Communications Specialist

LLNL•Livermore, CA

14d•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). The role is part of the DDST communications team and develops and contributes to integrated communications strategies and deliverables aligned with institutional priorities. It leads communications for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program and Academic Engagement Office (AEO), communicating the research, scientific talent, investments in emerging science and technology, and academic partnerships that support LLNL’s national security mission. The Communications Specialist works with colleagues in DDST, the Director’s Office, and throughout LLNL. The position is in the Technical Information Department and matrixed to DDST within the Director’s Office. It may offer a hybrid schedule with one or more work-from-home days per week after a probationary period; the schedule depends on team and organizational needs. The role creates and edits a wide range of communications, develops project messaging and plans, coordinates complex production schedules and resources, and works with staff across the Laboratory to communicate complex scientific and technical information to diverse audiences. It also supports process improvement and quality checks on production work. This is a Career Indefinite position, open to Laboratory employees and external candidates.

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.
Demonstrated success partnering with all levels of an organization to deliver polished, high-impact content that advances institutional priorities.
Extensive experience writing and editing 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 able to multitask, meet deadlines, respond to tight schedules in a rapidly changing environment, and attend to details where errors have high 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; in-depth knowledge of multiple digital and paper-driven production processes.
Experience evaluating and implementing new tools, technologies, and processes, including tracking performance metrics and leveraging AI for ideation and workflow optimization.

Responsibilities

Develop original content and coordinate communications 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 of logic, argument gaps, coherence, terminology, and information-security compliance.
Partner with DDST team members to define communications 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 across teams and collaborators.
Assess incremental input and manuscript iterations and develop communication styles for complex and 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 improvements.
Perform quality checks through interactions with the Print Plant, designers, and multimedia professionals on complex production jobs.
Perform other duties as assigned, working independently and handling varying workloads.