Program Associate, Communications & Systems

Program Associate, Communications and Systems
The Program Associate, Communications and Systems provides high-level support to the Sentinel Program and Sabeti Lab teams to advance strategic communications and operational effectiveness. This hybrid role focuses on developing clear, compelling written and visual materials for internal audiences, organizing and curating information for the Sentinel program, and helping implement tools and technologies that improve collaboration and efficiency across teams.

Reporting to the Sentinel Program Manager and working closely with the Sentinel Managing Director and Associate Director for Operations and Finance, the Program Associate supports a wide range of activities including executive communications, document and knowledge management, and process innovation. The ideal candidate is a strong writer and visual communicator with excellent organizational skills, discretion, and a demonstrated interest in applying new technologies to enhance team workflows.

Key Responsibilities

Communications and Knowledge Management

• Prepare high-quality written and visual materials, including presentations, briefing
• memos, agendas, and summaries, for internal leadership and stakeholder meetings.
• Collaborate with the Director to synthesize scientific, operational, and programmatic content into clear, visually engaging slide decks and reports.
• Support the organization and curation of Sentinel program materials, including reports publications, presentations, web series, and historical documents.
• Redesign and maintain an organized digital repository of files and program records; establish standards for naming, version control, and metadata tagging.
• Analyze and summarize existing materials to identify key insights and reusable content for future projects.
• Manage document flow for leadership reviews, ensuring timely preparation, version tracking, and alignment with lab communication standards.
• Exercise judgment and discretion in handling sensitive communications and confidential information.

Operational and Systems Improvement

• Collaborate with administrative and operations staff to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and collaboration across teams.
• Support implementation of AI and other digital tools (e.g. LLM-based productivity applications) to streamline internal workflows and enhance document management.
• Pilot and test new platforms or tools to improve information sharing, meeting preparation, and task coordination.
• Work with administrative leads to document workflows, develop templates, and establish simple standard operating procedures (SOPs) for recurring processes
• Maintain awareness of best practices in knowledge management and applied AI to support continuous improvement in lab operations.
• Contribute to change management and communication efforts as new systems and tools are adopted across teams.
• Support project leads with meeting coordination, task tracking, and follow-up documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as public health, biology, communications, or information science (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• At least 3 years of professional experience in communications, operations, or research coordination within academic, research, or public health settings.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written and visual materials for scientific or organizational audiences.
• Experience organizing large volumes of information or managing digital repositories is strongly preferred.
• Experience designing and facilitating trainings and capacity-strengthening initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to encourage behavior change and sustained use of new processes across diverse teams.
• Familiarity with AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or other LLMs) and an interest in their application to improve productivity and communication workflows.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Written and Visual Communication: Exceptional ability to write and edit concise,
• well-structured documents and presentations tailored to scientific and organizational contexts.
• Design and Presentation: Skilled in PowerPoint or equivalent tools to produce professional, visually compelling materials.
• Organization and Attention to Detail: Strong ability to organize complex materials and activities, and maintain orderly digital systems.
• Innovation Mindset: Proactive in identifying and implementing improvements that enhance clarity, efficiency, and collaboration.
• Technical Agility: Comfortable adopting and applying new digital tools; able to test and evaluate AI-assisted workflows for accuracy and effectiveness
• Analytical Thinking: Synthesizes information from multiple sources to identify patterns, insights, and opportunities for improvement.
• Judgment and Discretion: Exercises sound judgment and maintains confidentiality in handling sensitive communications and strategic materials.
• Collaboration and Flexibility: Works effectively across teams and reporting lines; can balance multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.