Proposal Writer

Job Description

This position works primarily on international public health proposals for various donors, including USAID. The Proposal Writer works with the Technical Strategy Lead, Principal Writer, Proposal Manager, and other proposal contributors to help ensure that final proposals are responsive to the needs of the client and reflect the technical strategy of MSH and its partners. The Proposal Writer will be responsible for drafting and editing sections of proposals, applications, requests for information, concept papers, and other procurement documents; researching background materials related to technical proposals; and working across the Strategy, Business Development, and Partnerships (SBD&P) team to contribute to MSH’s overall proposal success.

More specifically:

Writing of proposals, applications, expressions of interest, and other procurement documents – 80%

• Drafting: Draft sections of proposals as requested by the Proposal Manager, Technical Strategy Lead, or Principal Writer, which may include the situation analysis, management plan, personnel section, capabilities statement, or past performance references, in close coordination with the Principal Writer and Technical Strategy Lead.
• Research: Contribute to identifying and reviewing background materials to use in writing technical proposals or to provide to other team writers.
• Outlining: Develop annotated outlines for proposals in collaboration with the proposal team, working closely with technical experts, Principal Writer, and Proposal Manager.
• Coordination: Coordinate with the Principal Writer and Senior Writer to make sure all deadlines for proposal drafts are met.
• Rewriting: Help rewrite sections of proposals submitted by other writers, as assigned, including condensing sections to meet length requirements.
• Capability statements: Work with proposal teams to draft institutional capability statements and past performance narratives.
• Staffing sections: Assist other writers in developing job descriptions, biographical summaries, and CVs of proposed staff that accurately reflect their skills and accomplishments in relation to procurement requirements.
• Quality assurance: Check that technical proposals are compliant, internally consistent, and appropriately address procurement requirements.

Positioning – 10%

• Support BD&P, GHSI, PDG, and field staff in implementing positioning strategies to strengthen MSH’s likelihood of winning new business, including, but not limited to, intelligence gathering (desk research), analysis, and information sharing.

Proposal editing – 5%

• Edit selected proposals or sections of proposals, such as annexes, in accordance with the standards of BD&P.

Document management – 5%

• Assist the Proposal Manager and other members of the BD&P team in organizing and maintaining the latest versions of capabilities statements and other background materials for proposal development.

What do you need to apply?

MSH employs people of passion, we seek those individuals who dream of a better world. We look for professionals who combine experience, local knowledge, and an understanding of international best practices.

Please include a cover letter with your application.

Specific requirements for this role are:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in English, communications, health sciences, international development, journalism, or related field. Postgraduate degree preferred.
• A minimum of 6 years of writing experience with a Bachelor’s degree (4 years of writing experience with a Master’s), including at least 2 years in writing and substantive editing of international development–related proposals for clients such as USAID; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; Global Fund, and others in a professional setting. Experience in international public health is highly preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Good skills in persuasive writing and the ability to present technical ideas in a concise way that is relatively free of jargon.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Word and MS Sharepoint.
• Ability to engage with technical experts and use information to craft easily understood language.
• Ability to take in and process reviewers’ comments and other feedback and make sound decisions about when to ask questions.
• Ability to quickly research and identify factual information from credible, recognized sources.
• Good editing skills. Knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style a plus.
• Professional proficiency in Spanish or French a plus.

Competencies:

• A love of writing and crafting clear language, with careful attention to detail.
• Flexibility, tact, and ability to work with diverse kinds of team members under tight deadlines.
• Ability to perform well under pressure and in challenging environments.
• Excellent communication skills, oral and written.
• Self-motivated and capable of taking the initiative.
• Strategic thinker who can work with Technical Strategy Leads and designers to help develop, refine, and convey strategies and themes.

The expected salary range for this position is: $68,900.00 - $88,000.00 annually (U.S. locations only).

MSH considers multiple job-related factors when determining an offer, including but not limited to, business and organizational needs, candidate qualifications, internal equity, location, and internal budget.

Salary is just one of many aspects of our total rewards package; at MSH, our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive set of competitive benefits that includes a substantial vacation, sick and holiday policies, training and development programs, competitive insurance coverage for health, vision, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability, 401k plan, Flexible Spending Account, among others.

The selected candidate will be able to work remotely in a country where they are authorized to work and MSH is registered.

About the Organization

Management Sciences for Health, an international nonprofit organization, is dedicated to closing the gap between what is known and what is done about public health problems. MSH saves lives and improves health by helping public and private organizations throughout the world to effectively manage people, medicines, money, and information. Working from more than 30 country offices and our US headquarters, our staff from 65 nations is highly regarded for its technical expertise, integrity, and commitment to making a lasting difference in health.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a nonprofit international health organization composed of more than 2,000 people from 73 nations. Their mission is to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health. Together with their partners, they are helping managers and leaders in developing countries to create stronger management systems that improve health services for the greatest health impact.

EXPERTISE

MSH takes an integrated approach to building high-impact sustainable programs that address critical challenges in leadership, health systems management, human resources, and medicines. Simply put, they support stronger health systems for greater health impact.

Their expertise in these areas falls into the broad categories of management functions—for example, leadership and governance or pharmaceutical management—and health areas like tuberculosis or maternal, newborn, and child health. They apply their expertise by

• Partnering with governments, local organizations, and communities in developing nations to build their own capacity for long-term health impact;
• Providing global leadership in critical areas of health management and health care delivery;
• Bringing the best of MSH from around the globe to the people we serve, working as One MSH with a focus on lasting health system improvements.

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Leadership, Governance, & Management

They work with in-country partners to build stronger health systems to improve:

• the management and leadership of priority health programs, health organizations, and multisectoral partnerships such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, developing a critical mass of managers at all levels of the health system who can lead and inspire teams to achieve results;
  
• the management systems of health organizations in the public and private sector, transferring practical approaches and skills to ensure that management structures contribute to sustainable organizational success;
  
• the governance and management of health organizations and multisectoral partnerships, facilitating change and transferring knowledge to enable organizations to administer their resources efficiently and scale up their services.

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Health Service Delivery

MSH combines extensive public health expertise, proven service delivery approaches, and evidence-based interventions in five critical areas:

• HIV & AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Maternal, newborn, and child health
• Family planning and reproductive health
• Other communicable diseases, including malaria and pandemic and avian influenza

Human Resources for Health

MSH helps governments develop multisectoral strategies and policies to plan and manage their health workforces. We use a comprehensive approach that addresses all the facets of human resources for health needed to achieve an adequate supply of well-trained and motivated health workers. MSH offers capabilities in leadership, human resource management, education, partnerships, policy, and finance to achieve these goals.

Pharmaceutical Management

Vital to our success is a participatory approach to project design and implementation, which cultivates broad-based support from all stakeholders. We also build and improve infrastructure and local capacity to effectively purchase, store, deliver, and use quality essential medicines.

Health Care Financing

MSH helps governments and NGOs assess their current financial situation and systems, understand service costs, and develop initiatives to use existing funds more effectively and generate additional revenue—all with the goal of supporting a nation’s health priorities.

Health Information

MSH has developed proven methods for rapidly strengthening the analysis and use of existing health data—normally at the province, district, and facility levels—without revising existing recording and reporting requirements. With an emphasis on learning through action, district teams undertake assessments of health services, identify gaps in performance, and design solutions to support better decision-making and, therefore, better management of improved services.

MSH has worked closely with the Health Metrics Network of the WHO to develop a comprehensive approach for enhancing the performance of health information systems and data by employing a practical, strategic planning process that can be carried out by national working groups.