Events and Communications Manager

ABOUT US 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 http://astera.org/vision. ABOUT THE ROLE Astera 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. QUALIFICATIONS - 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" LOCATION This role is based onsite in Emeryville, CA