Senior Writer, Proposals and Reports

About the Role

By 2030 our organization will reach 10 million farm families annually. This growth will be fueled by fundraising, and at One Acre Fund our fundraising relies on industry-leading grant writing. We employ a dedicated 12-person writing squad (within our broader Business Development team) to craft proposals and reports that are clear, powerful, data-driven, and farmer-centric.

We are looking for a proven and passionate writer to join our writing squad at a senior level. You will report to a team leader, immediately take on a portfolio of reports and proposals for smaller grants, and receive intensive writing mentorship over the first 6-12 months. Your work will then quickly ramp up in value, complexity, and independence.

This is a career-track position with opportunities to manage other writers based on performance and preference.

Responsibilities

• Write grant proposals and reports. You will partner with our frontend fundraisers to design and draft original writing through a collaborative process. Writing is always tailored to donor interests and the plans/results of our program, with each piece offering new ideas, challenges, and opportunities for creativity.
• Manage complex projects. You will oversee all stages of each writing project — managing workplans, coordinating input from multiple stakeholders (including gathering information from our field team, building budgets with our finance team, and communicating with donors), and taking ownership over the end product.
• Invest in program fluency. You will develop and sustain a deep working knowledge of One Acre Fund’s operating context, model, results, and future plans. For individual projects, you will also often conduct additional research into potential donors or specific aspects of our work.
• Secondary responsibilities will be based on your career interests – for example, with pathways to build your own portfolio of donor prospecting and stewardship.

Career Growth and Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 8+ years of total professional experience, including 5+ years of relevant experience – either writing/managing complex grants or leading complex field programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior writing experience essential; prior fundraising experience strongly preferred.
• Can share writing samples that demonstrate ability to draft highly readable prose: clear and concise, structured into a logical flow of ideas, deriving power from simplicity rather than jargon. Please submit two writing samples through the form below.
• Can share 2-3 concrete examples of successfully initiating, managing, and completing major projects in partnership with high-level stakeholders
• Genuine commitment to rural communities. You are passionate about providing opportunity to the hardest-working farmers on the planet.
• Language: English