Senior Writer

ISD is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding human rights and reversing the rising tide of polarisation, extremism and disinformation worldwide.

Why work for ISD?

ISD is not your ordinary think tank. We turn research into action that changes the world. Our insights don't gather dust on shelves - they power the fight to protect democracy and human rights on the front lines. We're committed to delivering real change, from the grassroots to the highest levels of global institutions. And we're looking for passionate individuals who share our commitment to making a difference. Join us and be part of an organisation that's making an impact.

ISD's Guiding Principles of  integrity, collaboration, agility and courage  define who we are as a team and an organisation. These principles reflect our culture and guide the way we work and the choices we make.

Our benefits

• Flexible and remote working based on ISD's Time Principles of trust, communication and flexibility.

• Generous annual leave policies.

• 1 week of additional paid time off over Christmas, outside of your annual leave entitlement.

• Additional paid time off for development.

• Sick pay and enhanced family friendly policies and compassionate leave.

• Company pension.

• Annual personal development budget.

• Remote working budget.

• Employee Assistance Programme and dedicated counsellors for those working with potentially traumatic content.

• Inclusive wellbeing programme with regular wellbeing initiatives.

Salary

Dependent on location:

£45,000 - £60,000 (UK)

€60,000 - €90,000 (EU)

$85,000 - $110,000 (US)

Location

You may work from one of our offices based in the UK, US or Germany, or in a hybrid arrangement to suit you. The successful candidate is required to have the right to work in their country of residence. We cannot provide Visa sponsorship for this role.

Contract type

Initial 12-month fixed term, full-time (40 hours per week).

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

ISD is committed to promoting diversity throughout its workforce and aims for its team to be truly representative of all sections of society. We make a concerted effort to ensure our workplace, employment policies and organisational culture creates an inclusive, positive and progressive environment in which all members of our team are treated with dignity and respect. For further information about this policy or our recruitment practices, please email [email protected].

We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, carers, and people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Requirements

Role Purpose

The quality of ISD’s work speaks for itself, and we are proud of our reputation as a leading global think and do tank. ISD produces over 100 research and/or policy outputs a year, as well as hosting or participating in high-level events and engaging with governments, policy makers and institutions across the globe.

ISD is seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Senior Writer to lead the editorial development of our research and communications output. This role will ensure ISD’s public-facing materials are consistently high quality, impactful and accessible. Working with the Communications, Research and Executive Leadership Teams, the Senior Writer will play a central role in ensuring editorial excellence across all ISD products and platforms.

Key responsibilities include:

Content Development and Editorial Oversight - 40%

• Serve as a lead editor for ISD’s research and policy outputs, ensuring intellectual rigour, clarity, consistency, and quality across written materials

• Craft compelling, evidence-based content across formats (policy briefs, reports, short form pieces, social media)

• Implement robust editorial processes with appropriate sign-off mechanisms

• Safeguard organisational reputation through rigorous quality standards

Strategic Communication and Stakeholder Engagement – 40%

• Align ISD’s communications with the organisation’s strategy and theory of change

• Identify opportunities to influence discourse and stakeholder perspectives

• Develop and maintain media relationships to extend reach across channels

• Create messaging frameworks for major campaigns and policy initiatives

• Prepare toplines and position statements to navigate sensitive media interest

• Conduct horizon scanning to anticipate emerging communication needs

Staff Development, Team Management and Media Training – 20%

• Oversee the Senior Communications Manager and a team of regional writers/ copy editor analysts

• Design and deliver tailored writing workshops addressing organisational needs

• Provide constructive feedback on drafts from non-specialist colleagues, and mentor colleagues to elevate their writing capabilities

• Create resources and style guides to institutionalise quality standards

To view a full job description, please  click here.

The ideal candidate

The ideal candidate will join the team with significant experience as a journalist, editor, or researcher in a senior role in a media, political, public sector, research or non-profit organisation. We seek someone with a proven track-record in a policy or communications and engagement role focused on issues such as conflict resolution, hate, extremism, polarisation, disinformation and/or terrorism. They will be comfortable in quickly understanding and being guided by the expertise of the research, policy and programming teams at ISD, and able to fluently communicate ISD’s work across the breadth of ISD’s stakeholders.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the issues we work on and will be motivated by a desire to ensure that all our communications – whether to donors, policy makers, a lay reader or a changemaker of any kind – enlighten and enable positive change. Helping colleagues communicate clearly and compellingly with a focus on quality and rigour will be at the heart of this role. This is about translating research, analysis, vision and insight into a range of outputs and real-world communication products that drive the mission forward.

Please review our  job description for essential criteria, and keep in mind that no candidate will meet every requirement in the advert. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified, but you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you.

How to apply

Please submit your application by 12th of May 2025. ISD reserves the right to interview and appoint candidates prior to the advertised closing date.

If you have any further questions about this vacancy or want to speak to a member of our recruitment team, please contact [email protected].