The Christensen Fund is a private foundation founded in 1957 and based in San Francisco. Since 2003, the focus of our work has been biocultural diversity. Under this complex, holistic approach, we seek to support the resilience of living diversity at landscape and community level around the world in partnerships with civil society, indigenous peoples and others. Our current geographic program regions are: The African Rift Valley focusing on Ethiopia and Northern Kenya; Central Asia and Turkey focusing on Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Northeast Turkey, Northern Australia; Melanesia focusing on Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea; and the Greater American Southwest (US Southwest and Northern Mexico). We also have a global program connecting our regions to global processes, policies, debates, and collaborations and focuses on specific thematic areas for periods of time. Currently the three main areas of global focus are Indigenous People and Climate Change, Resilient Biocultural Landscapes and Agro-Biodiversity and Food Sovereignty.
We have recently launched a new website, at www.christensenfund.org. We are looking for a talented writer that can help to transform the experiences and developments of our grantees in the field into compelling web content. The goal is to tie diverse human-interest stories to the complexity of biocultural diversity, in an engaging and accessible way. Web stories will be short (250 – 800 words) and will include grantee profiles, regional news items, issue explainers, event summaries and more. Additionally, we may have longer and more research-intensive writing projects such as position papers, press releases and expert interviews, as well as content development for presentations, etc.
Writers should have demonstrable experience turning academic, scientific, environmental, cultural and socio-economic issues into clean prose for a broad audience. Experience as a journalist covering Indigenous, climate change, agricultural and international development issues would be advantageous.
Experience:
Additionally, successful candidates will have:
• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in journalism, communications, international relations, political science or related disciplines; a Master’s Degree is preferred
• Extensive professional experience in communications including as a journalist; preferably seven years or more
• Proven ability to identify, select, analyze and produce information and content from a variety of sources.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with fluency and a strong command of English
• Proven ability to convey complex ideas in accessible language to a variety of audiences in a clear, direct, and lively style
• Experience in effectively communicating and translating ideas across multiple cultures
• Experience in conducting interviews
• Strong organizational, project management and interpersonal skills. Flexibility and ability to juggle multiple tasks
• Prior experience in thematic and issue areas related to biocultural diversity and demonstrated experience as writer, editor, advocate, analyst and/or researcher in these areas.
• Understanding of, or the willingness and proven ability to quickly learn about, Christensen’s specific regional and issue areas.
• Global perspective learned through on the ground experience particularly in the global south.
• Cultural and political sensitivity.
How To Apply:
This is a part-time freelance/contractor position for assignments on an ongoing basis. Writers will be paid per completed piece. You should be comfortable working remotely, though SF Bay Area-based writers may work periodically from The Christensen Fund office. If you are interested, please submit an email including a short bio, why you are interested in the work, and links to relevant work you have done. Send to dan@christensenfund.org
Suitable candidates may be given a (paid) assignment for christensenfund.org. Before responding, please review the website to gain an understanding of our work. Phone: 4156441619