[Hiring] Freelance Medical/Proposal Writer @Association of Cancer Care Centers

Role Description

ACCC is seeking an experienced freelance medical/proposal writer to serve as a core contributor to our educational grant proposal development process. This individual will own the research and writing of the scientific rationale and needs-assessment sections that anchor every ACCC funding proposal, along with supporting learning objective development and light graphic/data visualization work. Proposals span a wide range of oncology disease states as well as disease-agnostic topics (e.g., care delivery models, health equity, workforce, survivorship, financial toxicity), so the ideal candidate is a versatile researcher who can get up to speed quickly in a new clinical area, synthesize complex literature, and translate it into a clear, compelling case for support. This is a high-volume, deadline-driven freelance role (~40 proposals/year) best suited to a writer who enjoys working across topics, can manage multiple concurrent assignments, and takes pride in producing polished, well-referenced, funder-ready content on a consistent cadence.

What You'll Own

• Background and Educational Gaps — Literature Review
  • Conduct focused literature searches (guidelines, epidemiology, clinical trial data, real-world evidence, systematic reviews/meta-analyses) to establish the clinical rationale for each proposed initiative.
  • Write a concise, evidence-based narrative that frames the disease burden, standard of care, emerging evidence, and specific practice/knowledge gaps the program is designed to address.
  • Compile and format a complete, accurate reference list in ACCC's house citation style, with in-text numbered citations tied to source claims.
• Background and Educational Gaps — ACCC-Led Projects
  • Research and synthesize findings from ACCC's own prior needs assessments, surveys, handbooks, summits, and other completed initiatives relevant to the topic.
  • Position the proposed program within ACCC's broader body of work in the space (e.g., showing a multi-year trajectory of prior initiatives and how the new program builds on documented gaps).
  • Identify or coordinate on light supporting graphics (simple data figures, stat call-outs, or a visual timeline/trajectory graphic) that make key findings from ACCC's prior work easy to scan.
  • Cite ACCC's internal sources (handbooks, survey reports, prior proposals) accurately and consistently.
• Learning Objectives
  • Draft 4–6 specific, measurable learning objectives per proposal, using appropriate action verbs (identify, implement, develop, strengthen, evaluate, etc.) that align with the proposed program components and target audience.
  • Ensure objectives are internally consistent with the program's format and map logically to specific components where applicable.
• Light Graphics/Data Visualization
  • Translate key statistics or findings into simple, on-brand visual elements (e.g., stat call-out boxes, comparison figures, timeline/trajectory graphics) consistent with ACCC's proposal template and visual style.
  • Work from provided templates/brand guidelines; hand off final visual concepts in a format ACCC's design team or template can incorporate directly.

What Success Looks Like

• Literature and ACCC-gaps sections are accurate, current, well-organized, and persuasive — establishing a clear "why this program, why now" case without overstating the evidence.
• Citations are complete, correctly formatted, and traceable to primary sources.
• Learning objectives are tightly aligned to program design and audience, and read as achievable and specific rather than generic.
• Deliverables arrive on schedule and require minimal rounds of substantive revision.
• Voice and structure consistently match ACCC's established proposal format and tone across disease states and topics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (life sciences, public health, medical writing, journalism, or related discipline); advanced degree a plus.
• Demonstrated experience as a medical writer, scientific writer, or grant/proposal writer in healthcare, medical education, pharma/biotech, or a related nonprofit/association setting.
• Strong literature research skills, including comfort navigating PubMed, clinical guidelines (e.g., NCCN), and conference/abstract databases.
• Excellent narrative writing skills — able to synthesize dense clinical literature into clear, accessible, well-organized prose for a mixed clinical/administrative audience.
• Rigorous citation practices and familiarity with reference management.
• Ability to work independently across multiple concurrent assignments and meet firm deadlines.
• Comfort working from templates and adapting to an established organizational voice.

Preferred

• Direct oncology experience (medical education, pharma, clinical, or association/nonprofit setting).
• Experience writing needs assessments or grant proposals for accredited or non-accredited continuing education programs.
• Basic graphic/data visualization skills (e.g., PowerPoint, Canva, or similar) sufficient to mock up simple charts, stat call-outs, or timeline graphics.
• Familiarity with the independent medical education funding landscape and industry compliance considerations (e.g., unbranded content, editorial independence).

Working Arrangement

• Freelance/contract basis, engaged on a per-proposal or retainer basis (to be discussed).
• Assignments are issued on a rolling basis by the Business Development team, with typical turnaround times of 7 business days — to be defined per assignment.
• Writer will work from ACCC's standard proposal template and house style guide, and will collaborate with the Business Development team on scope, gap identification, and content review.
• Compensation: per-proposal flat fee preferred.