Senior Scientific Communications & Outreach Specialist

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of scientific workshops and webinars, partnering with project team members, scientific staff, steering committees, speakers, vendors, and client stakeholders to establish responsibilities, coordinate dependencies, and deliver events that advance scientific exchange and program goals
• Manage speaker coordination, steering committee engagement, agenda development, travel sponsorship, audiovisual and venue logistics, materials preparation, registration, multichannel promotion, budget tracking, accessibility accommodations, on-site execution, and post-event reporting, while ensuring alignment with applicable government contracting requirements and client procedures
• Serve as a highly organized, reliable, and personable point of contact for workshop organizers and invited speakers, coordinating 40 or more speakers across concurrent workshops and working with steering committees of 10–20 members to keep participants informed, aligned, and prepared
• Draft substantive correspondence and materials for organizers and speakers, exercising judgment on tone, technical accuracy, and stakeholder sensitivities
• Facilitate communication among organizers, speakers, scientific staff, and project team members by clarifying roles, documenting decisions, tracking action items, and following up on dependencies that could affect event readiness
• Own tracking of multiple concurrent projects and deadlines using task management tools (e.g., Microsoft Planner), proactively identifying, communicating, and mitigating risks before they affect scope, budget, or timelines
• Independently draft and send professional, policy-compliant email responses to public and stakeholder inquiries, in accordance with NIH communication guidelines
• Write and edit public-facing website content, newsletter content, and other outward-facing materials, translating complex scientific content for non-technical audiences
• Draft white papers, meeting notes, and summary documents as needed, condensing technical discussions for a range of audiences
• Edit staff manuscripts and abstracts for clarity, accuracy, and style prior to submission or publication

Requirements

• Education: Advanced degree in a relevant scientific field (e.g., Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Toxicology, Pharmacology, Public Health) or equivalent professional experience
• Required Experience: 8+ years of relevant experience
• Required Technical Skills: Demonstrated experience independently organizing or co-leading scientific workshops, conferences, or working groups, including direct engagement with senior researchers and stakeholders; Able to follow established, NIH-compliant processes where they exist, while exercising sound independent judgment and problem-solving in situations where no formal procedure is defined; Experience applying or exploring use of artificial intelligence tools (e.g., Copilot, Gemini, Claude) to improve efficiency in processes; Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Planner); Familiarity with use of Adobe Acrobat to edit and improve accessibility of PDF documents
• Attributes to Success: Excellent interpersonal and relationship-management skills, with demonstrated comfort engaging diplomatically with senior-level researchers and stakeholders; Strong track record of written communication for both technical and lay audiences
• Location: 100% Remote; physical office available in the Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC area, where the team is based
• Travel: Requires travel approximately 4–6 times per year to support client events
• Security Clearance Level: No security clearance required, however you will be required to obtain and maintain a Public Trust, which will require you to provide onsite fingerprinting at a designated facility. This investigation may review personal and criminal behavior, financial conduct, foreign influence, as well as other adjudications
• Work visa sponsorship will not be considered for this role

Preferred

• 15+ years of relevant experience spanning scientific research, science communication, and/or project or program management; Experience editing scientific manuscripts or abstracts for publication; Experience with cross-agency collaboration or trans-agency working groups

Benefits

• Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. GDIT typically provides new employees with 15 days of paid leave per calendar year to be used for vacations, personal business, and illness and an additional 10 paid holidays per year. Paid leave and paid holidays are prorated based on the employee’s date of hire. The GDIT Paid Family Leave program provides a total of up to 160 hours of paid leave in a rolling 12 month period for eligible employees.