Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive progress. We have committed a $3.5B endowment to that work and fit the form of our support to the function it serves: grants, investments, and in-house research programs. We accept meaningful risk in the research we back and expect some of it to fail because transformative ideas are rarely the ones already proven. Our projects, and the foundation itself, operate like high-velocity startups, with a high performance bar and competitive compensation to match. We are searching for leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving high-impact change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming at astera.org/vision.
About the RoleAstera Institute is looking for an Events and Communications lead that will shape Astera into a place where the most interesting conversations in science and technology happen, and where the people having them want to be. Reporting to the COO of the Foundation Division, you'll have ownership over building Astera's external presence and internal culture as a research institute: programming our events, convenings, and communications. As an AI-forward organization, we're looking for someone excited about the transformative potential of AI tools and ready to build that fluency from day one.
Event Management (40%)
Design and run events end-to-end, from symposia to Friday socials: venue, vendors, logistics, guest experience, and the details that separate a good event from a memorable one
Build the operational infrastructure that lets programming scale: playbooks, vendor relationships, budgets, and tooling
Partner with Division leadership in developing the events and moments that accelerate our programming
Build the social fabric that turns a collection of researchers into a community, including the unstructured moments where good conversations happen
Communications (40%)
Partner with leadership to shape Astera's external comms strategy (audiences, channels, content, etc) and own execution against it
Steward Astera's voice across the website, written materials, and external touchpoints, in close collaboration with leadership
Manage website, blog, and socials, including writing, editing, and coordinating updates as Astera's work evolves
Run the calendar of external-facing moments and the production pipeline behind it
Build and manage a roster of external contractors and consultants (writers, designers, PR, etc.) — knowing when to bring in specialists, scoping the work, and getting great output on Astera's timeline and budget
General Operations (20%)
Flex to the "unknown unknowns" of a young, growing organization — event logistics, hub operations, cross-functional support during peak periods, and special projects across the Operations stack.
Demonstrated ability to design and execute high-quality convenings end-to-end, including the unglamorous logistics that determine whether they work
Capable writer, able to draft as needed in a voice applicable to Astera, and to give substantive editorial direction on everything else.
Comfortable directing comms work and managing external contracts end-to-end across modalities (writing, design, web, video, social), including the judgment to know when to draft something yourself vs. bring in a specialist
Experience building the systems, playbooks, vendor relationships, and budgets that let programming scale without losing quality
Track record of working closely with technical or research-driven people in a way that earned their trust
Just as important as technical qualifications is cultural alignment:
Motivated by enabling science and technology that could reshape the future
Excited to define what a modern research institute looks and feels like, rather than inheriting an established playbook
Thrives in early-stage environments where the role will evolve significantly and the path forward is often ambiguous: comfortable proposing direction while staying calibrated to leadership's priorities
Values giving and receiving direct feedback as a cultural multiplier, and sees AI tools as an opportunity to uplevel how the work gets done
Generous collaborator who doesn't maintain strong boundaries around what "isn't your job"
This role is based onsite in Emeryville, CA
Skills Required
- Demonstrated ability to design and execute high-quality convenings end-to-end, including logistics
- Manage website, blog, and social channels, including writing, editing, and coordinating updates
- Capable writer able to draft in Astera's voice and provide substantive editorial direction
- Comfortable directing comms work and managing external contractors across modalities (writing, design, web, video, social)
- Experience building systems, playbooks, vendor relationships, and budgets to scale programming
- Track record working closely with technical or research-driven people and earning their trust
- Excited about and ready to build fluency with AI tools to improve workflows
- Thrives in early-stage, ambiguous environments and can propose direction while aligning with leadership
- Values direct feedback and is a generous collaborator willing to flex across responsibilities
- Role is based onsite in Emeryville, CA
What We Do
Astera is a private foundation with a $2.5B endowment focused on steering science and technology toward an abundant future for all. They operate like a high-velocity startup, integrating neuroscience, AI, and bioengineering for AGI research.
