Director, Editorial Strategy and Lead Writer

Redwood City, CA (Hybrid)

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.

The Team

CZI and its Biohub Network supports the science and technology that will make it possible to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. While this may seem like an audacious goal, in the last 100 years, biomedical science has made tremendous strides in understanding biological systems, advancing human health, and treating disease.

Achieving our mission will only be possible if scientists are able to better understand human biology. To that end, we have identified grand challenges that will unlock the mysteries of the cell and how cells interact within systems — paving the way for new discoveries that will change medicine in the decades that follow:

• Building an AI-based virtual cell model to predict and understand cellular behavior
• Developing novel imaging technologies to map, measure and model complex biological systems
• Creating new tools for sensing and directly measuring inflammation within tissues in real time
• Harnessing the immune system for early detection, prevention and treatment of disease

Our work in science is focused on doing fundamental research to better understand human biology and building the tools and technology to move science forward to prevent disease and get to cures faster. Join us in accelerating science.

The Opportunity

As the Director, Editorial Strategy and Lead Writer you will have the opportunity to join a dynamic organization that is driving a new era in biology - AI-powered biology - that will revolutionize understanding of how the human body works and move science forward to cure and prevent disease. We’ve set an audacious mission and we are seeking a highly skilled, self-motivated writer who can help us create impactful narratives that bring our mission to life and to help develop and manage an organization-wide editorial program.

In this role, you will collaborate with teams across the organization to communicate our priority areas, our mission, and the science and technology that is making it possible. You will work closely with science leadership and teams of scientists, engineers and AI and machine learning experts to learn about the research we’re doing and the technology and tools we’re developing and how those efforts are making an impact. This role sits on the Brand and Communications team and reports to CZI’s Vice President of Science Communications.

What You'll Do

Strategic Content Creation

• Produce compelling web stories/blogs, thought-provoking perspective pieces, insightful white papers and other long-form content that covers the purpose, people and scientific and technology advancements of the organization.
• Develop story angles that integrate the human impact and potential of our science and technology endeavors.
• Transform complex scientific concepts, research findings, and technical information into language that is accurate, engaging and easy to understand - for general audiences and different disciplines within science and technology.
• Collaborate with researchers, scientists, engineers, technologists and other internal and external subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and depth.
• Edit and refine written materials to ensure consistency in tone and quality.
• Partner with in-house designers and contractors to ensure there is understanding of the science and technology when developing illustrations, graphics and other visual imagery.

Editorial Leadership and Research

• Develop and manage a science editorial program for the organization based on strategic storytelling aligned with our scientific areas of focus and mission.
• Manage multiple writing projects simultaneously in a dynamic and evolving environment.
• Review and provide feedback on content produced by team members and freelance writers as needed.
• Propose multimedia content strategies to enhance storytelling.
• Collaborate with Science Communications team members on story ideas and pitches.
• Track trends and newsworthy developments in the science and technology sectors to ensure content is relevant, timely and informed by the global context.
• Stay deeply informed about our research and strategic areas of focus.

Impact Assessment and Measurement

• Partner with colleagues to measure the success of content (excluding social media) and adjust content strategies accordingly to maximize engagement.

What You'll Bring

Science and Technology Writing

• 10+ years experience writing for science- and technology-focused organizations, major science publications, news outlets, or established science communications platforms.
• Track record of translating complex scientific and technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Proven success in interviewing and building relationships with scientists and subject matter experts to create powerful content.

Technical Acumen

• Understanding of and demonstrated experience with storytelling and content creation across different mediums, including multimedia, visual storytelling, long-form features, short-form news articles, blog posts and opinion pieces.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading abilities across multiple formats.
• A strong understanding of biology and AI is preferred.

Collaboration and Adaptability

• Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced organization where priorities can evolve.
• Ability to prioritize and work on multiple writing projects.
• Aptitude for collaborating on stories and refining to reach the right outcome.

Preferences and Needs

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline (biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, environmental science, or related field) preferred.
• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in science or science communications preferred.
• This role requires some travel.

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for a new hire in this role is $193,000 - $265,100. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process.

Better Together

As we grow, we’re excited to strengthen in-person connections and cultivate a collaborative, team-oriented environment. This role is a hybrid position requiring you to be onsite for at least 60% of the working month, approximately 3 days a week, with specific in-office days determined by the team’s manager. The exact schedule will be at the hiring manager's discretion and communicated during the interview process.

Benefits for the Whole You

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible.

• CZI provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Annual benefit for employees that can be used most meaningfully for them and their families, such as housing, student loan repayment, childcare, commuter costs, or other life needs.
• CZI Life of Service Gifts are awarded to employees to “live the mission” and support the causes closest to them.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving to the Bay Area

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile

This role is a hybrid role and will require you to be onsite approximately 3 days a week at our HQ in Redwood City, CA. Will you be able to commit to this? Select...

We would love to see your work! Please provide links to your portfolio: Please include samples of any science and technology stories you have written. We are interested in seeing a variety of formats including long and short form stories, blogs, perspective pieces, etc. along with relevant results and measurements. *

Are you currently eligible to work in the United States of America? * Select...

Do you now or in the future require visa sponsorship to continue working in the United States? * Select...

How did you hear about this job? * Select...

If 'Other', please specify how you heard about this job:

Have we met you at one of our events? If so, which one(s)? *

CZI-Sponsored Meetups

CZI-Sponsored Conferences

University Events / Career Fairs

None

Would you like to be invited to our recruiting events and receive information about what is happening at CZI? You’ll have the option to opt out at any time. * Select...

In the last 12 months, have you applied to any organization(s) within the Chan Zuckerberg Science ecosystem? * Select...

We have many exciting career opportunities available, and as part of our collaborative approach, we work with our hiring teams across our wider network to identify talent for our openings. Please opt-in or opt-out here if you would like us to share your profile for other opportunities. * Select...

Reasonable Accommodation and Data Privacy Notice. * Select...

Reasonable Accommodation Notice
CZI provides (and state and federal law requires) reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job (reach out to your recruiter or accommodations@chanzuckerberg.com ). Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

For reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.