Public Affairs Pro: Media Relations & Messaging

Red Carrot; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; Full time

Job description

Public Relations Specialist job at Red Carrot. Washington DC. Position Title: Public Relations Specialist
Location/ Schedule : Washington DC-On-site with ability to flex work nights/weekends as needed (Not onsite for nights/weekends)
Contract Length- 3 Months with the possibility of 6 months Overview:
The Public Affairs Specialist plays a versatile role in supporting the agency’s public affairs and communications efforts. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong judgment and the ability to quickly identify, prioritize, and respond to emerging issues in a fast-paced environment. This role requires experience managing media inquiries, drafting clear and compelling public-facing content, and supporting executive-level communications with professionalism and discretion, along with a solid understanding of the media and digital landscape.
Key Responsibilities:
Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Issue Recognition, Timeliness and Prioritization:
  • Ability to quickly identify, assess, and prioritize significant and emerging issues relevant to the agency and administration.
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver accurate, high-quality work under tight deadlines, with strong attention to detail.
• Media Inquiry Management:
  • Experience in tracking, triaging, and preparing responses for incoming media inquiries in a timely and organized manner.
  • Basic knowledge of traditional and social media influencer landscape.
• Writing Proficiency:
  • Proven experience drafting, editing, and finalizing content for press releases, statements, talking points, and social media platforms, tailored to a variety of audiences.
  • Skill in clearly communicating the goals, priorities, and initiatives of the Administration through all public-facing materials.
• Professionalism and Decorum:
  • Demonstrated understanding of the political environment, with the ability to navigate law enforcement sensitive issues including matters of national security, and represent the agency’s interests appropriately.
  • Experience working professionally and with discretion with executive-level leadership, maintaining confidentiality, and exercising sound judgment at all times.
  • Ability to work collaboratively within a fast-paced team environment and maintain professionalism in all interactions.
• Digital Literacy:
  • Familiarity with social media management tools, analytics, and best practices for maximizing engagement and reach.

Qualifications:
Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Political Science, Public Affairs, or a related field.
• A minimum of 2–5 years of professional experience in public affairs, communications, media relations, journalism, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience drafting and editing press releases, statements, talking points, and social media or digital content for public-facing audiences.
• Experience supporting or coordinating responses to media inquiries in a fast-paced or high-visibility environment.
• Familiarity with government, public sector, or highly regulated environments is preferred.
• Experience working with senior leadership or executive stakeholders, exercising discretion and sound judgment.
• Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.

Benefits at Red Carrot:

At Red Carrot, we empower you to be a leader. We attract and develop talent from all backgrounds because we believe there’s strength in diversity, offering different perspectives and skills. Together, we can solve our client’s biggest challenges. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package.

• Training and Development – Tuition reimbursement and professional trainings for eligible employees.
• Healthcare – Top-tier medical, dental, vision, life insurance and long-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) Plan – 401(k)-retirement and Roth plan with company matching and no vesting period.
• Profit Sharing – Discretionary profit-sharing plan to all eligible employees after one year of employment.
• Paid Time Off – Provides flexible work hours, paid time off, and 11 federal holidays.

About Us:

Red Carrot is an award-winning, woman-owned small business that is growing rapidly in the federal government space. Our team is fueled by passion, backed by intelligence, and built on expertise. From our inception, we have leveraged industrial engineering principles and data analytics to craft highly efficient solutions for clients’ complex needs. As we have grown, we remain focused on research-centric, data-informed, and audience-oriented, while expanding our range of expert capabilities.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, we have a strong and continually growing presence in Washington, D.C., as well as team members and clients all over the country. We understand the importance of overcoming geographic limitations to provide the best, all-encompassing service to our clients. Red Carrot builds client capacity by implementing Strategic Communications, Customer Experience, Management Consulting, and Human Capital Solutions on behalf of our clients.

EO Commitment:

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, actual or perceived status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence or stalking of any individual or any person associated with such individual, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment.