factor that correlates with outlook appears to be the use of tools. Out of those surveyed, teams using dedicated RFP software scored higher in every measure of satisfaction. Teams that use software were found more likely to say: “I’m excited to stay on this career path” and “I have the resources needed to respond to RFPs effectively”.

Of course, using software won’t magically boost your growth or numbers. It takes consistency and a team effort to implement successfully. However, those interested in furthering their career—or leaders looking to improve team retention—would do well to add proposal software to their arsenal of skills.

Proposal managers make a decent salary, especially compared to the national average. But those interested in keeping their employees satisfied, helping the industry diversify, and fighting for greater pay equity still have work ahead.

As the economic climate shifts and the cost of living rises, it’s so important now more than ever before to have an open discussion around salaries and career growth. What will you do to keep the conversation going?