Senior Science Writer

Sanger; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Wellcome Sanger Institute is seeking a Senior Science Writer to shape communications across blogs, social media and long-form features. You will translate complex research into engaging stories and plan strategic content with the Communications Team, reaching researchers, funders and the public.

You will lead on content creation for a range of channels, build relationships with internal teams and external partners, and help promote groundbreaking work in genomics and health.

Qualifications

• Experience in clear, accurate scientific communications.
• Scientific degree or demonstrable biology understanding.
• Ability to write blogs, media releases and social media content for the web.
• Experience using content systems to build and publish content.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proven ability to influence and negotiate with managers at all levels.
• Ability to coordinate with internal and external contractors.

Responsibilities

• Create engaging content and lead strategic planning for the blog.
• Produce social posts to promote content and institute work.
• Develop long-form features, pitches, publications, reports and intranet content.
• Find and craft stories about pioneering science and people driving progress.
• Build relationships within the institute and with external collaborators.

Skills

Science writing

Blog writing

Social media content

Content strategy

Stakeholder engagement

CMS experience

Strong communication

Education

Scientific degree in biology or related field

Tools

Content Management Systems

Job description

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges. Are you a creative and versatile Science Writer looking for a chance to make a real impact? Are you able to craft a story into a feature, and distil it down to a social media post? We are looking for a talented writer to join the Communications Team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute on a Permanent Contract and be part of an organisation at the forefront of genomic research and innovation.

About the Role

As a Senior Science Writer, you will create engaging content and lead on strategic planning for the Sanger Institute's blog. You will work across diverse areas of science - from human genetics to cancer, and across the tree of life. Alongside this, you will create social media posts to promote content and the Institute’s work. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to work on long-form feature articles, feature pitches for journalists, publications, reports, website and intranet content, all of which play a crucial role in disseminating the Institute's world-leading research. Your primary responsibility will be to find and create compelling content about our pioneering science, innovative technologies, and the remarkable people driving progress at the Sanger Institute. Through your work, you'll contribute to our recruitment efforts, cater to stakeholder communication needs, support research strategies, and empower our researchers to share their discoveries with the wider public. In this role, building and maintaining strong relationships will be key. You'll forge meaningful connections both within the Sanger Institute and externally with collaborators. You will work closely with members of the Communications Team to find, develop and write content for Sanger Institute channels. Your work will not only promote the cutting-edge science and people behind it but also reach diverse audiences, including researchers, collaborators, partners funders, and the wider public. By showcasing the research that takes place at the Sanger Institute, you will contribute to its mission of advancing understanding of biology and improving health.

About you

With experience in science writing, you will enjoy working to find and promote stories about people, data, science and technology. You will lead on strategic planning, creation and publishing of accurate and engaging science writing and content for a wide audience across all available channels. In addition to strong communication skills, you will have a creative approach and are open to new ideas. You will have the ability to adapt your style depending on the intended audience.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of writing clear, accurate scientific communications
• Scientific degree or demonstrable equivalent understanding of biology
• Demonstrable ability to write blogs, media releases and social media content, and to write for the web
• Experience of using content management systems to build and publish content
• Excellent communication ability including written and oral skills
• Demonstrable ability to influence and negotiate with managers at all levels in an organisation
• Demonstrable ability to coordinate with external and internal contractors for delivery of agreed services/goods
• Strong information gathering and problem solving skills
• Able to manage multiple concurrent projects and work under pressure, and manage a high-volume workload with conflicting priorities

About the Team

The Communications Team as a whole has a wide range of responsibilities. They manage media relations at the Sanger Institute, which entails writing and disseminating press releases and reactive statements, establishing connections with journalists, and facilitating media visits. Additionally, the team curates and manages content for the Sanger Institute's website, blog and publications. Beyond external communications, the team also nurtures internal connectivity. They oversee the intranet and other internal channels, ensuring information flow within the Institute's vibrant community.

Other information

Although this is an office-based role, we have adopted a hybrid working pattern with at least two days per week in the office, to allow for both on-Campus working and a level of home-based flexibility.

Salary per annum: In the region of £45,000 Communication job family: Grade 2 Role Profile Contract type: Permanent, full-time Closing date: 13th September 2026 Interviews: Anticipated to take place week commencing 21st Sept, on Campus

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks: LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability, Gender Equity and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others. We believe people do their best work when they can be their authentic selves. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute. Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines. Life at the Sanger Institute is unique. We are tackling some of the most difficult challenges in genomic research. Our people are shaping the future by delivering life-changing science with the reach, scale, and creativity to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges. We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We offer an attractive benefits package at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. We appreciate the importance of achieving work-life balance and support this with a number of family and carer-friendly policies. Plus a flexible working policy for those who may wish to amend their working pattern or arrangement. Each year, the Wellcome Sanger Institute welcomes researchers from around the world to the Genome Campus to collaborate and drive cutting-edge science. Whether you’re joining as faculty, a postdoc, or a visitor, our dedicated International Team offers expert guidance and support throughout your journey, promoting the Institute’s global and collaborative ethos.