About Roundglass Foundation

Roundglass Foundation operates at the intersection of education, health, and community development, with a mission to create lasting social impact across underserved regions. With a growing community of over 17,363 followers and partnerships spanning multiple countries, the Foundation has established a reputation for designing and implementing programs that transform lives at scale. Our work focuses on early childhood development, sustainable livelihoods, and public health initiatives, delivered through collaborative partnerships with governments, NGOs, and local community organizations. As the Foundation expands its programmatic footprint across the Pacific Islands region, including flagship initiatives in Nauru, we are seeking a seasoned proposal development professional to join our growing team.

Role Overview

The Senior Proposal Writer will serve as the lead architect of funding narratives that translate Roundglass Foundation's on-the-ground impact into persuasive, data-driven proposals capable of securing major grants from bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, foundations, and corporate philanthropy arms. This is a senior-level role reporting directly to the Director of Partnerships and Development, with close collaboration across program teams, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) units, and country leadership. You will be responsible for managing the full proposal lifecycle — from opportunity identification and capture planning through narrative development, budget alignment, submission, and post-award reporting. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in institutional fundraising, exceptional storytelling abilities, and a nuanced understanding of the international development sector.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead the end-to-end development of high-value grant proposals (ranging from $500,000 to $10M+) targeting USAID, DFID/FCDO, the Global Fund, Gavi, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other major institutional donors, ensuring compliance with each donor's specific guidelines, templates, and evaluation criteria. 2. Conduct thorough opportunity research and pipeline tracking using platforms such as Devex, Funding Forecast, Grants.gov, and EU Funding & Tenders, maintaining a rolling 12-month capture plan with win probability assessments for each opportunity. 3. Collaborate with M&E teams to synthesize quantitative and qualitative impact data — including baseline surveys, mid-term evaluations, and endline reports — into compelling evidence sections that demonstrate program effectiveness and value for money. 4. Develop and maintain a repository of organizational capacity statements, past performance references, boilerplate content, and standard proposal modules to accelerate response timelines and ensure consistency across submissions. 5. Facilitate proposal design workshops using the Logical Framework Approach (LogFrame) and Theory of Change methodology, bringing together subject matter experts, finance teams, and country-level staff to co-create coherent program designs and results frameworks. 6. Write and edit executive summaries, technical approaches, sustainability plans, and risk mitigation strategies that clearly articulate the Foundation's theory of change, implementation methodology, and comparative advantage in the Pacific Islands context. 7. Coordinate with the finance department to develop accurate, defensible budgets and budget narratives aligned with both donor requirements and organizational cost policies, including indirect cost calculations and cost-sharing arrangements. 8. Manage simultaneous proposal deadlines across multiple donors, maintaining detailed production schedules, review timelines, and quality assurance checkpoints to ensure on-time, error-free submissions. 9. Support post-award grant management by contributing to donor reporting, no-cost extension requests, and program modification communications, ensuring narrative continuity from proposal to implementation. 10. Mentor junior fundraising staff and contribute to building internal capacity in proposal writing through training sessions, style guides, and feedback loops.

Work Environment and Culture

Roundglass Foundation fosters a collaborative, mission-driven work culture where intellectual curiosity and creative problem-solving are valued. The team operates with a flat hierarchy, encouraging open dialogue across departments. Given the geographic scope of our programs, this role may involve periodic travel to program sites in Nauru and other Pacific Island nations for field visits, stakeholder consultations, and program documentation. We offer flexible working arrangements and are committed to supporting professional development through access to industry conferences, online learning platforms, and peer networks.

Candidate Requirements

- Master's degree in International Development, Public Policy, Communications, or a related field. - Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in grant writing, proposal development, or institutional fundraising within the international development or humanitarian sector. - Demonstrated track record of winning competitive grants from major institutional donors (USAID, FCDO, EU, GAC, or equivalent). - Exceptional English-language writing, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to distill complex programmatic information into clear, persuasive narratives. - Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret M&E data, statistical reports, and academic research for proposal evidence sections. - Experience working in Pacific Island contexts or small island developing states (SIDS) is highly desirable. - Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Word and Excel), Google Workspace, and proposal management tools such as Salesforce Grants or Fluxx. - Familiarity with donor compliance frameworks, including 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), FCDO's PrOF system, and EU Practical Guide procedures. - Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and coordinate inputs from diverse stakeholders.

Technical Skills and Tools

The successful candidate will be expected to work proficiently with Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or similar CRM platforms for donor tracking, Microsoft SharePoint for document management, Adobe InDesign for proposal design and layout, and data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau for presenting impact metrics. Familiarity with collaborative writing platforms like Google Docs (for real-time co-authoring) and project management tools such as Asana or Monday.com is essential.

Benefits and Compensation

Roundglass Foundation offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including health insurance coverage, professional development allowance, annual home leave provisions (for international staff), and a supportive work-life balance policy. The Foundation also provides relocation assistance for candidates moving to program locations and access to a global network of development professionals.

Career Growth Opportunities

This role is positioned for significant career advancement. The Senior Proposal Writer will have the opportunity to grow into a Head of Business Development or Director of Partnerships role as the Foundation scales its fundraising operations. You will gain exposure to senior donor relationships, strategic planning processes, and organizational leadership, positioning you for senior roles across the international development sector.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV along with two writing samples of successful grant proposals (with donor-identifying information redacted if necessary) to rg.talent@roundglass.com. Please include "Senior Proposal Writer — Pacific Programs" in the email subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a writing assessment and panel interview within two weeks of submission.