Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.
The Technical Writer, Sustainable Markets, primarily works with technical and country-based staff on proposals to private sector funders and occasionally to public sector and foundation funders, with a special focus on sustainable markets (environment and energy, livelihoods and responsible mining) opportunities aligned with strategic areas of growth. S/he will be responsible for developing high quality and technically sound proposals that are responsive to and compliant with funder requirements, working together with technical experts within Pact’s Sustainable Markets Team, Pact’s country offices, Business Development team, Programs Operations team, and Integrated Communications team. Beyond proposals, the Technical Writer, Sustainable Markets, will craft and maintain an up-to-date catalog of written materials for prepositioning, such as capability and past performance statements. S/he will also dedicate time toward supporting documentation as part of Pact’s global thought leadership to influence the public, private, and social sectors, and will also serve as a member of Pact’s cross-sectoral Technical Writers and Editors (TWE) team. The Technical Writer, Sustainable Markets, will report to the Vice President, Sustainable Markets.
Proposal Writing & Support (85% level of effort)
Lead the writing of high-quality and responsive proposals, mainly targeting the private sector in the focus areas of the Sustainable Markets impact area: Environment, Energy, Livelihoods, and Responsible Mining, in accordance with Pact and donor requirements. Contribute to technical design sessions on proposal strategy, proactively facilitate development of win themes, and participate in discussions on strategic partnerships and approaches. Support the preparation and delivery of proposal design workshops. Develop the technical narrative by collecting, integrating, and ensuring the quality of inputs and contributions from technical leads/technical support team and/or consultants.Review, revise, and edit technical proposal sections provided by technical staff, consultants, and partners, and integrate them into the overall technical proposal. Participate in technical reviews and incorporate feedback and revisions in a timely manner. Review and integrate all background materials to ensure that the technical application is compliant with all technical and structural requirements. Interview and gather technical inputs and competitive intelligence from country offices, technical units, subject matter specialists, and other resource persons. Constructively challenge the design team to produce a high-quality proposal design and product. Support partner engagement to draw forth technical insight and proposal contributions. Advise on visuals and graphics that reinforce narrative messages. Provide peer support by copy-editing proposals drafted by other technical writers, as needed and as time and workload permit.Program Support (5% level of effort)
Support project teams to structure and develop key documents.
Review, revise, and edit project reports and deliverables.
Organizational Initiatives (10% level of effort)
Support technical, project, and country teams to structure and develop documents to support thought leadership in sustainable markets (environment and energy, livelihoods and responsible mining).
Support other organizational efforts around Strategic Priorities/Initiatives as appropriate.
Develop additional materials, such as capacity statements and web content.
Participate in and contribute to Pact’s Technical Writers and Editors (TWE) team and Technical Writing Community of Practice (TWCOP) meetings and trainings, including on best practices in technical writing for proposals and thought leadership projects.
Employee complies with all company policies and procedures, including completing all compliance training topics by the deadline to satisfy each and receiving the corresponding acknowledgment statement that the training has been completed.
All other duties as assigned.
Masters degree with eight (8) years work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Other Education and Experience
Master’s degree in international development, environment, energy, livelihoods, mining, sustainable development, or a related field.
At least 8 years of work experience in international development or a relevant field.
Additional Qualifications
At least 5-8 years of progressive experience in developing and writing successful proposals worth more than $2 million, particularly for the private sector (corporations, foundations)
Experience writing successful private sector proposals as well as USAID and/or FCDO proposals.
Familiarity with sustainable development trends and issues, particularly community engagement, environment, clean energy, livelihoods, economic strengthening, responsible mining, and capacity development.
Excellent English technical writing and editing skills.
Excellent management, communications, interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
Ability to analyze and synthesize knowledge (inputs) into high-quality proposal outputs.
Ability to balance multiple projects simultaneously while still meeting deadlines and maintaining quality.
Ability to work with a team under time pressure and balance an occasionally heavy workload when faced with multiple proposals.
Ability to objectively assess proposal responsiveness against requirements.
Ability to successfully collaborate with others and work in teams – especially under pressure.
Ability to mentor and guide staff on proposal writing. Willingness to travel for 1-2 week period 2-4 times per year, often on short notice.
Ability to work independently and manage a high-volume workflow.
Experience with a range of public and private donors.
Demonstrated ability to create and maintain effective working relations with various team members, country office staff and in-country host government personnel, local partners, and donors.
Experience building staff writing skills.