Amidst the complex and intensifying global competition and economic challenges, it is imperative to accelerate the development of export competitiveness driven by managerial proficiency. This requires a focus not only on independent innovation in science and technology but also on the cultivation of new competitive advantages for enterprises. Drawing on data from a survey of Chinese firms conducted by the World Bank, this study measures managerial proficiency effectively and tests its impact on export behavior using Heckman two-stage regression. Our analysis reveals that: (1) Improving managerial proficiency significantly enhances firms’ export inclination and export volume, even after accounting for sample selection and sensitivity analyses. (2) Managerial proficiency primarily enhances export performance by improving production efficiency and increasing innovation. (3) The export promotion effect of managerial proficiency is more pronounced for firms in the eastern region, with less financing constraints, larger scale of operation. This study provides new insights and theoretical experiences from the perspective of enhancing firms’ managerial proficiency to enhance their export competitiveness, and further cultivate China’s export competitive advantage.