Director, Communications
A-Alpha Bio
A-Alpha Bio is an early-stage and rapidly growing drug discovery company headquartered in Seattle, WA. We are enabling the next generation of high-impact therapeutics by combining high-throughput synthetic biology to measure protein-protein interactions at scale with state-of-the-art machine learning to predict how proteins bind. We partner with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to enable the discovery of antibodies, molecular glues, and other protein interaction-related drugs. In parallel, we use our wet-lab and computational platforms to discover and develop an internal pipeline of biologics and molecular glues to improve human health.
Candidates local to Seattle are preferred, but remote applicants are welcome to apply. Candidates must reside in the United States.
Starting Salary Range: $171,000 - $210,000 annually
Exemption Status: Exempt
Location Expectations: Remote-Eligible
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Role Description
At A-Alpha Bio, we’re on a mission to improve human health by unlocking the potential of protein-protein interactions – and we’re now seeking a highly skilled Director of Scientific & Marketing Communications with a strong biological sciences background to foster external understanding of A-Alpha Bio’s platforms, therapeutic programs, corporate strategy, and industry partnerships. This role will involve translating complex technical concepts and data into easily digestible written and visual content – and, in doing so, helping to polish the company's voice and brand identity. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of success in developing messaging platforms and managing communication strategies to reach diverse technical and lay audiences, including prospective partners and employees, venture capitalists, and members of the media. They will exhibit impeccable communication and organizational skills, have a passion for science and technical storytelling, and be comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced and dynamic startup environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Work closely with the leadership team to develop and execute an integrated communications strategy and refine the company’s messaging platform.
- Collaborate with scientists and the leadership team to create high-quality written, visual, and hybrid deliverables that effectively communicate complex technical concepts for the appropriate technical or non-technical audiences – including slide decks, abstracts, manuscripts, white papers, posters, investor materials, FAQs, website content, press releases, social media posts, and more.
- Collaborate across all departments to improve the speed and clarity of internal communication regarding recent technical achievements.
- Develop and implement style guides and templates for various media types to improve the quality and consistency of communication across the company.
- Cultivate relationships with key media contacts, draft press materials for major company announcements that align with corporate goals and communications strategy, and represent the company to the press.
- Manage company social media accounts, working with Business Development and Human Resources to align the cadence and content of campaigns with the company’s strategic needs.
- Be an effective leader, prepared to build and manage a high-performing communications team consisting of internal employees and external consultants.
- Support achievement of broader R&D, Business Development, and corporate goals.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Experience
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 10+ years of experience with life-science communications in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or a related industry; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience developing and implementing a comprehensive communications strategy in the life-sciences industry.
- Strong track record of effective scientific communication across multiple written and visual formats (demonstrated via portfolio).
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, prioritization and project planning skills, and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
- Impeccable attention to detail and an eye for written style and visual design.
- Demonstrated ability to write, review, and edit for grammar, style, voice, technical accuracy, and coherency.
- Proficiency with software tools (including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), as well as with publishing content via standard social media platforms, including LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Experience developing highly polished deliverables with visual design elements, such as illustrations for slide decks, posters, and social media posts, either independently or supported by a designer.
- Established media relationships with key biotech and technology publications and a track record of placing earned media in highly reputable outlets (demonstrated via portfolio).
- Proven management and leadership skills – including hiring, mentoring, goal setting, and performance management.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred
- Advanced degree (PhD/Master’s) in science or communications.
- Experience with strategic and marketing communication in a biotechnology startup setting.
- Experience with visual design and editing software and ability to develop highly polished graphics, illustrations, and other visuals for slides and posters and other media.
- Experience managing content on a company website, including a regularly updated blog.
- Familiarity with synthetic biology, protein engineering, and machine learning.
We offer competitive compensation, including benefits, flexible time off, and equity in a fast-growing start-up. Applicants must have legal authorization to work in the United States. At this time, A-Alpha Bio is unable to offer visa sponsorship in any form.
About A-Alpha Bio
A-Alpha Bio is a biotechnology company that leverages synthetic biology and machine learning to measure, predict, and engineer protein-protein interactions. Our AlphaSeq platform applies synthetic biology to experimentally measure millions of protein interaction affinities simultaneously. Protein binding data is incorporated into our AlphaBind platform to train machine learning models that predict binding from sequence. We use both platforms to discover and optimize high-impact therapeutics for our pipeline and in partnership with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
In 2018, A-Alpha Bio spun out of the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design and Center for Synthetic Biology – both communities filled with brilliant and highly entrepreneurial scientists. Since the company’s inception, we have focused on an oncology-centered internal pipeline along with pharma and biotech partnerships to collaboratively train predictive machine learning models and discover and optimize drugs for therapeutic areas ranging from infectious disease to neurodegeneration. New members of the team should expect a fast-paced, highly dynamic, and interdisciplinary work environment. We are building a diverse, meritocratic, and supportive team that shares our values of speaking the truth, shooting for the moon, taking the reins, playing for the team, and improving the world.
A-Alpha Bio is headquartered in a custom designed lab and office space in downtown Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. While the startup lifestyle occasionally requires grueling hours, we strongly value the need for a work-life balance. We are fortunate to be situated in a region that is renowned for its premier outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, kayaking, sailing, and more. At A-Alpha, you’ll find many who love the outdoors, but also gamers, amateur chefs, explorers, sports fans, bakers, crafters, photographers, brewers, jetsetters, animal lovers, and artists. Whatever your passions, you belong at A-Alpha Bio!