Scientific Writer

Job Responsibilities

The Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) serves as the connective tissue for global health across all 15 Harvard schools. As a university-wide hub, we convene and facilitate collaboration between world-class faculty, students, and global partners to ensure that expertise in multiple disciplines aligns to advance health equity worldwide. Our work is grounded in the belief that we must inform each other's work to transform health at every level.

• Serve as writing lead for academic outputs, grant proposals, reports, policy briefs as assigned by Executive Director in collaboration with Faculty Director.
• Research, draft, edit, and produce technical policy briefs on global health topics for the institute, funders, and public.
• Search literature, compile literature reviews, synthesize complex research evidence into clear, policy-relevant documents that support HGHI’s mission.
• Revise scientific manuscripts, research papers, and reports for technical and specialist audiences.
• Ensure accuracy, rigor, and appropriate citation of sources across all institutional publications, adhering to institutional guidelines and publication standards.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of professional experience in scientific or technical writing, with demonstrated experience writing grant proposals, research reports and technical policy documents.
• Master’s Degree (MA, MS, MPH or equivalent) in public health, global health, or a related field. PhD or doctoral degree in a relevant field preferred; equivalent professional experience in grant writing and scientific publishing will be considered.
• Subject matter expertise in global health, public health, including familiarity with major funders, research frameworks, and policy processes in these fields.
• Experience writing successful grant proposals for foundations and government agencies.
• Experience managing or leading writing projects with diverse stakeholders in academic or research institutions.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Asana), Microsoft Office Suite, and citation management software (e.g., Zotero, RefWorks, Sciwheel).
• Familiarity with AI-assisted research and writing tools, with an understanding of their responsible application in scholarly contexts.