Communications Lead

Kaizen; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Insurance

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Company offsites

Job summary

Kaizen in Washington, DC is seeking a senior press relations leader to own major federal announcements and shape Kaizen’s public voice. You will run the most visible campaigns, coordinate with reporters and a PR agency, and craft messaging that resonates with policymakers and national audiences.

You will manage high‑impact events, supervise media strategy, and ensure consistent branding across all channels.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in press relations and media strategy, or equivalent experience.
• Led GTM campaigns combining earned, owned, and paid media for launches or milestones.
• Hands-on paid media planning and management with measurable ROI.
• Ability to ghostwrite in founders' voice across formats (press releases, op-eds, rapid responses).
• Experience directing PR agencies/vendors to meet scope, timelines and results.
• Eligibility to obtain a Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own Kaizen's major announcements end to end: federal awards, product launches, partnerships, funding.
• Serve as Kaizen's primary media contact and guide reporters and our PR agency.
• Build campaigns across earned, owned, paid media; track and report ROI.
• Write in the founders' voice for various formats.
• Manage events and conferences, placing leadership on key stages.
• Collaborate with the Head of Federal Strategy on outreach to Congress and agencies.
• Maintain brand consistency across channels and materials.

Skills

Press relations

Campaign development

Paid media management

Ghostwriting

Agency management

Secret clearance eligible

Job description

Government technology has failed citizens, public servants, and service members for decades.

Kaizen powers America’s application layer. We replace the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern software, built with craft. The ticketing platform a resident uses to visit a presidential library. The marketplace DoW uses for counter‑drone procurement to protect lives and critical infrastructure. The system a Veteran uses to access benefits. We build systems of record, of national consequence. Our AI‑native modules and harness allow us to do so in weeks and months, not years.

This year, our revenue has grown 35x. Next year, our software will serve over 100 million Americans across dozens of federal agencies.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City and DC, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital.

Location

Washington, D.C.

The Role

Kaizen is winning federal work that matters, and every award is proof that government technology can be built to a higher standard. Right now there are more of those stories than there is capacity to tell them well. You’ll own how Kaizen shows up in the press, on stage, and in front of federal decision makers. You’ll run our biggest announcements, shape the founders’ voice, and work our Head of Federal Strategy & External Affairs, to build Kaizen’s presence with Congress and the administration. When it works, the people who run public services know who we are before we ever pitch them.

What You’ll Do

• Own Kaizen's major announcements end to end: federal contract awards, product launches, partnerships, and funding, from plan and embargo to coverage and follow‑through.
• Serve as Kaizen's primary media contact. Build relationships with the reporters who cover federal technology and defense, and direct our PR agency on pitching, materials, and timelines.
• Build campaigns that pair earned, owned, and paid media, including ad buys, sponsorships, and placements, and report on what each dollar returned.
• Write in the founders' voice: op‑ed, long‑form posts, social, and speaking materials that make Kaizen's point of view on government technology hard to ignore.
• Run comms for events and conferences, from executive dinners and stakeholder briefings to launch events, and put leadership on the right stages.
• Partner with Head of Federal Strategy & External Affairs on outreach to congressional offices, committee staff, administration stakeholders, and industry associations.
• Keep the brand consistent across the website, collateral, and every channel, so the story agencies read matches the software the public actually uses.

What You’ll Bring

• 6+ years in press relations and media strategy, or equivalent experience, including running press for at least one major announcement from plan to coverage.
• Go‑to‑market campaigns that combined earned, owned, and paid media around a launch or milestone.
• Hands‑on paid media experience: you've planned and managed ad buys, sponsorships, or placements and can explain what the spend returned.
• Writing strong enough to ghostwrite for founders. You can move from a press release to an op‑ed to a rapid‑response statement in the same afternoon.
• Experience directing PR agencies or outside vendors against scope, timelines, and results.
• Eligibility to obtain a Secret clearance.

Strong Candidates May Also…

• Hold an active Secret clearance or higher.
• Have worked on the Hill, on a committee, or in an agency public affairs office, with working knowledge of authorizing and appropriations. Ability to register as a federal lobbyist is a plus.
• Bring product marketing experience, translating technical capability into clear stakeholder narratives.
• Have planned industry events, from executive dinners to major conferences.

Don’t Apply If…

• You need a team of coordinators to execute. Here you write the release, brief the reporter, and book the room.
• You measure success in press release volume instead of the right story in the right outlet.
• You've only worked agency‑side and don't want to own outcomes in‑house.
• Agency approvals, embargoes, and a customer who controls the calendar sound like obstacles instead of the job.

The agencies we serve are trusting us with services millions of Americans depend on. How we tell that story shapes who trusts us next.

What Kaizen Offers

Health & Insurance

• 100% coverage across the board: medical through Oxford/United (Gold and Platinum PPO plans), dental through Guardian PPO, and vision through Beam — all fully covered for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
• $100,000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
• One Medical membership, on us — same‑day primary care, 24/7 virtual visits, and offices all over the city.
• Fertility and family‑building support through Carrot.
• 401(k) through Guideline, with a 2% company match.

Family & Time Off

• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non‑birthing parents.
• Unlimited PTO, with a two‑week minimum (we mean it when we say take time off!)
• Closed for all federal holidays.
• Company‑wide winter break the week of Christmas.
• Company offsites throughout the year.

Office & Remote Setup

• Up to $750 one‑time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC‑based employees. $500 for remote employees.
• $50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).
• Expensed lunch while in the office.
• Dinner and Uber rides home will be expensed if you choose to work in the office past 7pm.
• Company‑provided laptop of your choice.

Wellness

• NYC employees: Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse — right across the street from our office at 47 W 17th St (and in Williamsburg). A $225/month value, on us.
• Non‑NYC employees: $100 per month, dedicated to gym / physical fitness reimbursement.

Stipends

• $100/month utility stipend.
• $250/quarter home cleaning stipend
• $500/year professional development.
• $250/year recreation.
• $300/quarter pet care stipend.