Education & Engagement Specialist III – Administration

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Allen Institute Administration team is to provide support and structure to the scientific divisions. Coinciding with the team science approach, administration helps facilitate team learning and the institute’s overall mission.

The Education & Engagement Specialist is a key member of the Education & Engagement Program team, part of the Communications department. The team produces educational and training resources that promote the use of the Allen Institute’s open scientific resources to working scientists, 9-12 and college students/instructors/institutions, and the public. The Program encompasses all Allen Institute research including neuroscience, cell biology, immunology, and more.

The Education & Engagement Specialist will lead the development and execution of materials, events, and other resources across the portfolio of the Program, which will include working scientists (including grad students/postdocs), college educators, and high school educators, and may occasionally include the general public. They will concentrate on developing educational materials and programs for these audiences, such as scientific engagement and outreach. They will represent the Allen Institute to the education and scientific community online, at conferences, and in professional societies and networks. They will work independently, in collaboration with other Education & Engagement team members, and with scientific partners. Many projects will have a computational biology, math, and/or programming element. They may also work on grant-funded projects.

This Specialist will focus on a) leading strategy and execution of the Allen Institute’s presence at conferences for both scientists and educators, b) lead an internal network to provide strategic and practical guidance on scientific training and outreach led by scientific teams, and c) engage in other science and science communication activities, such as providing science communication training, develop content for tours, and more.

The Specialist will participate in planning, executing, and presenting in live and virtual professional development events, independently and in collaboration with scientific teams. They will expertly target and customize their content and approach for different audiences. They will represent the Allen Institute to professional communities online and at conferences. They will maintain current knowledge of emerging research and open data resources across the Allen Institute and relevant developments across the biomedical sciences as a whole.

The ideal candidate has a strong scientific background and some science communication, outreach, training, and/or sales experience. No existing expertise in the Allen Institute’s research programs is required. They have an interest in developing expertise in a wide range of technical content through collaboration with scientific partners, as well as science communication approaches effective for a range of audiences.

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences, and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role. In particular, note that a PhD is not required for this position.

Essential Functions

• Lead and contribute to Education & Engagement programs, events, activities, and materials development across relevant divisions and programs of the Allen Institute, focusing on scientific audiences
• Approximately 40%: lead Allen Institute booths and associated presence at scientific and educational conferences, including both strategy and practical implementation. Attend all conferences to lead booth (5-7 scientific and 1-2 education per year currently, typically maximum of 1/year international).
• Approximately 30%: lead internal scientific training network. Provide strategic and practical guidance, support, and coordination on scientific training and outreach that is led by scientific teams; lead regular network meetings; create guidance and documentation for best practices.
• Approximately 30%: Provide science communication training to Allen Institute staff; create content for tours and train guides; maintain network of external contacts; additional duties related to connecting with scientific community and maintaining awareness of emerging topics in science.
• Collaborate with the Education & Engagement team, the Communications department, scientific partners, external collaborators, and the DEI&B program to develop high-impact education programs
• Develop and maintain network of contacts, such as individuals, other education programs, scientific consortia, nonprofits, universities, federal agencies, and others as relevant
• Develop and maintain familiarity with the scientific background and technical use of relevant open resources from across the Institute
• Collaborate with stakeholders to plan, execute, and facilitate new and existing professional development resources and events
• Represent the Allen Institute to the scientific and educational community at conferences, professional societies, and networks
• Collect, analyze, and implement feedback on outcomes from training, education, and outreach programs and resources
• Lead tours of the Allen Institute, including staying up to date on new content and messaging to include
• Provide additional programmatic support as needed

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, neuroscience, or a related biomedical science field
• 3 years research experience in a biomedical sciences field (or equivalent combination of graduate education and experience), AND 1-3 years of experience in science communication, science outreach, scientific training, and/or scientific sales, which may be part-time/volunteer in conjunction with other work

Preferred Education and Experience

• 4+ years of research experience, Masters, and/or PhD, in biology, neuroscience, or related biomedical science field
• 3+ years of experience in science communication, science outreach, scientific training, and/or scientific sales, which may be part-time/volunteer in conjunction with other work
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and budgets for on-time and on-budget execution
• Outstanding networking skills
• Strong MS Office 365 skills
• Additional software skills, either experience or ability to learn new software quickly and comfortably: Adobe Creative Suite, website content management (within Wordpress CMS), Asana, advanced Zoom functions
• Strong work ethic, sense of urgency, and self-motivation, including the ability to follow through to complete tasks independently
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels of the organization, from a wide variety of backgrounds, and with different priorities
• Sense of urgency, and self-motivation, including the ability to follow through to complete tasks independently on strict timelines that vary widely by project
• Exceptional collaborator; able to work with a variety of teams and personalities; ability to tailor approaches to best suit collaborators’ preferences

Physical Demands

• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment, or proficient use of voice-to-text or related software
• Lifting up to 30 pounds (distance carrying not needed)
• Push/pull up to 40 pounds
• Stooping, bending, crouching
• Assembling equipment at conferences
• Reaching, climbing ladders/stepstools

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Occasional evening and weekend hours required
• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.

Travel

• Travel to exhibit at and/or participate in national conferences 7-10 times a year, international conferences about 1 time a year - Remote participation not an option for these events

Annualized Salary Range

• $97,250 - $132,330 *

* Final salary depends on the required education for the role, experience, level of skills relevant to the role, and work location, where applicable.

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities