Strategic Communications & External Affairs Manager (Hybrid)

GMTO; Pasadena (CA); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k)

Dental Insurance

Disability Insurance

Job summary

Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation in Pasadena, CA, is seeking a Communications and External Affairs Manager to lead strategic communications, media relations, and government affairs initiatives. The role reports to the Senior Director of Communications and Outreach and will coordinate messaging across stakeholders and external audiences.

Responsibilities include crafting executive messaging, coordinating DC engagements, managing digital content, and supervising external consultants.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Marketing, Public Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, public affairs, government relations, or strategic communications.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong understanding of digital communications strategies, platforms, analytics, and industry best practices.
• Experience producing executive communications and briefing materials.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Experience managing contractors, consultants, and external vendors.
• Ability to synthesize technical or scientific information into compelling communications.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Willingness to travel domestically, including Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of GMTO's strategic communications and external affairs strategy.
• Develop and edit press releases, speeches, newsletters, presentations, talking points, briefing materials, fact sheets, reports, website content, articles, and digital communications.
• Translate complex scientific, technical, and policy information into clear communications.
• Coordinate messaging across communications, executive leadership, development, education and outreach, and government affairs.
• Support rapid-response communications and issue management.
• Coordinate Washington, D.C. engagement activities supporting federal relations and advocacy initiatives.
• Develop congressional one-pagers, leave-behind materials, briefing books, advocacy collateral, and policy communications.
• Track stakeholder follow-up and coordinate with external government affairs consultants.
• Develop digital content across websites, newsletters, email campaigns, and social media.
• Monitor communications performance metrics and recommend improvements.
• Partner with development to align donor communications, case for support messaging, and stewardship materials with broader institutional narratives.
• Support major gift cultivation through tailored materials and executive briefing support.
• Ensure alignment between government affairs messaging and philanthropic positioning.
• Maintain communications calendars and coordinate multiple communications and external affairs projects simultaneously.
• Maintain organized repositories of messaging, briefing materials, communications assets, and stakeholder interactions, utilizing CRM systems to support stakeholder engagement, communications tracking, and reporting.
• Manage communications, public relations, government affairs, digital media, creative, photography, video production, and other external consultants and contractors.
• Develop scopes of work, coordinate procurement activities, manage vendors and consultants, review deliverables, and monitor project schedules and budgets to ensure high-quality outcomes.
• Track and support management of communications and external affairs budgets, including annual planning for communications-related expenditures.

Skills

Writing & editing

Verbal communication

Strategic communications

Digital communications

Executive messaging

Project management

MS Office proficiency

Travel coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications, PR, or related field

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation in Pasadena, CA, is seeking a Communications and External Affairs Manager to lead strategic communications, media relations, and government affairs initiatives. The role reports to the Senior Director of Communications and Outreach and will coordinate messaging across stakeholders and external audiences.

Responsibilities include crafting executive messaging, coordinating DC engagements, managing digital content, and supervising external consultants.