Digital Communications Associate

Science Friday is seeking a Digital Communications Associate to support the production, management, and growth of Science Friday’s newsletters and digital content, as well as the day-to-day maintenance of the Science Friday website. This role plays a key communications function—helping ensure that Science Friday’s voice, messaging, and audience-facing information are clear, consistent, accurate, and engaging across channels.

Newsletters are a primary way our audiences experience Science Friday—connecting them to our journalism, book club, educational resources, events, and community—while the website serves as the central hub for all of our content. This role is central to maintaining high-quality, engaging newsletters, keeping the website up-to-date, and supporting clear, coordinated digital communications that reflect organizational priorities and audience needs, supporting audience growth and a cohesive experience across all digital channels.

This position reports to the Director of Audience Engagement & Growth and sits within the audience team while working closely with editorial, audio, and development teams. While collaborating with other teams, the primary focus is on execution, coordination, and supporting newsletter and website operations, rather than independently leading the full newsletter ecosystem or web strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Website Management and Digital Updates (50%)

• Serves as the primary owner of Science Friday’s WordPress website, responsible for the daily publishing, upkeep, and presentation of all non-broadcast content, including podcast episodes, digital articles, and special projects
• Creates and populates pages for each episode in our podcast distribution platform
• Builds and publishes new web pages for stories and series, ensuring all content is accurately formatted, visually compelling, and optimized for promotion and audience engagement
• Manages and updates the homepage on a daily basis, curating featured content in alignment with editorial priorities, new releases, and promotional goals
• Works closely with the Senior Editor, producers, and Audience team to confirm that each page has the necessary copy, assets, transcripts, and metadata to support a successful launch
• Formats and QA-checks all page elements—including images, videos, embeds, transcripts, and links—to ensure consistency, accessibility, and a high-quality user experience
• Flags outdated or unclear content and coordinates updates to ensure accuracy and relevance
• Helps maintain consistency in language, terminology, and framing across the website, newsletters, and other digital communications
• Acts as the internal liaison to external web developers, troubleshooting technical issues, coordinating fixes, and flagging opportunities for site improvements or new features
• Implements best practices for accessibility, usability, and performance, proactively identifying and resolving issues at the page or site level
• Manages digital assets for web use, including image selection, copyright checks, licensing, attribution, and organization within the digital asset database
• Collaborates with developers, designers, and engineers to support the ongoing maintenance of Science Friday’s website infrastructure, storage, and archives
• Assists with web analytics and reporting, including learning to use Google Analytics, running basic reports, and maintaining spreadsheets that track traffic, engagement, and content performance over time

Newsletter Management (30%)

• Manages Science Friday’s flagship newsletters, including:
  • Week in Science (weekly flagship newsletter)
  • Radio Preview (Friday newsletter previewing programming)
• Supports the production of additional newsletters as needed, working with other newsletter owners, including:
  • SciFri Book Club (weekly member newsletter)
  • Educate newsletters (monthly newsletters for formal and informal educators)
  • Science Goes to the Movies (grant-funded, monthly)
  • Donation and fundraising campaigns (seasonal/occasional/quarterly)
• Collaborates with the Audience team and editorial partners to help inform and implement newsletter strategy, including:
  • Audience segmentation and targeting
  • Publication cadence and frequency
  • Editorial voice, layout, and design standards
• Assists with newsletter planning and editorial calendar management, ensuring alignment across teams and timely execution
• Helps coordinate content across newsletters to reduce redundancy and support audience engagement
• Manage Science Friday’s multimedia assets related to newsletters, ensuring accessibility, proper attribution, and quality standards
• Coordinates with freelancers and internal teams for visual assets supporting newsletter campaigns
• Ensures all newsletters adhere to accessibility, branding, and style guidelines
• Ensures newsletter content clearly communicates Science Friday’s mission, priorities, and value to audiences, adapting messaging for different segments and contexts
• Supports clear, concise copy editing for newsletters, headlines, subject lines, and calls to action to improve clarity, tone, and audience understanding
• Acts as a communications partner to internal teams, helping translate editorial, educational, and development goals into audience-facing newsletter messaging

Newsletter Analytics & Optimization (10%)

• Pulls and monitors newsletter performance metrics across Science Friday newsletters, including open rates, click-through rates, deliverability, list growth, and engagement
• Maintains regular performance tracking and basic reporting, flagging trends, anomalies, and opportunities for improvement
• Supports A/B testing and small-scale experiments (subject lines, send times, formats) to help improve performance and audience satisfaction
• Works with the Director of Audience Development & Growth to review analytics and understand what’s driving results, helping translate data into next steps
• Prepares summary metrics and reports for internal stakeholders as needed, with guidance on context and interpretation
• Uses performance insights to help inform messaging decisions, audience framing, and content presentation—not just technical optimization

Audience Engagement & Communications (10-15%)

• Serves as a frontline communications representative for Science Friday across digital channels, ensuring audience responses are timely, thoughtful, and aligned with organizational values
• Monitors listener email inboxes, newsletter reply channels, and other audience-facing email platforms, responding when appropriate and routing inquiries to the correct teams or staff
• Moderates audience interactions to maintain a positive, constructive, inclusive, and welcoming experience
• Collects, organizes, and analyzes audience feedback—including comments, replies, and survey responses—and shares insights with the Audience team to inform content, engagement, and messaging strategies
• Identifies recurring audience questions, confusion, or concerns and elevates them internally to help improve clarity and consistency in Science Friday communications
• Assists with newsletter partnerships and cross-promotions, coordinating with partner organizations to ensure assets, copy, timing, and messaging align with Science Friday’s brand
• Tracks partner details, timelines, deliverables, and basic performance metrics for cross-promotional efforts
• Coordinates internally with editorial, audio, development, and audience teams to support smooth execution of engagement, communications, and partnership activities

Skills & Qualifications

Required

• 2–4 years of communications and/or marketing experience
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to edit and adapt messaging for different audiences and platforms
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience
• Preferential experience managing newsletters or email marketing campaigns, ideally in a multi-newsletter environment
• Experience managing and updating websites using CMS platforms (WordPress preferred)
• Strong editorial judgment and attention to detail, with the ability to maintain a consistent voice across multiple products
• Experience using newsletter analytics to track performance and inform improvements
• Solid project management skills for coordinating content and workflows across teams
• Comfortable meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative and clear communicator, able to support cross-team initiatives
• Must be located in and authorized to work in the United States

Preferred

• Experience in science journalism, public media, or mission-driven organizations
• Familiarity with email platforms and CRM systems (EveryAction preferred)
• Interest in science, health, environment, and technology

What We Offer

• Salary range: $60,000 - $75,000, commensurate with experience and location.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution; generous paid time off; and paid parental leave.
• A mission-driven, collaborative, and creative work environment that values curiosity, inclusion, and experimentation.

How to Apply

Use THIS LINK to submit a resume, a brief cover letter, and 2–3 newsletter examples that demonstrate your creativity, attention to detail, and hands-on experience.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution; generous paid time off; and paid parental leave.