Writer, Philanthropic Partnerships

ABOUT HEALTHY LEARNERS

Millions of children across Africa suffer from preventable illnesses and miss school simply because they lack access to basic healthcare. Healthy Learners’ north star is to keep children healthy so they can stay in school and fully pursue their potential. Since 2014, Healthy Learners and the Government of Zambia have worked together to create an award-winning School Health Program that integrates primary care and health education into the daily life of schools. The School Health Program currently reaches over 1 million children in 738 schools across all 10 of Zambia’s provinces, and we are rapidly expanding our reach. Learn more at

https://www.healthylearners.org/.

Healthy Learners is the proud recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, the Duke F.M. Kirby Prize, and the Lipman Family Prize from the University of Pennsylvania. These awards reflect not just our success to date, but the strength of the opportunity ahead.If this mission resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you.

ABOUT YOU

You exemplify the qualities of being Humble, Hungry, and Smart in your leadership:

• Humble (Continuous Learning & Inclusion): You actively seek, encourage, and facilitate feedback sharing, fostering an environment of continuous learning. You adapt and grow continuously, cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging.
• Hungry (Efficiency, Excellence, and Innovation): Your relentless drive for efficiency and excellence is evident in your approach to both everyday tasks and complex challenges. When obstacles arise, you don't merely seek answers; you develop solutions and establish structures to address future obstacles proactively. Your hunger for innovation permeates the organisation, where you eagerly explore new and best practices.
• Smart (Emotional Intelligence & Psychological Safety): Your exceptional emotional intelligence is your superpower, allowing you to create psychological safety within the organization. Through your ability to build trust, encourage risk-taking, and nurture courageous conversations, you promote an environment where individuals can thrive and collaborate effectively.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As Healthy Learners prepares to enter an exciting period of growth, we are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Writer to join our Philanthropic Partnerships team. The Writer will develop compelling funder-facing written communications – including concept notes, proposals, reports, updates, and other written products.

This position requires the ability to consistently produce sharp, highly engaging, persuasive written material. Successful candidates will bring meaningful experience in global health in sub-Saharan Africa. We believe this experience will be essential to enabling the Writer to capture and convey the depth, complexity and nuance of the School Health Program to our philanthropic partners.

You might be a great fit for this position if you:

• Really (really) love to write. You take pride in your craft. You’re satisfied when your writing delivers on its purpose – not when you get external credit.
• Have some exposure to the public health landscape in sub-Saharan Africa – with enough experience to be able to help philanthropic partners in our sector understand both what Healthy Learners is building, and why it matters
• Are a pro at planning your time. You have a good sense for how long it’ll take you to produce a draft (or a final product), and you deliver on time.
• Love being a part of a team. While you want to spend a good amount of your time working alone on written products, you equally appreciate spending time with your colleagues. You know that great writing is a team sport, and you value feedback on your writing.
• Are an amazing listener. You have a knack for summarizing others’ thoughts in writing. (In fact, you’ve been told that your colleagues often understand their own ideas better after they’ve read your writing.)
• Appreciate that in a fast-paced environment, priorities are constantly in flux. You’re flexible and willing to pitch in to help others.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• • Concept Notes and Proposal DevelopmentEngage deeply with teams to understand the case we are presenting, and develop persuasive content – in line with organizational and funder requirements
  • Jump in to assist with any other aspects of proposal development as needed.
  • ReportingLead the organization’s efforts to write compelling updates and other reports for specific donors (based on their requirements)
  • Serve as lead writer for all quarterly and annual reports.
  • Liaise with graphic designers to produce compelling visuals to bolster core messages.
  • Storytelling and Thought Leadership Work with colleagues to identify powerful stories and and thought leadership articles
  • Write, edit, and refine written pieces that highlight 1) the voices of the people we work with and serve and 2) advance understanding of the value that school health offers
  • Lead the creation of blog posts, donor updates, and newsletters
  • Own and maintain our language bankServe as the go-to resource for repurposing content we’ve already written
  • Make sure our concept notes and other written ideas are organized in a logical manner so that we can easily pull from them as we engage with new donor audiences
  • Team supportCopyedit others’ writing – offering feedback to make your colleagues’ written products stronger.
  • Helping out with anything else that comes up! We are a team that pitches in to support one another during busy times.

IN ANY GIVEN WEEK, YOU MIGHT:

1. Generate the first draft of an upcoming proposal, and schedule time with colleagues to gather the information and data you need to make it stronger.
2. Write 3 thank you notes that speak specifically to each donor’s interests.
3. Write a progress report, liaising with colleagues to collect updated data and stories, and present an accurate description of current challenges and opportunities.
4. Gather information from colleagues across the organization so you can draft a brief that explains how the School Health Program leverages its data, and how additional support could amplify our impact.
5. Participate in departmental and proposal team meetings, following the flow of ideas, and taking notes on where you can include new ideas and messaging into your writing.
6. Sit with a departmental head to advance a thought leadership piece she is working on, helping her refine her main points and drafting up an outline for her.
7. Pick back up on something you started to write last week – and look again at your writing with fresh eyes to see how you can make it better.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate is: a strong team player, proactive and works with little direction, displays a can-do attitude, and jumps in wherever needed to get things done. S/he is a clear, precise and confident communicator, with strong verbal and written skills. The ideal candidate will be excited to join on the ground floor of a new department in a rapidly growing organization. S/he approaches that opportunity with humility, hunger, and a “no job too small” commitment to meeting the needs of the organization. In addition, the ideal candidate has:

• At least 5 years professional experience, including at least 3 years of experience working on global health programs in sub Saharan Africa.
• Proven experience writing for philanthropic audiences, helping technical and program colleagues distill ideas into compelling proposals, concept notes and other funder-facing documents.
• Proven experience working with diverse, cross-cultural teams; ability to develop strong working relationships at all levels, especially via virtual means across time zones (online meetings, etc).
• Strong writing and editing skills with a keen eye for storytelling.
• Strong project management skills. Able to prioritize competing assignments and deliver quality results on a deadline. Must be highly organized and extremely detail-oriented.
• Highly comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Thrives in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and collaborative environment that demands and rewards innovation and creativity, with a high bar for commitment and performance.
• Has the ability to maintain confidentiality.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Opportunity for Impact: Play a pivotal role in implementing a program that improves health outcomes for millions of schoolchildren, shaping the future of communities across Africa.
• Competitive Compensation: Receive a competitive salary and benefits package that reflects your expertise and commitment.
• Professional Growth: Access ongoing training, leadership opportunities, and engage in innovative projects that challenge and inspire you.
• Supportive Culture: Join a passionate, dedicated team that values collaboration and mutual support, fostering an environment where all contributions are recognized.
• Networking Opportunities: Collaborate with international organizations and enhance your network and influence in the public health sector.

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume, a brief cover letter, and a writing sample. Your writing sample should either be 1) something you’ve written for a private foundation or 2) something you think is representative of your capacity to write to a private foundation audience. Any topic is fine; the intent is to help Healthy Learners understand how you present persuasive donor-facing content.