Director, Strategic Communications & PR

By Light HQ • McLean, VA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

By Light is seeking a Director, Strategic Communications & PR to own the company's voice in the market — press and media relations, the editorial calendar, content production, and internal and executive communications. This role carries the company's brand voice into the market and builds its thought-leadership presence across the defense market. This role identifies the stories worth telling inside a large, technical organization, chooses the right vehicle for each, and executes with consistency in tone and message.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in communications, journalism, English, public relations, or marketing.
• 7+ years in communications, public relations, corporate communications or content, ideally in govcon, defense, or a regulated B2B environment.
• Familiarity with defense, federal, or a regulated B2B environment.
• Ability to translate complex technical capabilities into clear and compelling marketing and editorial copy.
• Strong writer and editor able to move between multiple channels including social, executive voice, marketing copy, internal communications, press, executive voice, blogs and long-form content.
• Demonstrated ownership of media relations and an editorial calendar.
• Operationally reliable producing high-visibility output in a small, fast-moving team.
• Experience executing across social and media platforms such as Cision and Social Pilot, and tracking PR/communications KPIs for ROI via Googe Analytics and social analytics.
• Experience managing internal communications across newsletters.

Nice To Haves

• Experience establishing or rolling out brand voice and standards across multiple entities preferred.
• Established trade-press relationships in the defense or federal technology space preferred.
• Comfort with cleared-audience sensitivities and public-release review processes.
• Executive-communications and thought-leadership platform experience.
• Experience in WordPress preferred.
• Ability to obtain a security clearance is a plus

Responsibilities

• Own media relations, press release development and distribution, trade-press relationships, and announcement strategy; manage PR agency support where engaged.
• Serve as the company's primary point of contact for inbound press and proactive media outreach.
• Develop talking points and support executives in media briefings and at trade shows, provide media training support where necessary.
• Own the editorial calendar and identify content opportunities across a large, technical organization spanning various geographies; select the right vehicle for each via thought leadership, bylines, blogs, social media, web copy and campaign support.
• Operate as an internal journalist, building relationships to uncover stories and elevate subject matter experts through thought leadership, blogs, social media and speakerships.
• Steward the verbal brand identity ensuring consistency in tone, messaging, and editorial standards across the function's output.
• Turn strategy into audience-specific messaging and positioning.
• Develop executive messaging and thought-leadership platforms; run internal communications that carry the brand and strategy through the organization.
• Partner with Product Marketing on marketing copy and launch announcements, with Events on show-tied news, and with the CMO on corporate narrative.
• Lead internal communications strategy, including development of newsletters, town halls, executive memos, and videos as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director