Communications Specialist

LLNL•Livermore, CA

14d•$114,900 - $140,712•Hybrid

About The Position

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring a Communications Specialist to support the Office of the Deputy Director for Science and Technology (DDST). As part of the DDST communications team, this role supports initiatives and projects and develops integrated communication strategies and deliverables aligned with institutional priorities. The specialist leads communications for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program and Academic Engagement Office (AEO), telling stories about emerging science and technology, academic partnerships, research, and the Laboratory’s national security mission. The work involves collaboration with colleagues in DDST, the Director’s Office, and across LLNL. The position is in the Technical Information Department and matrixed to DDST within the Director’s Office. The role calls for an accomplished writer, editor, and storyteller who can communicate confidently and succinctly with executives and translate complex scientific and technical information for varied audiences. The specialist works with management, program leaders, scientists, and administrative staff. A hybrid schedule may be available after a probationary period, with the schedule determined by team and organizational needs. This is a Career Indefinite position open to Lab employees and external candidates. It requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship and a federal background investigation. External candidates selected for the position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test.

Requirements

Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required.
Bachelor’s degree in English, communications, or journalism, or an equivalent combination of education and experience in scientific or technical communication.
Experience as a scientific and/or technical editor or writer.
Advanced written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated success partnering across organizational levels to deliver polished, high-impact content advancing institutional priorities.
Extensive experience editing and writing across multiple scientific and technical areas, applying advanced technical communication principles, professional writing standards, and style conventions.
Ability to incorporate editorial feedback and refine work through iterative review, including editing others’ work and having one’s own work critically reviewed and revised.
Ability to handle unclassified, sensitive, and confidential issues with tact, diplomacy, and discretion.
Self-starter who can multitask, meet deadlines, respond to tight schedules in a rapidly changing environment, and attend to details where errors have significant consequences.
Effective interpersonal skills and ability to work independently with minimal direction in a team environment.
Experience with Microsoft Office 365, including Teams, SharePoint/OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; Adobe InDesign; and familiarity with design and content management systems.
Formal project-management experience leading complex production and technical writing and editing assignments, with in-depth knowledge of multiple digital and paper-driven production processes.
Experience evaluating and implementing tools, technologies, and processes, tracking performance metrics, and leveraging AI for ideation and workflow optimization.

Responsibilities

Develop original content and coordinate communication products, including news articles, presentations, administrative memos, reports, external reviews, social media, stakeholder briefings, and multimedia content.
Provide comprehensive editing for large or complex deliverables, including editorial development and review for logic, argument gaps, coherence, terminology consistency, and information-security compliance.
Partner with DDST team members to define communication strategies, messaging, audiences, and deliverables for specialized projects.
Support short- and long-term communications planning by developing assets, managing complex schedules, tracking resources, and coordinating large-scale production work across teams.
Assess incremental input and manuscript iterations and develop communication styles for complex, potentially sensitive material.
Collaborate with administrative, management, scientific, and technical staff to define project objectives and editorial requirements.
Schedule and lead planning and status meetings to maintain communication and keep projects on track.
Contribute to evaluating and implementing tools, technologies, and processes; help develop and track metrics and process-improvement methods.
Quality-check complex production jobs through coordination with the Print Plant, designers, and multimedia professionals.
Work independently on other assigned duties and manage intermittently heavy and light workloads.