Public Affairs Specialist

Patrona Corporation•Washington, DC

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Patrona Corporation is seeking a Congressional and Public Affairs Specialist to support the Capability Portfolio Executive Combat Systems and Fires (CPE CSF) Program Offices, the U.S. Navy’s office responsible for acquiring state-of-the-art naval combat and weapons systems. Patrona Corporation is a DoW federal contractor providing program management, engineering, strategic and operational planning, quality assurance, financial management, and administrative support services. This position is located in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area with minimal opportunity for remote work. A Department of War (DoW) security clearance is required or must be obtainable.

Requirements

Bachelor’s level degree with 8 years of related professional experience in Journalism, Public Relations, Political Science, Government, legislative affairs or other related Public Affairs Office positions.
OR High School Degree and 12 years related professional experience.
Must possess or be able to obtain a Department of War (DoW) security clearance.
Excels in written and verbal communication, with a crisp, clear style that effectively influences senior executives while building authentic connections with stakeholders at all levels.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint enterprise environments.
Accurate and timely turnaround of congressional inquiries, data calls, and audit responses within mandated deadlines.
Aligns prescribed narratives with program technical baselines, budget justifications, and public/executive messaging.

Nice To Haves

Prior service on Capitol Hill, in the executive branch, at DOE, DOD, a national laboratory, or in a senior federal affairs role.
Experience with defense programs.
Familiarity with federal funding mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts, and appropriations.
Prior direct experience working on Capitol Hill (personal or committee staff), within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Navy Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), Navy Office of Information (CHINFO), or a defense acquisition program executive office (PEO).
Direct familiarity with naval combat systems, naval surface/undersea fires, sensors, weapons development, and NAVSEA operations.
Working knowledge of federal procurement mechanisms, defense acquisition milestones (DoDI 5000.02), and federal budget authority (BA) execution.
Knowledge of ETMS2.

Responsibilities

Provide integrated legislative, public affairs, and executive support to senior leadership within a naval acquisition organization.
Operate at the nexus of naval acquisition, congressional oversight, and public affairs, translating complex combat systems and weapons programs into structured, defensible messaging for Congress, the Department of the Navy (DON), the Department of War and industry.
Serve as a trusted advisor and communicator, monitoring legislative actions across the defense budget cycle, preparing executive leaders for congressional hearings, drafting senior-level remarks, and managing inquiries under tight operational timelines while safeguarding operational security (OPSEC) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
Monitor, analyze, and synthesize congressional activities, hearing transcripts, committee markups, and statutory reports from the defense committees (HASC, SASC, HAC-D, SAC-D).
Track the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Defense Appropriations cycles, aligning program office milestones with the President’s Budget (PB) submission and DON oversight requirements.
Serve as primary action officer coordinating formal program responses to Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits and Congressional Research Service (CRS) inquiries.
Research, draft, and refine remarks, opening statements, talking points, and conference presentations for Flag/General Officers and Senior Executive Service (SES) leadership.
Coordinate the development of comprehensive congressional prep materials, including logistics, slides, Questions for the Record (QFRs) responses, briefing books, and background materials.
Enforce Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) formatting and clear narrative structures to communicate complex technical, fiscal, and operational information to non-technical stakeholders.
Draft, coordinate, and staff timely responses to media, industry, congressional, and interagency inquiries in full compliance with DoD and DON public affairs directives and approval processes.
Develop structured messaging campaigns and roll-out strategies that articulate portfolio priorities, modernization initiatives, workforce communications, and operational impacts.
Facilitate end-to-end pre-publication security and policy reviews (DoD Directive 5230.09) to ensure all public-facing materials are thoroughly vetted for OPSEC and CUI before release.