Development Associate (Writing/Reporting) at One Acre Fund

Job Description

We are seeking a highly capable and motivated individual to support our growing fund development team in both grant writing and reporting. We want someone who has a true passion for writing, and in particular for communicating complicated ideas in a simple way. Prior experience with grants is not required in this role – being a structured and inspiring prose writer and having a good business mind are the most important prerequisites. This person must be able to step back, understand our programs and needs, and write a strategic appeal that is well-tailored to the grant opportunity at hand. This role will likely start by writing proposals and reports for smaller grants, but quickly move into the $500,000+ gift range. Beyond the scope of writing, this role will also provide support in our donor relations management process, working directly alongside account leads to ensure that our donor relationships remain close, consistent, and mutually beneficial.

Specific Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Write concept notes and proposals for grants. Some key characteristics of our writing:
  
  • We tailor our language to each new funder. Most of our funders are quite sophisticated, which keeps our proposal-writing dynamic and our work interesting.
  • We emphasize clear logical flow in our writing, and make heavy use of hard M&E results and projections, business rationale, and a farmer-facing perspective
  • We often prepare for our writing with significant research and outreach to One Acre Fund’s field teams; an ideal candidate would be a skilled and enthusiastic researcher.
• Write high-quality reports for funders. One Acre Fund values our current funders above all others, and we work very hard to provide them with compelling, accurate, and transparent reports about our the progress and results of our field programs.
• Understand our core business intimately. We are seeking someone with a strong business mind. The professional funders we work with do not just want smooth prose – they want business rationale and a tailored message. This position would receive in-depth exposure to our field program to help build an understanding of our operations.
• Organize and execute complex projects. Our team does not have a top-down culture. We would like to hire someone who can independently drive forward execution of complex and multi-stage writing projects, with the support and input of colleagues and team leadership. This person should expect to fully own the role.

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

We are seeking an exceptional professional with 3 - 5+ years of work experience, and a demonstrated long-term interest international development. We are looking for truly extraordinary candidates that will help take our organization to a new level of impact and scale. Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to:

• Required: Either substantial field experience or 1+ year of professional writing experience in a related field. Ideally both!
• Very strong communication skills. At its core, this position is about communicating complex ideas in simple prose. We are looking for candidates who derive great satisfaction from this act, and can demonstrate their ability to do so – in short, we are seeking writers. In your writing samples, we will be looking for confident, clear, error-free prose.
• Genuine interest in international development/agriculture. We are seeking someone with a demonstrated connection to international development/agriculture, who is truly passionate about working every day to positively impact the hardest-working farmers on the planet.
• Direct experience in this field is a big plus.
• Strong ability to understand business. We would like to hire someone who will truly understand our operations, and be able to communicate their ins and outs simply and effectively.
• Skill in graphic design/desktop publishing is also a plus.
• Top-performing undergraduate background. Candidates with graduate degrees also encouraged to apply. For all candidates: please include your GPA and test scores on your resume.
• Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders.
• Language: High level of English fluency required

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Compensation

Commensurate with experience

Duration

Full-time job

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off

Sponsor International Candidates

No; Must have existing rights to work in East Africa, the Netherlands or United States of America. East Africans strongly encouraged to apply.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here.