Director, Strategic Communications & PR

Company Overview

By Light Professional IT Services LLC readies warfighters and federal agencies with technology and systems engineered to connect, protect, and prepare individuals and teams for whatever comes next. Headquartered in McLean, VA, By Light supports defense, civilian, and commercial IT customers worldwide.

Position Overview

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.

 

This is a hybrid role based in either Orlando, FL or McLean, VA, requiring a minimum two to three (2-3) days per week onsite.  

Responsibilities

Media & Public Relations:

• 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.

Editorial & Content:

• 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.

Executive & Internal Communications:

• 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.

Required Experience/Qualifications

• 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.

Preferred Experience/Qualifications

• 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.

Special Requirements/Security Clearance

• Ability to obtain a security clearance is a plus