Corporate Communications Senior Manager

Overview

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.

We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.

GRAIL is headquartered in the bay area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.

For more information, please visit grail.com

GRAIL is seeking an experienced corporate communications professional to help shape and execute external communications strategies that advance the company’s mission, strengthen its reputation, and support key business priorities. This role will be instrumental in developing compelling corporate narratives, translating complex scientific and healthcare information for external audiences, and driving high-impact communications across traditional media, digital, and stakeholder channels.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, hands-on communicator who thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. They bring strong judgement, exceptional writing skills, proven media relations experience, and the ability to partner effectively with executives, cross-functional teams, agency partners, and external stakeholders.

This role is based in Menlo Park, California, and will move to Sunnyvale, California in Fall 2026. It offers a flexible work arrangement, with the ability to work from GRAIL's office or from home. Our current flexible work arrangement policy requires that a minimum of 40%, or 16 hours, of your total work week be on-site. Your specific schedule, determined in collaboration with your manager, will align with team and business needs and could exceed the 40% requirement for the site. At our Menlo Park campus, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the key days where we encourage on-site presence to engage in events and on-site activities.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute strategic corporate communications plans that enhance GRAIL’s reputation and support business priorities.
• Shape corporate narratives, messaging, and communications materials for company milestones, data announcements, partnerships, and other external-facing initiatives.
• Translate complex scientific, clinical, and business information into clear, compelling, audience-appropriate messages across platforms.
• Manage public relations agency partners in the development, editing and distribution of press releases, media resource materials, videos, social media and digital content, and other communications assets.
• Lead proactive media outreach, coordinate interviews, manage inbound media inquiries, and work with agency partners to identify timely media opportunities.
• Support issues management and reactive communications, including message development, media response, and stakeholder engagement.
• Oversee media monitoring and coverage analysis; manage agency and vendor partners in the development of regular reports and insights.
• Manage communications budgets, vendors, and agency workflows to ensure high-quality execution and measurable impact.

These responsibilities summarize the role’s primary responsibilities and are not an exhaustive list. They may change at the company’s discretion.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, journalism, or related field
• 7+ years of public relations, corporate communications, or external communications experience, ideally in FDA-regulated healthcare, life sciences, diagnostics, biotechnology, or other relevant sectors
• Exceptional writing, editing, storytelling, and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to translate complex scientific, clinical, technical, or business topics into clear and compelling communications
• Strong media relations experience, including proactive pitching, reporter relationship-building, interview coordination, and media inquiry management
• Strong strategic thinking, judgment, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail
• Experience managing PR agencies, vendors, budgets, and cross-functional communications projects
• Familiarity with media monitoring, PR analytics, social media, and digital communications tools, including the use of emerging AI tools.

Physical Demands & Working Environment:

• Hours and days may vary depending on operational needs.
• Working with dry ice may be necessary.
• Standing or sitting for long periods of time may be necessary.
• May be exposed to hazardous materials, blood specimens and instruments with moving parts, heating or freezing elements, and high speed centrifugation.
• Repetitive manual pipetting may be necessary.
• Some lifting (up to 25 pounds) may be necessary
• Ability to travel 10% as required