Talent Roster – Proposal Writer

About IFDC

IFDC is a public international organization active in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and America. IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency. These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use. IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions. With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.  

Position Summary

As part of IFDC’s open call for profiles, we are seeking highly qualified individuals or firms to join our consultant roster to support the development of competitive proposals for international development programs across a range of donors and geographies.

Responsibilities

• Lead or contribute to the drafting of technical proposal narratives, ensuring content is compelling, coherent, and fully responsive to the requirements and evaluation criteria of the Call for Proposals or solicitation;
• Translate technical inputs, program design guidance, and partner contributions into clear, well-structured narratives that effectively communicate project rationale, approach, and expected results;
• Ensure consistency of language, terminology, voice, and structure across all proposal sections, including those drafted by multiple contributors;
• Integrate feedback from internal reviewers, technical advisors, and consortium partners into successive drafts in a timely and organized manner;
• Review solicitation documents to ensure full compliance with all formatting, page limit, content, and submission requirements, and that evaluation criteria are explicitly and strategically addressed throughout the narrative;
• Support the integration of cross-cutting sections including budget narratives, staffing descriptions, organizational capacity statements, and required annexes;
• Participate in proposal planning calls, design sessions, and review meetings, contributing both as a writer and a strategic thought partner;
• Coordinate closely with business development, technical, MEL, HR, finance, and partner teams to gather inputs and ensure all sections reflect accurate, up-to-date information;
• Apply knowledge of donor priorities, policies, and templates to tailor proposals appropriately and strengthen overall competitiveness;
• Synthesize large volumes of complex technical information into accessible, donor-aligned language that balances technical accuracy with readability.

Requirements

For individuals:

• A minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience writing winning proposals in the international development sector, with a demonstrated track record of successful awards across multiple donor types and program areas;
• Demonstrated experience writing for at least two of the following donor types: US government (USAID, State, USDA), the EU/EC, European bilateral donors (e.g., DGIS, GIZ, FCDO, Sida, SDC, AFD), World Bank, African Development Bank, UN agencies, or similar bilateral and multilateral funders;
• Deep understanding of what a competitive technical proposal requires from program logic and theory of change to design coherence, responsiveness, and evaluator-facing framing;
• Proven ability to synthesize complex technical content from subject matter experts and partner organizations into accessible, persuasive prose;
• Strong command of proposal structure, compliance requirements, and the nuances of responding to different solicitation formats (RFPs, EOIs, etc.);
• Excellent written English required; fluency in French is an asset; 
• Demonstrated familiarity with relevant thematic areas such as agriculture, food security, livelihoods, market systems, seed systems, gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), climate adaptation, or private sector engagement and agricultural research is an asset;
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, collaborative environments involving multiple stakeholders and iterative review processes;
• Experience working in African contexts is strongly preferred.

For Firms:

• Firms may submit a team of writers with combined expertise covering the above requirements;
• The submission must include CVs of at least two principal writers who would be assigned to IFDC projects, demonstrating their individual qualifications as per the criteria above;
• Firms must provide evidence of successfully managing at least three (3) proposal development contracts for international development organizations in the past three years.

Reporting and Work Relationships

This role reports to the Proposal Manager. In addition, they will collaborate closely with other teams.

Location

This is a talent roster for potential proposal opportunities for IFDC. Location is to be shared based on the project. Remote work is possible, with availability during core business hours (to be agreed upon per assignment).

Diversity Clause 

IFDC is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe in the value of bringing together people with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All employment decisions at IFDC are made based on ability, performance, and organizational need, in alignment with our values of fairness, respect, and opportunity for all.