Posted on September 16, 2012

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Writer

The Wallace Foundation, an independent national philanthropy with assets of $1.3 billion, traces its origins back more than half a century to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of The Reader’s Digest Association. Ranked by assets, we are among the 50 largest private foundations in the United States.

Our vision is that children, particularly those living in distressed urban areas, have access to good schools and a variety of enrichment programs in and outside of school that prepare them to be contributing members of their communities. We seek to fill important knowledge gaps in our areas of interest by developing and testing promising ideas on the ground, studying the results, researching related issues, and sharing what we’ve learned broadly to help improve children’s lives.

The foundation currently works in five areas:

• strengthening school leadership to improve student achievement,
• expanding time for learning during the school year and over the summer,
• enhancing after-school opportunities,
• fostering arts education for children and teens, and
• developing audiences for the arts.

At The Wallace Foundation, we work in teams that assemble the mix of expertise and perspectives we need to design and carry out initiatives according to our approach. This means that staff members from units throughout the foundation – research, program, and communications, to name a few – regularly work together in a cross-foundation effort rather than individually in their own department. Therefore, we seek employees who are both highly skilled in their professions and able to work collaboratively with others. Wallace employees need to be able to think analytically and communicate clearly. We value the flexibility to adapt to change, a desire to learn, and the ability to work productively both on one’s own and with colleagues inside and outside the foundation. The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.

Writer: September 2012

The Wallace Foundation’s communications strategy is crucial to carrying out our mission and includes digital and print publishing as well as public presentations. Our Web site is the primary vehicle for knowledge-sharing and we use social media to further our reach. Wallace hosts on its Web site commissioned research studies as well reports that Wallace writes, including research summaries, looks at what we are learning from the projects we finance, papers targeted at policymakers, op-eds and articles, speeches, and our annual report. Internal communications include strategy papers and an annual self-assessment of the foundation’s efforts for the Wallace board of directors.

ROLE

The Writer plays an important role in enabling the Foundation to produce a growing volume of communications that contribute to broader awareness and deeper understanding of ideas and practices emerging from our work. The Writer uses his/her writing, analytical, and editing skills, to translate complex ideas into clear, plain language for audiences including policymakers, people who work in the fields where Wallace has ongoing projects, thought leaders, the Wallace board of directors, and interested members of the general public. The Writer reports to the Director of Communications.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Produce a range of written materials that clearly and accurately describe the ideas and information emerging from Wallace’s work. The materials include articles about our grantees and initiatives, the foundation’s annual report, summaries of foundation-commissioned research, reports on Wallace’s views about its fields of interest, and press releases.
• Work with staff members in Research and Evaluation, Program, and Communications to assess drafts of Wallace-commissioned research and tools, synthesize comments, and provide useful editorial feedback to authors and research teams.
• Ensure Wallace Web site copy is up to date; write for Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets; draft blog posts; write e-alerts announcing new Wallace publications and other Foundation news; and write entries about Wallace’s perspective on a topic on various blogs and Web sites.
• Supervise freelance writers and editors working on projects assigned to the Writer
• Contribute to strategy and implementation discussions as a member of Wallace’s interdisciplinary (communications, editorial, design, technology) Web team.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of eight years’ experience in writing and/or editing a range of materials for print, web, and social media
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complicated ideas clearly and accurately in a compelling fashion to policymakers; experience writing in the fields of education, after school, arts and philanthropy is a plus.
• Bachelors’ degree
• Capacity to work productively and contribute in a cross-disciplinary team structure
• Excellent project management skills and ability to multi-task to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to build positive relationships with external authors and research teams
• A commitment to quality and rigor, meticulous proofreading ability and attention to detail
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills to identify issues and solve problems working with colleagues
• Commitment to accountability and transparency

Salary is commensurate with experience. Our benefits include health, dental, life and disability insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan and paid time off. The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should send their resume, cover note including salary expectations, and writing samples that demonstrate the ability to translate complicated ideas for a broader audience – a plus are samples of writing aimed at communicating with policymakers or practitioners – to HR@wallacefoundation.org. Please note “Writer” as the subject in your email.