Senior Communications Project Manager

AKOYA•Washington, DC

8d•$120,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

Akoya is seeking a Senior Communications Project Manager to support Department of Energy engagements. The role oversees day-to-day operations of complex federal contracts, ensuring compliance with requirements and consistent delivery of communications, engagement, and outreach services. The position leads execution across multiple workstreams, manages team workload and priorities, tracks milestones, and contributes directly to deliverables as needed. The Senior Communications Project Manager serves as a primary day-to-day contact for DOE clients, manages expectations, and communicates contract performance and progress. The role also advises on communications for sensitive issues and organizational priorities; develops, edits, and reviews strategic communications products; and translates complex technical, policy, and program information for varied audiences. The position identifies and mitigates delivery risks and improves processes, tools, and workflows. This is an onsite role based in Washington, D.C., reporting daily to the federal client location. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, fluent in spoken and written English, and able to receive and maintain a federal public trust clearance. Akoya offers full-time employees medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k), eleven federal holidays, and vacation, sick, and personal time.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and at least 10 years of experience, or a relevant master’s degree and 7 years of experience.
U.S. citizenship and verbal and written fluency in English.
Ability to receive and maintain a federal security clearance at the public trust level.
At least 7 years of professional consulting, federal contracting, or equivalent experience, including at least 3 years supporting federal clients.
Must be based in Washington, D.C. and report onsite to the federal client location daily.
Experience leading and managing teams, assigning work, balancing workloads, and adjusting priorities.
Ability to serve as a primary client point of contact, build trust, drive execution, and manage expectations.
Ability to prioritize competing demands and exercise sound judgment under tight deadlines.
Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy and consistency.
Strong writing and editing skills, including producing and reviewing client-ready deliverables from ambiguous or incomplete inputs.
Strong organizational and project management skills, including developing and maintaining deliverable schedules.
Ability to develop and implement processes, tools, and workflows.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, including styles, templates, complex formatting, cross-references, tracked changes, and document comparison.
Familiarity with responsible AI principles and practices.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Department of Energy (DOE) clients is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee day-to-day execution and operations of DOE engagements, ensuring contract compliance and high-quality service delivery.
Lead delivery across concurrent workstreams by coordinating tasks, timelines, and dependencies.
Manage communications contractors, assign work, monitor workload, set priorities, and rebalance resources as demands change.
Serve as a primary day-to-day client contact, lead status discussions, manage expectations, and provide transparency into performance and progress.
Develop and maintain integrated project schedules and trackers.
Advise clients on communications approaches for sensitive issues, emerging priorities, and organizational initiatives.
Draft, edit, and coordinate strategic communications products, including speeches, talking points, blog posts, announcements, executive messages, and briefing materials.
Directly support or complete deliverables when necessary to meet deadlines or address team capacity gaps.
Develop clear messaging aligned with client objectives and diverse stakeholder audiences.
Translate complex technical, policy, and programmatic information into accessible, audience-appropriate content.
Review deliverables for message alignment, consistency, accuracy, and quality before client submission.
Identify, communicate, and mitigate risks involving scope, timelines, and team capacity, and implement corrective actions.
Develop and refine processes, tools, and workflows to improve efficiency, compliance, and contract performance.