Junior Communications Specialist

Job Summary

Aptive Resources is seeking a Junior Communications Specialist with at least four years of communications or public relations experience. In this role you will be the communications engine for the Veterans Health Administration’s National Artificial Intelligence Institute — turning AI governance material into clear guidance that clinicians, program office staff, and field innovators can act on, running a steady cadence of webinars and working sessions, and representing Institute leadership accurately in writing and in meetings. This full-time position is remote. This is a contingent hire position.

Primary Responsibilities

• Produce and distribute recurring communications to VHA AI use case owners and enterprise staff, including email campaigns, Microsoft Teams messages, and newsletter-style updates on AI inventory and risk management activity, on a weekly cadence.
• Plan, promote, and execute informational and educational sessions for VHA staff — at least one session every two months, plus additional AI oversight training sessions.
• Draft, edit, and produce presentations and written reports summarizing AI inventory status, AI risk management resources, and oversight activity for agency partners, at roughly twelve presentations per year per workstream.
• Translate technical AI governance material — playbooks, SOPs, assessment guides, FAQs — into plain-language products for a non-technical audience.
• Build and maintain digital artifact repositories so that AI guidance, SOPs, and FAQs are discoverable and current for the staff who need them.
• Support AI use case owner quarterly update cycles through working sessions, office hours, and asynchronous communication support.
• Handle information output, announcements, and media or stakeholder inquiries routed through the Institute, coordinating with VA public affairs as directed.
• Accurately reflect Institute leadership’s intent and voice in draft products and meeting materials, subject to government review and approval, without requiring line-by-line direction.
• Coordinate communications logistics for AI committee and workgroup meetings, including agendas, read-ahead materials, and post-meeting summaries.
• Apply Section 508 accessibility standards to all digital and written products.

Minimum Qualifications

• Years of experience: 4 years minimum in communications or public relations. Preferred: eight or more years of communications experience, including four or more supporting a technical, health IT, or scientific program.
• Required experience: Communications or public relations experience that may include public relations, information output, press releases and media requests, social media, and/or advertising for a wide variety of organizations.
• Degree: BA/BS in Communications, Public Affairs, Journalism, English, or a related field.
• Licensure/certifications: None required. Section 508 accessibility or technical writing certification preferred.
• Work location: Work is performed at the contractor’s site and no travel is anticipated.
• Clearance: None required. Must be able to obtain and maintain a favorably adjudicated Tier 1 / National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) background investigation in accordance with VA Handbook 0710. Must complete VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training (TMS #10176) prior to system access and annually thereafter.
• Citizenship: Must be authorized to work in the United States. All work must be performed within a jurisdiction subject to the law of the United States or its territories.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to translate technical subject matter into accurate, plain-language products for a mixed clinical and administrative audience.
• Experience running a recurring stakeholder webinar or virtual event series end to end, from promotion through post-event follow-up.
• Experience ghostwriting for senior executives and representing a principal’s voice faithfully.
• Comfort sustaining a high-volume production calendar — weekly enterprise communications and roughly a dozen presentations per workstream each year — without slipping cadence.
• Federal health agency communications experience, with VA or VHA strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Section 508 accessibility requirements for digital and written content.
• Experience building and maintaining a SharePoint knowledge site or comparable digital artifact repository.
• Highly organized and responsive to direction, with the judgment to work independently between check-ins.
• Ability to get up to speed quickly on complex issues; desire to work in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment.
• Capable self-starter with a drive to get all types of work done and high attention to detail.
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills.
• Knowledge of military and Veteran populations.

Client Information

The National Artificial Intelligence Institute sits within the Digital Health Office of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Its mission is to improve the health and well-being of Veterans and to empower the VHA workforce by harnessing the potential of trustworthy AI solutions and emerging technologies. The Institute identifies and matures AI use cases, pursues and tests solutions for prioritized use cases, plans and conducts pilots, evaluates the effectiveness and value of those solutions, and supports enterprise adoption and scaling decisions. It also carries VHA’s responsibilities for federal AI transparency and oversight, working in collaboration with VA’s Chief AI Office. More information is available at https://www.research.va.gov/naii/.

About Aptive

About Aptive. Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

EEO Statement

Aptive is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected class. Veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and transitioning active-duty service members are highly encouraged to apply. About Aptive: Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.