Job opportunity: Scientific Communications Manager, Autism and Neuroscience
The Simons Foundation is seeking a strategically minded scientific communications manager to develop and manage all website content for its autism and neuroscience programs.
The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is a scientific initiative within the foundation’s suite of programs. SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. With a commitment to open science, the program generates several valuable resources, biorepositories and cohorts that are available to the autism research community.
The Simons Foundation Neuroscience Collaborations bring together groups of outstanding scientists to address topics of fundamental scientific importance, with a focus on areas of neuroscience in which significant new developments have created novel opportunities for exploration.
By harnessing savvy editorial and content management skills, as well as a broad knowledge of the scientific landscape, the successful candidate for this position will focus their efforts on planning, developing and executing web content offerings in service of both programs’ missions and goals. They will determine effective ways to aggregate new research developments and disseminate them to the programs’ target audiences. They will also work to amplify the availability of resources (and cohorts) to the larger research community, and identify new sources of synergy across the broad range of programs that fall under the SFARI and Neuroscience Collaborations umbrellas.
The successful candidate will have a strong background in the life sciences — particularly neuroscience, genetics, developmental biology and/or other related fields — and be very familiar with the scientific and clinical research landscape. They will also have demonstrated experience in science communications, particularly for research or clinical audiences.
The scientific communications manager will report directly to the editor-in-chief, simonsfoundation.org, while working closely with members of the SFARI and Neuroscience Collaboration science teams and leadership.
This is a full-time position based at the Simons Foundation’s New York City offices. This position does not involve journalistic work for Spectrum, which is supported by the Simons Foundation but is editorially independent.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES
- Oversee the writing, editing, organization and maintenance of content related to research, resources and cohorts, grantees, publications, projects and funding opportunities for the SFARI and Neuroscience Collaborations.
- Work closely with the Simons Foundation Informatics team to effectively communicate the valuable cohorts, biorepositories and data resources available to the autism and neuroscience research communities as part of the Foundation’s commitment to open science.
- With input from science teams and leadership, identify and produce content offerings, such as news, features, meeting and workshop reports, Q&A’s, etc., aimed at driving conversation and collaboration among these programs’ key audiences.
- Create and enforce operational processes, such as a content creation workflow, an editorial calendar, production workflow and analytics reporting.
- Liaise with relevant team members across different areas of SFARI, including the clinical cohort programs, SPARK, Searchlight and Autism BrainNet; and the Neuroscience Collaborations, including the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain and the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain; to promote a unified understanding of how teams can best advance the mission and goals of their respective programs, and of the foundation as a whole.
- Manage at least one editorial associate, as well as the work of freelance writers and copyeditors.
- Produce newsletters for both Autism and Neuroscience programs.
- Work closely with science and grants teams to review and publish requests for application (RFAs) and related grant materials.
- Select and/or commission suitable and brand-consistent images and artwork to accompany website content, newsletter and social media, and work with the foundation’s communications team to organize and archive all multimedia.
- Work closely with the foundation’s editor-in-chief and web development team to guide and prioritize website improvements and fixes, coordinate requests from program leaders and oversee the implementation of those requests.
- Work closely with the science teams for SFARI and Neuroscience Collaborations to prepare collateral for large grantee meetings, such as program books and slides.
- Manage social media accounts for both SFARI and Neuroscience Collaborations.
- Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Master’s degree in neuroscience, genetics, developmental biology and/or autism science or a related field. An advanced degree (Ph.D. or M.D.) is preferred.
- Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in science communications a plus.
Experience
- Three to five years of experience in an editorial and/or strategic communications role, with relevant experience in an academic, research, or nonprofit environment.
- A deep understanding of the scientific and clinical research process, including familiarity with academia, scientific publishing and/or scientific research institutions.
- Ability to tailor scientific content to different audiences who may have varying levels of expertise and knowledge.
- Experience with analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, and an understanding of how these tools can help to drive content development.
- Previous people management experience a plus.
- Familiarity with website content management systems, such as WordPress, and experience managing social media a plus.
Related Skills & Other Requirements
- Must be fastidiously attentive to detail and committed to accuracy for a discerning scientific audience.
- Must be very well organized, able to multitask and to field simultaneous requests from various team members and leadership, with rigorous attention to clear and timely communication. Must be able to set and meet fixed deadlines.
- Must be able to work easily and collaboratively with editorial, technical and leadership teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, demonstrating command of the highest standards of written and spoken English. Familiarity with AP style a plus.
- Flexibility to assist with other projects for the foundation as needed.
REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS
- Please submit a résumé and cover letter stating your interest in the position.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- The full-time annual compensation range for this position is $115,000 – $135,000, depending on experience.
- In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.
Apply here