Head of Communications – Engagement

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Instruct FRO teams on crafting a media and communications strategy – Assist FRO teams in creating a comprehensive communications strategy that includes audience mapping, outcome prioritization, content, and channel planning. You facilitate while they develop ownership and actionable plans.

• Mentor FRO CEOs and scientific leaders on media preparedness – Equip FRO leaders to effectively communicate with journalists, discover their public voice, and prepare for Q&A sessions prior to engagements. Some may seek this guidance, while others may require encouragement. Your coaching is genuinely beneficial, as you discern when to encourage and when to step back.

• Act as the primary communications resource for FRO teams – Be the first point of contact when an FRO has communications inquiries, needs, or challenges. Aid them in clarifying their objectives and connect them with curated vendor and consultant resources. Review any materials that bear Convergent's or a funder's name before dissemination.

• Organize and oversee the external vendor and consultant network – Establish and maintain a list of vetted communications vendors, including PR firms, video producers, designers, and science writers. Assist FRO and Convergent leadership in navigating this network when they require execution support. This is focused on a nimble, responsive network accessible on demand rather than agencies on retainer.

• Manage Convergent's internal and FRO-facing communications – Oversee the newsletter, FRO update digest, and internal knowledge base. Ensure these are consistent, up-to-date, increasingly automated, and build sustainable systems as the portfolio expands.

• Oversee Convergent's owned digital channels – Maintain the website, coordinate social media efforts, and manage the editorial calendar for the Convergent blog and announcements. Serve as the primary internal contact for external web development and multimedia vendors on a daily basis.

• Coordinate press and media for FRO and Convergent announcements – Handle the logistics of press releases, media briefings, and launch announcements. Provide support for executive and FRO CEO media preparation. Sustain relationships with external PR vendors for outbound media initiatives, exercising sound judgment regarding agency value.

• Safeguard the Convergent brand across the portfolio – Ensure that external communications featuring Convergent's name or a funder's name adhere to quality and messaging standards. This role involves quality control and relationship-building; you are the person who is aware of outgoing communications and identifies items needing a second review.

• Utilize AI to enhance your outreach – Employ AI tools for newsletter generation, content summarization, and workflow automation. Assist in creating systems that allow Convergent's communications function to scale alongside the portfolio without a proportional increase in headcount.

⛳️ Requirements

• A seasoned communications generalist with a sense of ownership – You have previously led or owned a communications function rather than merely contributing to one. You grasp the comprehensive view: narrative, media relations, digital channels, brand management, internal communications, and the operational structure that supports it all. You recognize excellence and hold yourself and your work to that standard.

• A mentor and coach in communications – You can engage with a scientific founder unfamiliar with audience or media strategy, earning their trust and transforming their perspective—not through lecturing but by posing the right questions. You guide them from "What should I create?" to a genuine strategy: identifying their audience, desired actions, and benefits for them. You emerge from these discussions with a deliverable that the FRO genuinely owns. You are adept at doing this across diverse scientific and technological fields.

• PR-savvy with strategic media insight – You excel at translating complex scientific and technical work into stories that captivate the appropriate audiences. You can pinpoint what qualifies as newsworthy, devise focused media strategies, assist in developing compelling pitches and briefing materials, prepare founders for media interactions, and manage reporter relationships with discernment and credibility. You facilitate FROs' transition from “we should seek press” to a definitive PR strategy: identifying target audiences, justifying timing, clarifying desired understandings or actions, and selecting relevant media channels.

• Highly organized and operationally disciplined – You maintain strict oversight of editorial calendars, FRO communications pipelines, vendor schedules, and Notion documentation—owning these responsibilities proactively and keeping them up to date. You also know how to instruct others in maintaining this level of organization and create templates and systems that simplify execution.

• Comfortable navigating complexity and diverse needs – You support 13 independent organizations, each with its own stage, leadership style, and communication approach. Some require extensive assistance, while others may believe they do not need any. You adeptly manage these dynamics with sound judgment and without taking matters personally.

• A proactive and resourceful self-starter – You no longer require close supervision. You independently solve problems, establish workflows, and understand when to escalate issues versus when to tackle them yourself. You are familiar with AI tools and recognize their potential to enhance individual productivity, embracing this advancement with enthusiasm rather than apprehension.

• Resilient and adaptable – You can assertively push back against a founder who wishes to pursue a different direction, incorporate feedback from multiple FRO CEOs with conflicting views, and still deliver a coherent and timely outcome. You do not require unanimous agreement to proceed.

🏝️ Benefits

• A unique opportunity to work at the forefront of science and influence how some of the most ambitious research organizations communicate their findings.

• Competitive salary with up to a 6% 401k match (base salary range: $111,000-$165,000, depending on location).

• Excellent medical insurance options: Choose from 10–20 plans across major national and local carriers, with the Company covering most employee and family premiums.

• Comprehensive dental and vision insurance, with the Company covering premiums for most plans for employees and their families.

• Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, along with optional supplemental insurance choices.

• 19 holidays, including a full week off at the year's end—yes, we enforce this policy.

• Three weeks of PTO with tenure-based increases, along with separate allocations for sick and parental leave.

• Generous fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement.

• Support for education and professional development initiatives.

• Wellness allowance for fitness and wellness activities.

• Three offsite team retreats per year and additional chances to connect with colleagues in person.

• Support for fully remote work arrangements.