Contract, Technical Writer, Life Sciences

Lila Sciences•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

Science only creates impact when the right people understand it. At Lila Science, our Government sector team sits at the interface between world-class researchers and the government clients and internal stakeholders who need to act on their work. We're looking for a Life Sciences Technical Writer who thrives in that space. Reporting to the Head of Government Partnerships, you'll serve as the essential bridge between our life sciences researchers and the people who fund, oversee, and act on their work, taking highly technical findings, methods, and data from biology, biochemistry, and translational research and reshaping them into language that is clear, credible, and decision-ready. You'll work closely with our Grants Manager (who leads the full proposal process) to develop the technical and scientific components that sit at the heart of every competitive submission. You'll also serve as a quality gatekeeper: someone with enough domain expertise to catch scientific inaccuracies, challenge imprecise claims, and ensure that every deliverable meets the highest standards of technical rigor before it leaves the building. This is not a documentation-maintenance role. It's a strategic communication role for someone with enough scientific fluency to understand what researchers are saying, and enough communication skill to make it land with audiences who aren't in the lab. We are specifically looking for someone with a demonstrated track record of grant writing success, ideally including funding they have secured for their own research. Critically, we're also looking for someone who uses AI tools as a force multiplier: a writer who can use LLMs, build lightweight automation, or design workflow tools that let one exceptional person do the work of many.

Requirements

PhD in a life sciences discipline (molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, neuroscience, genomics, biomedical engineering, or closely related field).
Demonstrated track record of grant writing success, including proposals that have been awarded.
Demonstrated experience translating complex scientific or technical content for non-technical audiences, ideally in a government, policy, or regulated environment.
Scientific literacy sufficient to hold substantive conversations with researchers, represent their work accurately (nuances and limitations included), and push back when claims are imprecise or unsupported.
Exceptional written communication skills, with proven ability to write clearly and concisely for executives, clients, and non-specialist stakeholders.
Hands-on experience using AI tools (LLMs, AI writing assistants, or similar) in professional workflows: active, habitual use, including comfort building lightweight tools or automations to streamline repetitive writing and documentation tasks.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deliverables across parallel programs and tight timelines.
Eligibility to obtain a US security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience writing technical content for major life sciences funders (NIH R01, U01, program project, or cooperative agreements; ARPA-H; BARDA; UK funding applications such as UKRI councils MRC and BBSRC, NIHR, ARIA, Innovate UK).
Experience securing your own research funding (F31, F32, K-series, dissertation awards, postdoctoral fellowships, or equivalent independent grants in the US or UK), or translating seed/pilot funding into larger follow-on awards.
Active US security clearance.
Experience supporting a grants or business development function in a research or government-adjacent organization, including familiarity with study protocols, data management plans, biosafety documentation, and translational or preclinical reporting standards.
Ability to create clear figures, schematics, and visual summaries for broad audiences, with experience designing or managing a content library or documentation repository.

Responsibilities

Translate Science for Government Audiences. Work directly with Lila scientists across the life sciences portfolio to understand their research, then produce briefings, white papers, and executive-level reports that accurately convey the science for government clients, program officers, and agency stakeholders, adapting tone, depth, and format to the audience.
Proposal & Grant Support. Partner with the Grants Manager to develop the technical and scientific components of proposal applications (technical narratives, specific aims, method descriptions, preliminary data write-ups, scientific appendices) for NIH, ARPA-H, DARPA BTO, and UK-funded life sciences initiatives, ensuring consistency in tone, format, and compliance throughout.
Content Library & Knowledge Management. Build and maintain a repository of reusable, version-controlled technical content (vetted scientific descriptions, method summaries, capability statements, and regulatory narratives) that can be efficiently adapted across proposals and programs.
AI-Augmented Workflows. Actively use LLMs and similar AI tools to accelerate drafting, editing, and summarization workflows, and design lightweight automations that systematize and scale the technical writing function across programs.
Technical & Regulatory Documentation. Develop and maintain program documentation (SOPs, study protocols, risk assessments, verification and validation plans, data management plans, biosafety summaries) and regulatory-ready packages aligned to US and UK frameworks, with proper version control and traceability.
Visual Communication. Create figures, diagrams, flowcharts, and presentation materials that make research milestones, experimental designs, and outcomes immediately legible to non-specialist audiences.