Sr. Science Communications Specialist

Job Description

Institute for Protein Design's (IPD) has an outstanding opportunity for a Senior Science Communications Specialist to join their team.

The Senior Communication Specialist is responsible for advancing the Institute for Protein Design's (IPD) comprehensive communications and storytelling program. This includes full ownership of institutional narrative strategy, communications planning, media relations, digital platforms, brand systems, and content production. This role sets the strategic direction for how IPD communicates its science, impact, and priorities to internal and external audiences. The Senior Communication Specialist translates complex scientific and institutional objectives into integrated communications strategies and ensures consistent, high-quality execution across all channels.

This role serves as the primary relationship-holder and coordination hub with UW Medicine and University of Washington communications partners, media, and external stakeholders. It translates complex research and institutional priorities into clear presentations, reports, briefs, outlines, and written products and then converts that strategy into high-impact creative assets across digital, print, and experiential channels. The Senior Communication Specialist serves as the Institute's hands-on creative authority, owning design quality, visual standards, and asset governance, and ensuring IPD's outward-facing materials consistently reflect the caliber, rigor, and ambition of its science.

This position reports to the Director of Administration, partnering closely with Institute for Protein Design leadership, faculty, and programs to deliver rapid, accurate, and world-class creative output across the Institute's highest-priority moments, especially fundraising, partnership development, recruitment, high-value grants, and translational storytelling.

This position has an institute-wide and external-facing impact, directly shaping how the University of Washington's research is communicated and perceived. The execution of IPD communications directly influences how effectively University of Washington audiences understand, trust, and invest in IPD's work. High-quality creative output strengthens IPD's competitiveness for philanthropic support and major partnerships, improves clarity and persuasion in institutional and scientific presentations, and increases the effectiveness of recruitment and public-facing storytelling.

The role is especially consequential for translational positioning: elevating Translational Investigator pitches and materials for venture, industry, and public audiences by producing investor-grade decks and media that are both scientifically rigorous and visually compelling. The Senior Communication Specialist also reinforces brand and governance alignment with UW Medicine standards where appropriate, ensuring IPD's distinctive identity is expressed consistently across web, print, events, and external communications.

This role enhances the University’s reputation, fundraising success, and strategic partnerships through effective storytelling. The role significantly contributes to research visibility, philanthropic engagement, and translational impact.

This is a high-complexity role defined by the breadth of IPD's science, the volume and time-sensitivity of institutional demands, and the requirement for both creative excellence and scientific precision. This role owns the end-to-end external communications of the IPD and will direct a multi-channel communications program that includes media relations, presentations, digital platforms, and institutional storytelling, while balancing strategic priorities and rapid-response needs.

The most demanding aspects include rapidly converting complex technical concepts—often spanning computational biology, AI/ML-enabled discovery, experimental workflows, and translational programs—into clear, accurate visuals and narrative media that work for both expert and non-expert audiences; operating in a high-stakes environment where visual and narrative quality…