Director of Communications

Title: Director of Communications

Team: Development and Communications

Type: Full time

Location: GMT Project Office, Pasadena CA

 

BE A PART OF TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE

 

Job Summary:
The Director of Communications is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing GMTO’s internal and external communications strategy, with a particular focus on development/fundraising communications when necessary. Working to serve a range of audiences such as the astronomy community, the public, internal project staff, Board and Founder representatives, and fundraising audiences such as private donors and corporations, the Director of Communications directs, develops, and creates high-quality multi-media assets to advance and promote the GMT project.

Duties include maintaining and updating the GMTO communications strategy, policy, and handbook, managing the production and updating of multi-media content for internal and external audiences, overseeing media opportunities, serving as a point of contact for GMTO’s communications consultants to enable media and social media activities, and represent GMTO at conferences and other events as needed. The Director of Communications also works with the GMTO-Chile Education and Public Outreach office and supervises GMTO’s Creative Art Director.

Job Duties:
• Communications Plan: Work to expand and implement GMTO’s communications strategy
• Media: Manage GMTO’s Media Consultant to develop media strategies, arrange interviews, and manage media opportunities
• External and Internal Publications: Produce the weekly staff bulletin and the quarterly external newsletter to tell the story of the GMT, and to promote the project’s progress and achievements
• Development Materials: Develop and manage content for and coordinate the production of brochures and prospectuses
• Social Media: Direct GMTO’s social media consultant and co-manage content calendar
• Website: Maintain GMTO’s website, including regularly creating and refreshing content
• Conferences: Manage GMTO’s outreach presence at, and attend, scientific conferences (e.g., AAS, SPIE, IAU)
• Interaction with GMTO Project Staff: Foster positive and productive working relationships with project staff, and with Founder development and media officers to identify communications opportunities
• Chile Education and Public Outreach office: Establish and maintain productive a working relationship with GMTO-Chile Education and Public Outreach office to coordinate media strategies and outreach opportunities
• Budget: Develop an annual budget for GMTO’s communications activities and establish metrics for measuring the performance of these activities

Essential Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:
• Bachelor’s degree in astronomy, physics, communications, journalism, marketing, or a related field
• Minimum five-years’ experience working in science writing, outreach, or PR/media
• Experience creating and managing communications strategies
• Demonstrated project management ability
• Ability to quickly absorb and understand technical information, the ability to research unfamiliar content, and experience of gathering information through interviews
• Demonstrated high-level written and oral communications skills, including the ability to write and present clearly about scientific and engineering concepts, and demonstrated editing, proof-reading and fact-checking ability
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to set priorities and meet deadlines when managing multiple tasks, and the ability to produce content under time pressure
• Demonstrated customer service and relationship management skills, and the ability to work as part of a creative team
• Experience and proficiency with Adobe products (Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator) to create digital content
• Experience using social media to promote a cause or a company, engage with its audience, and analyze the effectiveness of posts

Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:
• Experience in a non-profit or university environment
• Postgraduate degree in astronomy, science, or communications
• Experience with website management tools (e.g., WordPress)

 

If your skills and experience appear to be a match or if we need additional information to make a decision, we will contact you. If we do not see a suitable match between your qualifications and the position, we will keep your information on file in the event future positions become available that are more suitable to your qualifications.

 

The successful candidate will be an employee of the GMTO Corporation and must be able to meet pre-employment requirements including any background and reference checks and the successful candidate must be a US citizen or eligible to work in the United States and at least 18 years of age. GMTO provides competitive salaries and a generous benefits package.

 

GMTO is an equal employment opportunity employer