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Proposal Consultant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Aptive

Senior Proposal Consultant

A Senior Proposal Consultant who knows federal proposals well and can engage productively with health SMEs will succeed here without a public health degree. Primary Responsibilities The Senior ...

Aptive

Senior Proposal Consultant

A Senior Proposal Consultant who knows federal proposals well and can engage productively with health SMEs will succeed here without a public health degree. Primary Responsibilities The Senior ...

New

MedImpact

Proposal Consultant II

San Diego, CA · On-site

$95K - $119K/yr

Summary The Proposal Consultant II develops, writes, and edits proposal responses of moderate to advanced complexity. Proposal requests may cover the self-insured, government, and managed care lines ...

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How much do proposal consultant jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 3, 2026, the average hourly pay for proposal consultant in the United States is $20.67, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.95 and $21.39 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Proposal Consultants face when coordinating input from multiple departments?

Proposal Consultants often need to gather information and content from various departments such as sales, technical teams, and legal. One common challenge is ensuring timely and consistent input, as contributors may have conflicting priorities or deadlines. Effective communication, clear timelines, and well-structured collaboration tools can help mitigate delays and information gaps. Building strong working relationships across departments is also crucial for streamlining the proposal development process and ensuring high-quality submissions.

How much do proposal writers get paid?

Proposal writers typically earn between $50,000 and $80,000 annually, depending on experience, industry, and location. Senior proposal managers or consultants with specialized skills can earn over $100,000. Compensation often includes benefits and opportunities for bonuses based on project success.

Is 30 too old to get into consulting?

Proposal consulting is a professional role that values experience, communication skills, and industry knowledge. Age is generally not a barrier, and many successful consultants start or transition into the field later in their careers, leveraging their expertise and networks.

What is the minimum salary of a consultant?

The minimum salary for a proposal consultant varies depending on experience, location, and industry, but entry-level positions typically start around $45,000 to $60,000 annually. More experienced consultants or those in high-demand sectors can earn significantly higher salaries, often exceeding $80,000 per year.

What is the difference between Proposal Consultant vs Proposal Writer?

AspectProposal ConsultantProposal Writer
CredentialsTypically requires experience in proposal development, industry knowledge, and sometimes certifications like APMPOften has strong writing skills, relevant education, and experience in creating proposals
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with sales, technical teams, and management in a consulting capacityFocuses primarily on writing and editing proposal documents
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in government, defense, and large corporate sectors where complex proposals are commonCommon across various industries for bid submissions and client proposals

Proposal Consultants typically oversee the entire proposal process, providing strategic guidance and ensuring compliance, while Proposal Writers focus on crafting compelling proposal content. Both roles are essential in winning bids but differ in scope and responsibilities.

What is a proposal consultant?

A proposal consultant is a professional who helps organizations prepare and write proposals to secure contracts or funding. They analyze client needs, develop persuasive documents, and often use tools like Microsoft Office or proposal management software to ensure compliance and clarity. Strong writing, project management skills, and industry knowledge are essential for success in this role.

What are Proposal Consultants?

Proposal Consultants are professionals who specialize in developing, writing, and managing business proposals, typically in response to requests for proposals (RFPs) from potential clients or government agencies. They work closely with sales, marketing, and subject matter experts to ensure proposals are persuasive, compliant, and tailored to the client's requirements. Their goal is to help organizations win new business by creating compelling and competitive proposals that highlight the company's strengths and solutions.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Proposal Consultant, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Proposal Consultant, you need strong writing and editing abilities, attention to detail, and a solid understanding of proposal development processes, often supported by a degree in communications, business, or a related field. Familiarity with proposal management software (like RFPIO or Qvidian), Microsoft Office Suite, and sometimes APMP certification is highly valuable. Exceptional organizational skills, collaboration, and the ability to manage tight deadlines help distinguish top performers in this role. These competencies are crucial for creating compelling, compliant proposals that effectively win business and support organizational growth.
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Senior Proposal Consultant

Senior Proposal Consultant

Aptive

Remote

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago

Aptive Environmental rating

5.5

Company rating: 5.5 out of 10

Based on 38 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

28th of 33 rated pest control companies

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior Proposal Consultant brings federal acquisition fluency, proposal writing craft, proposal graphic design experience, and applied AI expertise to support our subject matter experts (SMEs) in developing winning healthcare proposals.

This is not a health SME position. A Senior Proposal Consultant who knows federal proposals well and can engage productively with health SMEs will succeed here without a public health degree.

Primary Responsibilities

The Senior Proposal Consultant interprets Section L instructions and Section M evaluation criteria for each pursuit. They advise the Solution Lead on the FAR and contract vehicle requirements (VHA IHT 2.0, NIH, broader HHS). When the team meets to devise the proposal strategy, the Senior Proposal Consultant contributes win themes, discriminators, and methods to connect the Solution Lead's overall approach to the evaluation criteria clearly.

Proposal Development

As an AI tool specialist and innovator, the Proposal Consultant leads technical research gathering and drafts the bulk of the technical volume, working to support and implement the Solution Lead's vision. The Consultant is not simply a technical writer; this role requires active thought partnership with the Solution Lead to develop innovative health solutions that satisfy all solicitation requirements and maximize value to the Government customer. Emphasis on Aptive's differentiators, evaluator-aligned framing, compelling graphics, and compliance review are among the Consultant's key contributions. Graphics are developed collaboratively: the Senior Proposal Consultant converts the Solution Lead's sketches and concepts (logic models, service delivery models, care pathways, journey maps, governance structures, evaluation frameworks) into production-ready proposal visuals, working closely with our graphic designers. The Consultant also coordinates with the pricing team to produce the bid's staffing level of effort.

The Proposal Consultant applies AI context engineering expertise to perform virtually all tasks: assembling the right reference materials, customer knowledge, competitive intelligence, past performance examples, win themes, settled solution detail, and evaluation criteria so our LLMs produce color review-ready narrative.

AI tooling and best practices evolve quickly; the Senior Proposal Consultant keeps current.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Seven years of demonstrated experience supporting federal proposals in a dedicated capture, proposal, or solutioning role, with leadership or principal-author contributions on 25+ proposals.
  • Working knowledge of the federal acquisition lifecycle, FAR Section L and M analysis, and Shipley (or equivalent) capture and proposal frameworks.
  • Demonstrated ability to interpret evaluation criteria, develop win themes, manage compliance matrices, address color team review feedback, create staffing plans, and lead production through submission.
  • Expertise applying LLMs and other AI tools to proposal work: research, drafting, editing, compliance checking, graphics ideation. Comfort building prompt libraries, evaluating tool outputs critically, avoiding recognizable patterns in AI-generated draft text, and refining outputs by hand.
  • Practical command of context engineering for proposal writing: assembling reference materials, win themes, settled solution detail, and evaluation criteria into prompts so an LLM produces accurate, properly voiced content. Demonstrated capacity to draft full technical volumes when the Solution Lead has determined the solution.
  • Familiarity with federal health programs sufficient to converse credibly with health SMEs across all Aptive pursuit categories, ask the right clarifying questions, and represent the solution accurately in writing. (A public health degree is not required.)
  • Extremely strong writing, editing, and visual thinking. The ability to convert complex concepts into clean narrative and clear graphics under deadline pressure.
  • Capacity to support three to five concurrent pursuits at different stages of the lifecycle.
Desired Qualifications
  • APMP certification (Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional).
  • Experience supporting VA proposals, particularly under VHA IHT 2.0 or predecessor task order vehicles.
  • Experience supporting NIH or other HHS proposals.
  • Background as a Shipley-trained technical writer, capture manager, or proposal manager.
  • Experience at a federal contractor, federal capture organization, or dedicated proposal-services firm such as Lohfeld, OST Global Solutions, or BPL.
  • Familiarity with proposal platforms (Loopio, GovDash, Responsive/RFPIO, Qvidian) and current AI tooling (Claude, ChatGPT, Notebook LM, custom RAG over proposal libraries).
  • Proposal graphic design experience in PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite, or Figma.
About Aptive

About Aptive. Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

EEO Statement

Aptive is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected class. Veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and transitioning active-duty service members are highly encouraged to apply. About Aptive: Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

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