The role of proposal manager is crucial to an organization’s ability to win grants and contracts, which are a large source of funding for many global development organizations. While many professionals who end up in this position may not have initially sought out this career path, it can be a highly rewarding and impactful way to contribute to development.
To learn more about how to find success in this career path, Devex spoke with an experienced proposal manager, Deepti Gumber Bhatnagar, who has been developing proposals over the past 15 years for consulting firms, nongovernmental organizations, and as a freelancer. Bhatnagar is now working independently developing proposals in disaster risk reduction, climate change, and livelihoods working with groups such as CARE, UNICEF, and Development Alternatives, along with other major global development organizations.
Proposals are “no longer just a documentation formality,” Bhatnagar explains. They are the backbone of — and extremely competitive in — the bidding process to win funding for projects.