Communications and External Affairs Manager

Communications and External Affairs Manager

Communications and External Affairs Manager

The Giant Magellan Telescope is one of the most powerful ground-based telescopes ever engineered. It is designed to push the boundaries of human knowledge and explore the unknown. Now under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the premier locations on Earth for astronomy, the telescope will deliver the highest-performing combination of image quality, field of view, and light sensitivity ever achieved.

From this southern hemisphere location, the Giant Magellan Telescope will use seven of the world’s largest mirrors to uncover the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, investigate the origins of chemical elements, and search for signs of life on distant exoplanets.

When complete in the 2030s, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be one of the largest public-private funded science projects in history. It is the work of the GMTO Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and international research consortium, founded by 16 universities and research institutions from the United States, Chile, Australia, Brazil, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Our culture is impactful, inclusive, and fearlessly innovative. We tackle the most complex engineering challenges and scientific questions alongside talented individuals who share a passion for advancing humanity’s understanding of the Universe.

We invite you to join our team and leave your mark on the future of astronomy and beyond.

Development and Communications

Senior Director of Communications and Outreach

The Communications and External Affairs Manager supports the Giant Magellan Telescope’s strategic communications, executive communications, media relations, and government affairs initiatives to advance the observatory’s institutional priorities and external engagement objectives.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Communications and Outreach, this position serves as a key liaison between communications and government affairs activities, helping ensure consistent messaging and coordinated engagement with policymakers, federal agencies, consortium partners, media, institutional stakeholders, and external audiences.

The position develops communications materials across multiple platforms, supports executive messaging, coordinates Washington, D.C. engagement activities, manages digital communications projects and external contractors, and assists with rapid-response communications, media relations, and stakeholder outreach.

Strategic Communications

• Support implementation of GMTO’s strategic communications and external affairs strategy.
• Develop and edit press releases, speeches, newsletters, presentations, talking points, briefing materials, fact sheets, reports, website content, articles, and digital communications.
• Translate complex scientific, technical, and policy information into clear communications.
• Coordinate messaging across communications, executive leadership, development, education and outreach, and government affairs.
• Support rapid-response communications and issue management.

Government Affairs & External Relations

• Coordinate Washington, D.C. engagement activities supporting federal relations and advocacy initiatives, including Capitol Hill visits, meetings with congressional offices and federal agencies, executive briefings, logistics, communications materials, and stakeholder follow-up.
• Develop congressional one-pagers, leave-behind materials, briefing books, advocacy collateral, and policy communications.
• Track stakeholder follow-up and coordinate with external government affairs consultants.

Media Relations & Digital Communications

• Support media inquiries, interviews, press materials,…