Senior Strategic Communications Advisor (Fixed Term Contractor)

Craft cutting-edge research into compelling, public-facing findings Research report development: Partner with research leads to identify the most newsworthy and shareable findings from long-form research reports (such as landscape assessments of the maternal health data ecosystem) and package them for press and social, including executive summaries tailored for CEO and board audiences. Develop tailored rollout plans for state-specific briefs that combine data with youth lived-experience insights Youth thriving score launch: Lead the communications campaign for the public release of Surgo's Youth Thriving Framework and Score, a cutting-edge measurement approach designed to push the national conversation on what it means to thrive

Research report development: Partner with research leads to identify the most newsworthy and shareable findings from long-form research reports (such as landscape assessments of the maternal health data ecosystem) and package them for press and social, including executive summaries tailored for CEO and board audiences. Develop tailored rollout plans for state-specific briefs that combine data with youth lived-experience insights

Youth thriving score launch: Lead the communications campaign for the public release of Surgo's Youth Thriving Framework and Score, a cutting-edge measurement approach designed to push the national conversation on what it means to thrive

Own active comms calendar and strategy Develop and drive an annual communications and marketing strategy for Surgo's maternal health and youth mental health work. Align it to the research release schedule (including monthly Youth Mental Health Tracker insight releases), key launch moments, and partner priorities, and update it as findings and field priorities change. Coordinate with broader Surgo team members and leadership to keep calendar up to date and aligned with broader Surgo priorities

Develop and drive an annual communications and marketing strategy for Surgo's maternal health and youth mental health work. Align it to the research release schedule (including monthly Youth Mental Health Tracker insight releases), key launch moments, and partner priorities, and update it as findings and field priorities change.

Coordinate with broader Surgo team members and leadership to keep calendar up to date and aligned with broader Surgo priorities

Drive online content Social media strategy & content: Own social media planning and content for maternal health and mental health initiatives, translating reports, data findings, and milestones into posts, threads, and campaigns that build public engagement and drive traffic back to Surgo's work Website strategy: Act as a thought partner in updating our online assets, and providing advisory on harmonizing messages across platforms. Lead improvements to the Youth Mental Health Tracker website's search visibility and usability. Drive a technical and content SEO audit covering keyword strategy, site structure, and performance, and put its recommendations into practice

Social media strategy & content: Own social media planning and content for maternal health and mental health initiatives, translating reports, data findings, and milestones into posts, threads, and campaigns that build public engagement and drive traffic back to Surgo's work

Website strategy: Act as a thought partner in updating our online assets, and providing advisory on harmonizing messages across platforms. Lead improvements to the Youth Mental Health Tracker website's search visibility and usability. Drive a technical and content SEO audit covering keyword strategy, site structure, and performance, and put its recommendations into practice

Event planning Collaborate with program staff to plan launch and partner events, conference engagements, and other in-person activities. Identify priority national and state conferences in youth mental health, maternal health, public health, and philanthropy. Lead abstract and panel submissions, secure speaking slots for Surgo researchers and leaders Support one to two convenings in the US and UK to raise the Youth Mental Health Tracker's international profile and promote the Youth Thriving Framework and Score Work with program staff and university partners to plan and promote a national, multi-week data challenge (National Youth Wellbeing Data Challenge ). This event will invite researchers, students, technologists, and youth leaders to use Youth Mental Health Tracker data to tackle real-world questions

Collaborate with program staff to plan launch and partner events, conference engagements, and other in-person activities. Identify priority national and state conferences in youth mental health, maternal health, public health, and philanthropy. Lead abstract and panel submissions, secure speaking slots for Surgo researchers and leaders

Support one to two convenings in the US and UK to raise the Youth Mental Health Tracker's international profile and promote the Youth Thriving Framework and Score

Work with program staff and university partners to plan and promote a national, multi-week data challenge (National Youth Wellbeing Data Challenge ). This event will invite researchers, students, technologists, and youth leaders to use Youth Mental Health Tracker data to tackle real-world questions

Earned media strategy & execution: Proactive press strategy: In collaboration with Surgo marketing and communications colleagues, Build and drive media engagement for Surgo's maternal and mental health work, including pitching journalists, developing story angles from research findings, drafting press releases and media pitches, and managing reporter relationships Newsjacking & timely engagement: Monitor the maternal health and mental health news cycles for opportunities to insert Surgo's data, findings, and point of view into ongoing public conversations Media materials: Develop press kits, key messages, talking points, and spokesperson prep to support media interviews and public appearances

Proactive press strategy: In collaboration with Surgo marketing and communications colleagues, Build and drive media engagement for Surgo's maternal and mental health work, including pitching journalists, developing story angles from research findings, drafting press releases and media pitches, and managing reporter relationships

Newsjacking & timely engagement: Monitor the maternal health and mental health news cycles for opportunities to insert Surgo's data, findings, and point of view into ongoing public conversations

Media materials: Develop press kits, key messages, talking points, and spokesperson prep to support media interviews and public appearances

Editorial consistency: Help maintain consistent, mission-driven voice across public, media, and funder-facing communications, grounded in precise, evidence-based prose. Collaborate closely with other Surgo staff to ensure consistency with Surgo’s broader messaging and brand

Funder & partner communications: Draft and polish stakeholder-facing materials, including funder updates, briefing memos, proposal and concept language, as a secondary but ongoing part of the role

5+ years of communications experience with a strong track record in earned media/PR and social media strategy , ideally in health, public health, or a mission-driven research organization

Demonstrated success securing press coverage; existing relationships with health, key decision-makers, women's health/mental health reporters a strong plus

Skilled social media content creator and strategist, comfortable turning dense research into scroll-stopping, shareable content across platforms

Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to translate technical or data-heavy material into clear, compelling public-facing narratives

Experience writing press releases, pitches, and talking points; grant/funder writing experience is a plus but secondary

Comfortable working with evidentiary, source-cited research, including flagging unsupported claims, working from named data sources and statistics

Genuine interest in maternal health, women's health, and/or youth mental health

Ability to work independently and iteratively with subject-matter experts across research, product, and behavioral science

Experience in a fast-moving, mission-driven organization preferred

Location: This role is remote friendly

Travel: No travel expected

Type: Independent contractor / consultant

Term: October 2026 - December 2027, with potential for extension

Time commitment: Part time to full time; flexibility possible for the right candidate