Freelance Medical/Proposal Writer — Oncology Education & Grant Proposals

Description
Organization: Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC)

Reports to: VP, Corporate Development (with day-to-day direction from Business Development team)

Engagement type: Freelance/independent contractor, ongoing

Volume: Approximately 40 proposals per year

Location: Remote

The Opportunity

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

Required

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