Vice President of Communications

Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students, and technicians. The Meetings & Courses Program hosts more than 12,000 scientists from around the world each year on its campuses in Long Island and in Suzhou, China. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)’s education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a graduate school, and programs for middle, high school, and undergraduate students and teachers.

CSHL seeks a dynamic, visionary, and strategic Vice President of Communications (Vice President) to amplify and advance CSHL’s outreach, institutional profile, and scientific and educational impact. As the fulcrum of CSHL’s communications strategy, the Vice President will play a pivotal role in increasing the organization’s visibility, creating articulate and persuasive communications materials through a philanthropic lens, representing the organization as an active spokesperson, and reimagining the CSHL brand.

The Vice President will bring an innovative and comprehensive approach to branding and communications with the stature and demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and alliances with constituencies, both internally and externally. The successful candidate will serve as a visible and active spokesperson to external and internal audiences, including presentations about CSHL’s scientific and educational programs. The Vice President will revitalize CSHL’s institutional and program communication across multiple digital and media platforms, ensuring a cohesive and compelling narrative that resonates with the organization’s diverse audiences. They will elevate the visibility of CSHL’s initiatives at the local, national, and international levels by evolving the organizational brand, developing multimedia content, producing publications, and supporting Foundations for the Future, CSHL’s $500 million capital and endowment fundraising campaign to expand scientific and educational initiatives.

The Vice President will report to the Senior Vice President for Advancement and Special Advisor to President. They will manage, mentor, and develop a talented and diverse team of 12 staff including specialists in science writing, graphic design, video production, events, web development and social media.