Director, Brand & Communications

About the Position

Formation Bio is building the pharma company of the future, where drugs are developed more efficiently than at any other pharma company that came before it — and we're looking for someone who can help tell that story to the world.

This is a role for someone with strong horsepower: a chronically online, deeply opinionated communications mind who knows the media landscape the way a trader knows the market — who's up, who’s down, who's moving, what's resonating, and where the next conversation is going to happen before it does. You read everything. You know which journalists are worth a pitch and which Substackers and tweeters are quietly shaping how the industry thinks. You understand that a founder's tweet, a long-form profile, and a regulatory milestone press release are completely different instruments, and you know how to play all of them.

You operate with great taste and discipline. Pharma is a highly regulated industry where the wrong word in the wrong place can have real consequences — and you understand how to take creative risks within that reality.

You'll work directly with the Head of Brand & Communications and with Formation Bio's co-founders — helping translate a genuinely novel vision for what drug development can be into narrative, presence, and momentum across every channel that matters.

Responsibilities

External Brand & Media

• Own media relations across the full spectrum — legacy press, trade media, new media, and influential independent voices (substackers, newsletter writers, podcast hosts) — with a sharp view of who moves the needle and why
• Build and maintain real relationships with journalists, editors, and media figures covering AI, biotech, pharma, and the broader tech and founder ecosystem — not a contact list, actual relationships
• Drive PR and communications strategy around our pipeline drug assets, from scientific and regulatory milestones to patient and policy initiatives, op-eds, and external events — understanding that each moment requires a different kind of storytelling
• Maintain a living, actionable read on the media landscape — tracking coverage, emerging narratives, and the voices that are gaining influence — so our communications strategy is always ahead, not reactive
• Work directly with the Head of Brand & Communications and co-founders on executive positioning and thought leadership, with the judgment to identify the right platform, the right moment, and the right angle

Brand Initiatives

• Support planning and execution of external brand initiatives such as investor events, conferences, branded experiences, and our presence in the pharma and AI conversation, with the taste and operational rigor to make them land flawlessly
• Collaborate with the People team on talent brand workstreams, including content and events that attract the best talent across pharma and AI
• Partner with our Content team - both strategically and in the weeds - on written, video, web, and social to advance brand goals

Brand Operations

• Maintain and evolve internal brand resources — guidelines, design libraries, tools, and norms — so every team can represent Formation Bio accurately and confidently
• Build AI-powered systems and workflows that raise the speed, consistency, and quality of output across the function — this is table stakes, not a stretch goal
• Be the internal authority on brand standards, with the credibility and communication skills to bring the rest of the organization along

About You

• 7+ years in brand, communications, or a related field — ideally in-house at a tech company or VC — with real exposure to media relations and external brand work
• You follow the AI and founder conversations in real time, have strong opinions, and can place Formation Bio precisely within it across every channel that matters: legacy press, Substack, X, podcasts, and whatever comes next
• Exceptional writer across formats — press materials, op-eds, executive briefings, brand narratives — with the range to shift register completely depending on audience
• Deep knowledge of the media landscape: the reporters, substackers, newsletters, and podcasts shaping how tech and biotech thinks
• Comfortable working directly with founders, translating vision into external narrative with minimal hand-holding and maximum judgment
• High-ownership operator who manages multiple workstreams with minimal supervision and treats ambiguity as a creative problem, not a grievance
• Demonstrated track record with AI tools and systems in day-to-day work — this is a baseline expectation
• Background in product marketing, life sciences, or high-touch branded experiences is a strong plus; startup experience strongly preferred

Total Compensation Range: $177,500 - $232,000