How to Become a Proposal Coordinator: Career Path Guide
A career as a proposal coordinator could be a great fit for you if you have a keen interest in brining information together, and working in a marketing environment.
This field offers the chance to work with a variety of specialists (such as graphic designers and writers), and a chance to flex your project management muscles.
So, if you'd like to know more about the ins and outs of this field then read on; we’ll fill you in on what you would be doing for a living, how much you could earn, and what you’ll need to break into this profession!
Education Needed to Become a Proposal Coordinator
Employers tend to prefer hiring proposal coordinators with bachelor's degrees in areas related to the work, such as English, communications, or marketing. This can vary however, as some employers only require applications to have a diploma, and others require a graduate degree in one of the fields mentioned above.
Experience You’ll Need
Many employers require you to have two to three years of experience in proposals (even if it’s in roles of lesser responsibility), and preferably within the industry in which you’re applying.
Some companies may even require that you have prior knowledge of the products that you’ll be marketing.
Proposal Coordinator: General Job Description
As a proposal coordinator, you would be responsible for preparing proposals for funding, business development, project bids, mergers and other purposes.
This would involve preparing the proposal work plan, and collect and organize proposal content, with the ultimate goal of producing well-organized and comprehensive proposals that are based on client-defined requirements.
Proposal Coordinator Job Duties
Although your job duties might vary from job to job, you would likely be responsible for the following:
• Conferring with clients to obtain proposal details and instructions
• Working with proposal professionals and specialists, such as writers, editors, publishers, and graphics artists
• Developing style guides and creating computer graphics based on handwritten notes
• Creating proposal outlines and drafts
• Proofreading drafts and preparing final edition of each proposal
• Ensuring completed proposals are professional, comprehensive and credible
• Ensuring completed proposals adhere to the guidelines specified by the client, and will assist them in meeting their objectives
• Tracking completion of assignments
Skills and Traits Needed to Become a Proposal Coordinator
In order to be effective in your career as a proposal coordinator, you need to have a certain set of skills and personal traits, which includes:
• Exceptional editing/proof-reading skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex tasks
• Flexibility and cross cultural sensitivity
• Highly organized, dependable and able to prioritize competing demands in order to meet deadlines
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office suite tools
• Comfortable when working and interacting at all levels in a multidisciplinary environment
• Superior client focus with a positive
• Willing to occasionally work after hours and on weekends, and sometimes on short notice in order to meet deadlines
Who Creates Jobs for Proposal Coordinators?
Proposal coordinators can be employed by virtually any type of organization that sells a product or service that they need to take to market. They can also be employed by organizations that need to form strategic partnerships, for service delivery purposes, fundraising, or other purposes. Potential employers include:
• Private manufacturers, distributors and retailers
• Consulting firms
• Non-profit organizations
• Colleges and universities
• Professional service firms
• Government agencies (all levels)
• Many other types of organizations
Proposal Coordinator Salary
The salary level you might earn as a proposal coordinator can vary, due to the following factors:
• Your level of education
• Your level of experience
• Your specific level of responsibility
• The size and type of your employer
• The region in which you work
Proposal Coordinator Salary Canada: According to Service Canada, the average salary level of Canadian workers in the Professional Occupations in Public Relations and Communications occupational group is $55,200 per year.
Proposal Coordinator Salary United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary level of American workers in the Public Relations Specialists* occupational group is $56,770 per year.
*No salary information for the United States could be found from reliable sources for the specific occupation of ‘Proposal Coordinator’. We can however, get a good idea of what they earn by looking at the salary level of ‘Public Relations Specialists’, which is a closely related occupation.
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Careers Similar to ‘Proposal Coordinator’
Listed below are occupations in our database that have similar responsibilities, and/or require similar skills, or are in the same sector of industry, as Proposal Coordinator:
• Business Development Officer
References
Please consult the following resources* to learn more about what it takes to become a proposal coordinator:
• United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website - Public Relations Specialists: www.bls.gov
*Most of the information for this career guide was compiled from actual job listings on the web, which, due to their brief online nature, cannot be linked to from here.
Scholarships for Becoming a Proposal Coordinator
The Applicable Majors section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a proposal coordinator. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our All Scholarships by Major page.
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!
Becoming a Proposal Coordinator: Applicable Majors
Studying one of the college/university majors listed below can be helpful (or necessary) for becoming a proposal coordinator. Click on the links to find out what else you can do with these majors!
