Senior Communications Associate

About Us

We are a strategy and innovation consultancy that helps organizations thrive in the face of change. Thorny problems are our strong suit.

We’re a team of consultants who are energized by big, messy problems. We are strategists, analysts, designers, and editors who bring agility and flexibility to projects focused on stemming chronic disease, closing the skills gap, rethinking the future of work, supporting digital transformations, using data to make smart cities safer, developing sustainable business models, and making moonshot investments.

We help companies thrive in the face of change. Our clients are “innovation mavericks” — leaders inside global corporations, nonprofits, and federal agencies who are tasked with helping their organizations adapt to the technological, economic, political, and social norms of the 21st century. We’re the strategy and innovation consultants they call when there’s no playbook for the problem they’re trying to solve.

Our open innovation practice was established in 2011. We are particularly focused on open innovation for impact, making use of incentive prize mechanisms to accelerate innovations such as artificial organs (Artificial Kidney Prize), early biothreat detection (DHS Hidden Signals Challenge), access to career and technical education (the Ed Prizes challenge series), and improving our understanding of Earth’s magnetism (NGA MagQuest).

We have an equal appreciation for strategy and execution. We offer our clients the upfront thinking that goes into careful strategy development and can become partners in execution to ensure those strategies are implemented.

We believe that career choices are not binary; you can have a challenging and rewarding career as part of a high-performing team and also live your life. Our clients appreciate that we bring the highest level of excellence to everything we do, and our team appreciates that we are extraordinarily efficient so that you aren’t expected to be online later.

Please note: for employment at Luminary Labs, you must be fully vaccinated (including booster) for COVID-19 to ensure compliance with enhanced health and safety protocols.

The Role

Luminary Labs seeks a digital-savvy communications specialist to support public-facing initiatives, including open innovation programs, accelerators, and more, on behalf of our Fortune 500, government, and nonprofit clients. This is a unique opportunity to help our clients communicate complex problems, learn directly from senior leadership, and grow within a consulting firm as an in-house communications and marketing expert. This role reports to our Head of Communications.

Please note that our team has embraced a hybrid model for our five-day work week, with two synchronous days in the office and three days wherever you work best. This role is based in New York City and will join our team in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays most weeks.

About You

You’re an action-oriented marketer who is motivated by the win.

You have experience in digital communications/marketing, either as part of an in-house team or in an agency or consulting environment. You get excited about identifying and defining an audience, crafting messaging, and working with a team to form and deploy an effective communications strategy. You love driving impact through a well-run campaign; knowing the ins and outs of digital platforms, you look forward to checking your web and social analytics, and optimizing accordingly.

You care about the impact your work has on the world and have been looking for a career path that is both high-performance and high-impact. We power programs such as Mission Daybreak, LymeX, and the Future Finder Challenge; this role would help identify creative communications opportunities and amplify our work. No matter how nuanced the topic, you are a clear communicator; you can quickly get up to speed on complex topics and connect the dots between them to tell a compelling story.

People love to have you on their team. You love to be part of a team. You are known for your high attention to detail, clear communications, and fresh thinking.

Role and Responsibilities

• Support communications efforts for our clients. Contribute to communications strategy and planning for public-facing prize competitions and other client campaigns. Lead outreach list building, audience analysis, and message development. Manage campaign execution, including pitching press, managing online communities, producing content, and monitoring analytics.
• Bring writing excellence. Take the lead on drafting communications materials for client projects, including blog posts, press releases, email newsletters, and social media posts.
• Serve as a communications advisor. Stay current on the latest marketing news and trends by attending events, classes, and/or following relevant online resources. Proactively share best practices and expertise with the team.

Desired Skills and Experience

• 4-6+ years work experience in tech-savvy marketing, communications, or business development; this includes 2-3 years experience working in an agency, consultancy, startup, or with corporate clients.
• Demonstrated experience supporting large-scale integrated communications programs; this includes managing social media campaigns, communities, and press outreach.
• Familiarity with Google Analytics and social media analytics.
• Experience researching and identifying influencers and press/event opportunities.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Superb writing chops; experience developing digital content to activate audiences.
• Excellent verbal skills and a high EQ; know how to translate communications strategy to internal and client teams.
• Ability to learn new platforms or tools quickly; experience with Mailchimp and WordPress a plus.
• Strong record as a high performer in academic, volunteer, or work activities, with noted leadership accomplishments.
• High adaptability to new organizational cultures; you are agile, realistic, and practical, and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Does this sound like you?

Please submit your cover letter and resume. We know that many communications/marketing professionals specialize in a particular area, such as social media or public relations. In your cover letter, describe your strengths and how you hope to grow in your next role. Please also include three examples of marketing programs that you consider to be innovative. Let us know your availability for employment. You may also send us examples of your own work or thinking online (blog posts, Slideshare examples).

Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. No recruiting agencies please.

The total compensation package for this role includes a base salary in the range of $95,000 to $115,000 plus a discretionary annual performance bonus. The starting salary for this role is at the lower bound of the salary range; an individual's starting salary will depend on the individual’s relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.