Head of Brand and Editorial

Arc Institute • Palo Alto, CA

2d • $215,000 - $265,000

About The Position

Arc Institute is seeking a leader to own its storytelling for its next stage. The Head of Brand and Editorial will unify brand, communications, and editorial work; set the creative and strategic vision for how Arc communicates; partner directly with founders and other leaders on communications strategy; and lead the teams responsible for executing that work. This is a player-coach role requiring both strategic leadership and hands-on execution.

The role will shape and consistently express Arc’s story as a new model for scientific institutions and as a producer of meaningful research across media, web, brand, publications, and internal communications. The Head will lead and develop the Communications and Scientific Publications teams as a unified storytelling and editorial function, and work closely with researchers to communicate scientific discoveries accurately, clearly, and effectively. The position will also develop Arc’s brand in scientific and AI talent markets, support proactive media relations, establish standards and review practices for Arc’s output, and define ways to measure the effectiveness of brand, communications, and editorial efforts.

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biology. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco. Its scientists receive long-term funding and resources while retaining the freedom to pursue high-risk, long-term research. More than 300 employees work at its Palo Alto headquarters. Arc’s initiatives include the Virtual Cell Initiative and the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in a field the candidate has applied to marketing and communications.
• 15 or more years of experience in communications, brand, marketing, and/or editorial roles.
• Significant experience leading and developing teams, including managing other managers.
• Track record of setting communications or brand strategy for a technically sophisticated organization in AI, computing, biotechnology, life sciences, or another deep technical domain, and translating complex work for different audiences.
• Demonstrated success partnering with founders, executives, and/or researchers.
• Exceptional writing and editorial judgment, with the ability to elevate others’ writing.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on, and comfort working in a fast-paced, rapidly scaling organization.
• Experience working with complex technical topics and helping experts communicate their knowledge; a science background is not required.
• Strong creative judgment in writing, design, and brand; ability to articulate standards and turn ambiguous or reactive feedback into clear creative direction.
• Ability to earn trust quickly and credibly push back when needed.

Nice To Haves

• Previous work at frontier AI labs, technology startups, biotech, life sciences, or academic or research institutions.
• Experience managing relationships with national and trade media.
• Familiarity with scientific publishing and the norms of academic communication.

Responsibilities

• Own and articulate Arc’s story as a new model for scientific institutions and as a producer of meaningful research, ensuring consistency across media, web, brand, publications, and internal communications.
• Partner with Arc’s founders and scientific leaders, translating their expertise into clear creative direction and actionable plans.
• Lead, integrate, and develop the Communications and Scientific Publications teams as a unified storytelling and editorial function; set priorities, raise standards, and support team members and leaders’ development.
• Lead the team communicating Arc’s scientific discoveries, working closely with researchers to communicate their work accurately, clearly, and with impact.
• Set high standards for the quality and sophistication of Arc’s output and build systems and review practices to sustain those standards as the organization scales.
• Develop Arc’s brand in scientific and AI talent markets, partnering with People, University Relations, and other colleagues on internal and external communications.
• Build productive relationships with reporters to support a proactive media strategy and respond to coverage as needed.
• Define a framework for measuring the effectiveness of Arc’s brand, communications, and editorial work.
• Collaborate with multiple Arc teams on internal communications.

Benefits

• Annual discretionary bonus, dependent on individual and Institute performance factors.
• Eligibility to participate in the Institute’s Compound Cash Grant Program, which provides multi-year cash grants paid in semi-annual installments.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive