Vice President, Communications Jobs

Position Overview:

BioSTL is a successful and growing organization whose mission is to ensure St. Louis thrives by building a world class innovation economy. Since 2001, this nationally recognized nonprofit has laid the foundation for the region's innovation economy with a comprehensive set of transformational programs that elevate St. Louis’ leadership in solving important world challenges in agriculture, medicine, health care, and other technology areas.

We seek a dynamic and visionary communications leader with a genuine passion for innovation and experience architecting and implementing a strategic communications plan. The Vice President of Communications will play a key role on our senior leadership team promoting our vision and initiatives. You will leverage your expertise to develop an integrated marketing and communications plan that showcases our achievements and inspires target audiences to support our mission. In this role, you will lead and execute comprehensive communication strategies to enhance our brand presence, engage stakeholders, drive philanthropy, and effectively communicate our mission and impact. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and senior leaders, manage and develop communications staff, and play a vital role in shaping the organization's narrative and reinforcing its role as a catalyst for positive change. This position offices in our St. Louis headquarters (the “BioSTL Building”).

Responsibilities:

• Create and refine core messages and brand standards to ensure consistency; maintain quality control of communications, media relations, public relations, advocacy projects, and all organization materials.
• Develop a strategic communications plan for BioSTL & its divisions: BioGenerator (startup creation and investment); GlobalSTL (international recruiting and scaling innovation); Ecosystem building (including workforce and public policy).
• Serve as BioSTL lead in collaborating and consulting with St. Louis corporations, universities, entrepreneurs, and related organizations, in both the bioscience community and the broader innovation community, to promote common messages to key audiences outside St. Louis
• Mentor, counsel, and oversee internal communications staff and outside vendors.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Develop and maintain qualitative and quantitative summary materials and database(s) capturing/depicting key measures of success for communication efforts.
• Increase impactful digital presence for the organization, promoting BioSTL people, projects, and initiatives across a range of external social media platforms.
• Execute short, medium, and long-term communications goals.
• Work with development staff to create targeted messages and materials designed to strengthen fundraising efforts and elevate community understanding of BioSTL’s nonprofit mission.
• Integrate communication best practices into all of BioSTL's strategic priorities and serve and advise internal staff in developing marketing publications and concepts.
• Provide oversight on all internal and external communications, including direction of internal staff and outside vendors. Including but not limited to writing and editing press releases, media alerts, digital content, presentation materials, newsletters, websites, annual reports, and other materials.
• Proactively develop media relations in the region, nationally, and internationally, including handling day-to-day press inquiries and developing/expanding existing and new relationships with media outlets, and generating coverage regionally and nationally to enhance the reputation of the St. Louis bioscience community and BioSTL.
• Establish and manage an annual communications budget, aligned with strategies and goals.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Desire to make St. Louis a thriving region
• Experience contributing to successful federal grant bids is a plus
• Experience developing and managing media relations with local, national, and tech/trade publications, including radio, television, print, and online. Strong national media contacts. Knowledge and understanding of the St. Louis region and the local media market are a plus.
• Highest personal and professional integrity
• 20+ years of experience in public relations, corporate communications, and/or agency work, preferably in a fast-paced and innovative environment
• Significant communications experience that includes integrated communications, including public relations, public speaking, presentation skills, marketing, advocacy, and media relations. A background in and understanding of technology innovation & entrepreneurship and/or venture capital investment preferred
• Experience building and maintaining brands, thought leadership, and PR campaigns
• Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and measuring the effectiveness of, a comprehensive communications plan
• Experience managing an online presence and social media platforms and how they are used in marketing & communication campaigns. These platforms include LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more

Compensation:

Pay is commensurate with experience and is benchmarked against market rates. Benefit package for full-time employees includes excellent health coverage, generous retirement savings match, tuition assistance, and other benefits to support employees personally and professionally.

Application:

Please upload a detailed letter of interest and resume on the BioSTL.org website under this job posting heading. Confidential inquiries can be submitted to [email protected] with this job posting title in the subject line.

For more information, visit biostl.org.

BioSTL is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable ecosystem. We are committed to seeking individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences who will bring diverse perspectives to this work. This is an equal employment opportunity.