Reporter or Editor Content Writer
Job Description
Use your expertise in storytelling, ghostwriting, marketing, and message development to help Bellwether’s experts share the impact of our work.
Bellwether is looking for a Content Writer to join our External Relations (XR) team and work cross-functionally with Bellwether’s Strategic Advising (SA) practice area as well as its Policy and Evaluation (PE) practice area to write materials for a variety of external audiences and clients with brand fidelity.
We are a remote-first team and our work is national in scope, which means this role can be based anywhere in the United States. This enables us to hire the best person for the role, regardless of geography. We also offer a coworking space in Washington, D.C., for employees interested in a hybrid work arrangement. Travel up to approximately 10-15% may be required for this role.
About Bellwether
We are a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. We work hand in hand with a diverse range of education organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way.
Our External Relations team leads development and communications efforts and the production of field-facing analyses that resonate with policymakers, donors, advocacy organizations, school leaders, and families.
Responsibilities
The Content Writer will deepen Bellwether’s impact by sharing results and lessons from our consulting work with external audiences, supporting our team members in publishing more commentary on timely issues for the education sector, and generally expanding the number and kinds of resources that Bellwether shares with the field. The Content Writer does this by embedding into project teams, working closely with team members to ghostwrite opinion pieces, and identifying and executing new ways to share stories and lessons from our consulting work.
The Content Writer will work closely with team members on select projects — sometimes reviewing message development and refining materials drafted by teams, often leading the writing of materials. Occasionally, the person in this role will project manage the design and production of these materials.
This role will report to the Editorial Director on the XR team and will:
- Work closely with project leads and managers in SA and PE to outline and draft materials for external audiences (e.g., marketing materials, op-eds).
- Support multiple projects at once with an attention to detail and a demonstrated ability to manage and meet deadlines.
- Embed with select teams early in the development of a project to conceptualize key messages and formats for external materials.
- Occasionally project manage aspects of deliverable production timelines and milestones with SA and PE teams.
- Routinely collaborate with the Editorial Director and, on occasion, the Design and Visual Senior Associate on publication and marketing collateral.
- Work with select project teams to lead the writing of key materials for clients (e.g., high-priority proposals for new work, presentations, memos, and other deliverables).
Qualifications
Bellwether is a good fit for an ambitious, mission-driven professional with a strong personal drive and a knack for collaboration. The Content Writer should be eager to build trust, rapport, and camaraderie with colleagues. A strong candidate will have the following qualities:
- Demonstrated ability to write for a range of audiences, issues, and types of materials.
- Strong professionalism and alignment with Bellwether’s mission and diversity, equity, and inclusion values.
- Be a self-starter who is deadline-driven and comfortable with ambiguity.
- Extensive experience with time management as well as interpersonal, written, and communication skills (people and projects; internal and external communications; change management).
- Be resourceful, responsible, tenacious, independent, creative, team-oriented, and self-confident.
Skills
- Excellent writing skills and storytelling instincts, with an ability to synthesize complex information and industry jargon into clear and crisp copy.
- Experience writing in adherence to brand standards and/or within the Associated Press Stylebook guidelines.
- Experience working on tight deadlines as a journalist or in a professional association or agency-based writing role is strongly encouraged.
- Familiarity with writing for different voices on a range of topics.
- Knowledge of best practices in communications and XR.
- Strong interpersonal skills building rapport and trust with colleagues; demonstrated ability to work with fidelity to Bellwether’s Core Values, including its commitment to viewpoint diversity.
- Experience in the education and/or nonprofit sectors is a plus (e.g., teaching, tutoring, volunteering, or working in a central administrative office environment).
Compensation
The base salary for this role for an incoming team member is $75,600-$82,163 annually. While the final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors — including previous experience and content knowledge — and may vary from the listed range, Bellwether is committed to transparency, and all offers are aligned with our compensation philosophy.
Bellwether provides an attractive benefits package that includes a performance bonus based on individual and organizational success, health care coverage, and a 401(k) plan with an employer-matching contribution policy.
