Senior Communications & Outreach Specialist

GDIT is seeking an experienced, scientifically fluent Senior Communications & Outreach Specialist to support a government contract with the NIH Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA).

The Specialist will lead end-to-end planning and execution of scientific workshops and webinars, serve as a primary liaison to senior researchers and workshop organizers, and provide senior-level communications and administrative leadership for the program team.

Event Leadership

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of scientific workshops and webinars, partnering with project team members, scientific staff, steering committees, speakers, vendors, and client stakeholders to establish responsibilities, coordinate dependencies, and deliver events that advance scientific exchange and program goals
• Manage speaker coordination, steering committee engagement, agenda development, travel sponsorship, audiovisual and venue logistics, materials preparation, registration, multichannel promotion, budget tracking, accessibility accommodations, on-site execution, and post-event reporting, while ensuring alignment with applicable government contracting requirements and client procedures
• Serve as a highly organized, reliable, and personable point of contact for workshop organizers and invited speakers, coordinating 40 or more speakers across concurrent workshops and working with steering committees of 10–20 members to keep participants informed, aligned, and prepared
• Draft substantive correspondence and materials for organizers and speakers, exercising judgment on tone, technical accuracy, and stakeholder sensitivities
• Facilitate communication among organizers, speakers, scientific staff, and project team members by clarifying roles, documenting decisions, tracking action items, and following up on dependencies that could affect event readiness
• Own tracking of multiple concurrent projects and deadlines using task management tools (e.g., Microsoft Planner), proactively identifying, communicating, and mitigating risks before they affect scope, budget, or timelines

Communications & Technical Writing

• Independently draft and send professional, policy-compliant email responses to public and stakeholder inquiries, in accordance with NIH communication guidelines
• Write and edit public-facing website content, newsletter content, and other outward-facing materials, translating complex scientific content for non-technical audiences
• Draft white papers, meeting notes, and summary documents as needed, condensing technical discussions for a range of audiences
• Edit staff manuscripts and abstracts for clarity, accuracy, and style prior to submission or publication
• Revise documents to ensure they meet accessibility standards (e.g., PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoint decks) prior to publication on government websites

Program Leadership & Administrative Oversight

• Lead scheduling, agenda-setting, and minute-taking for committee meetings, often involving senior scientific stakeholders and requiring tact, confidence, and strong relationship-building skills
• Proactively manage the status of ongoing projects and tasks, following up with team members and the client when items are at risk of missing deadlines
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready records related to events, communications, and project timelines
• Provide broader program support as needed, including documentation, scheduling, and correspondence, and identify opportunities to streamline these processes

Requirements

• Advanced degree in a relevant scientific field (e.g., Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Toxicology, Pharmacology, Public Health) or equivalent professional experience
• 8+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience independently organizing or co-leading scientific workshops, conferences, or working groups, including direct engagement with senior researchers and stakeholders
• Able to follow established, NIH-compliant processes where they exist, while exercising sound independent judgment and problem-solving in situations where no formal procedure is defined
• Experience applying or exploring use of artificial intelligence tools (e.g., Copilot, Gemini, Claude) to improve efficiency in processes
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Planner)
• Familiarity with use of Adobe Acrobat to edit and improve accessibility of PDF documents
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-management skills, with demonstrated comfort engaging diplomatically with senior-level researchers and stakeholders
• Strong track record of written communication for both technical and lay audiences

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages
• 401K with company match
• Competitive pay and paid time off
• Full flex work weeks where possible
• Paid family leave program providing up to 160 hours of paid leave in a rolling 12-month period
• Short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance