About the Role:
The Senior Program Manager, HR Communications, is a strategic, hands-on partner responsible for shaping and delivering clear, compelling, and employee-centric communication programs across the full employee lifecycle—including leading the People Team’s crisis communication and response strategy.
This role helps employees stay informed, supported, and connected during moments that matter—from major program rollouts to unforeseen events. Reporting to the head of People Experience & Culture, the Senior Program Manager translates complex HR initiatives into clear narratives, drives cross-functional alignment, and ensures consistent, human-centered communication throughout the organization, supporting Lyra’s culture. They work closely with People Experience peers, HRBPs, Benefits, Facilities, Legal, Internal Communications, Corporate Affairs, and senior leadership.
Responsibilities
- Develop and own the HR communications strategy in partnership with the Internal Communications Team.
- Coordinate frameworks and messaging strategies for major people programs (performance cycles, benefits, culture programs, learning initiatives, etc.).
- Translate technical updates across HR teams (i.e., Benefits, Compensation, and Talent Development) to design an employee communication plan that provides context and clarity.
- Own and operationalize the People Team’s crisis communication strategy, ensuring employees are connected to benefits, resources, and support during critical events.
- Build and manage an end-to-end crisis response process, including escalation pathways, messaging templates, approval workflows, and communication channels.
- Partner closely with Benefits, HRBPs, Facilities, Communications & Corporate Affairs, Legal, and Security to deliver coordinated resources during incidents affecting employee safety, wellbeing, or workplace continuity.
- Collaborate with the internal clinical team to incorporate mental health best practices into employee-facing crisis communications.
- Support the development of executive-aligned standards for how the organization shares resources in response to events such as workplace safety issues, community crises, and geopolitical events.
- Experience implementing or managing emergency notification systems (e.g., AlertMedia, Everbridge) and navigating the associated data privacy requirements (GDPR/PII) for employee contact information.
- Create and consult on high-quality HR communications (emails, content, toolkits, leadership messages, video scripts, presentations).
- Maintain a cohesive, inclusive voice for all HR communications.
- Support executives and leaders with people-focused messaging in partnership with Executive & Internal Communications.
- Partner with People Experience peers and People Leadership team to anticipate communication needs across programs and moments.
- Lead cross-functional planning and timelines for major HR launches.
- Facilitate alignment across Benefits, Facilities, Legal, IT, and Corporate Communications.
- Support communication strategies for organizational changes and policy updates.
- Support culture programs and engagement strategies through thoughtful storytelling and consistent messaging.
- Use employee feedback and data to refine communication approaches.
- Optimize People Team communication channels (newsletters, HR leadership messages, employee guides)
- Build toolkits, templates, and guidelines to elevate communication clarity across HR.
- Partner with the Communications & Corporate Affairs team to drive message consistency across the company.
Strategic Communications Program Leadership
Crisis Communication & Response Leadership
Employee Experience Storytelling & Content Development
Program & Stakeholder Management
Change & Culture Enablement
Channel Strategy & Governance
Qualifications
- 12+ years of experience in internal communications, HR communications, employee experience, program management, or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience communicating during complex or sensitive situations; crisis communication background strongly preferred.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
- Strong program management and stakeholder alignment abilities.
- Experience managing communication strategies across diverse geographies, time zones, and cultural contexts in a remote-first environment.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and managing issues with urgency, discretion, and emotional intelligence.
- Ability to drive alignment across senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
- Understanding of HR & Legal practices, change management principles, and employee experience strategy.
Success in This Role Looks Like
- A clear and trusted crisis communication process is in place, tested, and understood by all relevant teams. The HR Comms function is structured to be 'crisis-ready' through automation and templates, reducing manual intervention and response time during high-impact events.
- Employees receive timely information, support, and resources during both planned and unplanned events.
- HR programs land with clarity and consistency, increasing adoption and clarity.
- Leaders have the tools, guidance, and confidence needed to communicate effectively.
- The People Experience & Culture operates with stronger alignment, coordination, and strategic influence, translating to consistent alignment across the broader People team.
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