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POSITION SPECIFICS
Penn State’s Office of Strategic Communications—the University’s central public relations and marketing division—seeks an experienced Senior Research Writer to help elevate Penn State’s reputation as a leader in national security research.
With a primary focus on supporting Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and newly created National Security Institute (NSI), the person in this role will also cover national security-related research across other units, providing strategic communications leadership around complex, mission driven research. This position will develop and implement integrated communications strategies, produce high impact storytelling, and position Penn State researchers and programs in national conversations relevant to defense, security, resilience, and applied innovation-driven research.
This role requires close collaboration with ARL and NSI leadership, faculty researchers, research administrators, and communications colleagues across the University. Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings, visit research sites, or conduct in-person interviews.
This is a hybrid position that combines remote and on-campus working.
Key Responsibilities
The person in this position will:
- Participate in strategic planning to promote Penn State’s applied research and national security research strengths, with a particular emphasis on ARL and NSI
- Build trusted relationships with ARL, NSI, and unit leadership to understand research priorities, sponsor expectations, and institutional goals
- Develop and implement integrated communications plans that support reputation building and stakeholder engagement, using multichannel approaches (i.e., news stories, feature articles, multimedia, social media, executive messaging)
- Lead the promotion of peer-reviewed and sponsor-funded research, translating technically complex work into clear, accurate, and compelling narratives for diverse audiences
- Position faculty experts and research leaders in appropriate national conversations, including media, policy, and industry forums, while navigating sensitivities related to national security research
- Collaborate with internal partners to ensure communications align with federal sponsor requirements, export control considerations, and institutional policies
- Identify opportunities to highlight the real-world impact of applied research, including technology development, partnerships, and workforce contributions
- Build and maintain relationships with regional and national media outlets, as appropriate
- Respond to media inquiries and coordinate interviews in collaboration with Strategic Communications leadership
- Experiment with innovative storytelling formats and evaluate performance metrics to refine communications strategies
- Review and edit research-related stories written by communicators across the University to ensure quality, accuracy, and consistency
- Develop reports and briefings for leadership that highlight communications outcomes and impact
- Mentor junior writers and provide guidance to unit communicators on best practices in research and science storytelling
- Contribute to University-wide initiatives, including research impact campaigns and leadership communications
Preferred Skills and Experience
The ideal candidate will:
- Have demonstrated experience translating complex scientific or technical research into accessible, accurate narratives
- Understand trends in applied research, national security, higher education, and/or science communication
- Be comfortable working with sensitive or technical subject matter and navigating appropriate review processes
- Have experience developing and executing strategic communications plans
- Be familiar with/have knowledge of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and similar platforms
- Be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Possess outstanding interpersonal, writing, editing, and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrate strong collaboration and relationship building skills across diverse stakeholder groups
- Be proactive and work effectively both independently and as part of a team
Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required.
All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with ARL will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen.
MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS
Bachelor's Degree
6+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
Required Certifications:
None
