Senior Communications Manager, Recruitment Marketing

ICF Olson; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 131,000 - 222,000; Full time

Job summary

ICF is seeking a Senior Communications Manager, Recruitment Marketing to lead federal recruitment initiatives focused on military, veteran, and law enforcement hiring.

You will manage multi-channel campaigns, partner with government clients and internal teams, and drive measurable hiring outcomes across a large portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in program management, recruitment marketing, talent attraction, workforce communications, or related functions.
• At least 5 years of experience managing cross-functional teams and overseeing external vendors or partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment marketing programs for federal, military, and law enforcement hiring.
• Develop and execute outreach strategies aligned to mission priorities and hiring goals.
• Oversee integrated campaigns (digital, events, employer branding, partnerships, communications).
• Serve as primary advisor to government stakeholders, providing strategic guidance and performance insights.
• Translate hiring challenges into targeted, data-driven marketing solutions.
• Manage campaign execution, timelines, and performance, optimizing for engagement, pipeline, and ROI.
• Guide messaging, content, and creative to ensure strong brand alignment and audience impact.
• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, driving accountability and high performance.
• Manage large program budgets and oversee vendors to ensure quality, efficiency, and compliance.
• Track KPIs and deliver executive reporting to continuously improve program outcomes.

Skills

Recruitment marketing

Stakeholder engagement

Campaign management

Leadership

Cross-functional teams

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, Human Resources, or related field

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Communications Manager, Recruitment Marketing to lead high-impact talent attraction and outreach initiatives supporting federal hiring programs, with a focus on military, veteran, and law enforcement recruitment. This role will oversee the strategy, execution, and optimization of integrated recruitment marketing campaigns designed to drive candidate awareness, engagement, and conversion across hard-to-fill and mission-critical roles. The ideal candidate brings a strong background in federal recruitment marketing, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and campaign management, along with experience leading cross-functional teams and managing a large, complex portfolio budget. This individual must be comfortable operating in a highly visible environment, partnering with government clients, internal leadership, creative teams, recruiters, and external vendors to deliver measurable hiring outcomes.

Job Location: Must live in the Washington DC Metro Area and be able to travel within the area.

What You Will Be Doing

• Lead end-to-end recruitment marketing programs for federal, military, and law enforcement hiring.
• Develop and execute outreach strategies aligned to mission priorities and hiring goals.
• Oversee integrated campaigns (digital, events, employer branding, partnerships, communications).
• Serve as primary advisor to government stakeholders, providing strategic guidance and performance insights.
• Translate hiring challenges into targeted, data-driven marketing solutions.
• Manage campaign execution, timelines, and performance, optimizing for engagement, pipeline, and ROI.
• Guide messaging, content, and creative to ensure strong brand alignment and audience impact.
• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, driving accountability and high performance.
• Manage large program budgets and oversee vendors to ensure quality, efficiency, and compliance.
• Track KPIs and deliver executive reporting to continuously improve program outcomes.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in program management, recruitment marketing, talent attraction, workforce communications, or related functions.
• At least 5 years of experience managing cross-functional teams and overseeing external vendors or partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience supporting federal hiring, military recruitment, veteran outreach, or law enforcement recruiting initiatives.
• Experience managing complex, multi-channel recruitment marketing campaigns from strategy through execution.
• Proven success engaging with senior stakeholders and leading client-facing programs.
• Strong budget management experience, including responsibility for a large portfolio budget.
• Experience supporting federal agencies, defense organizations, public safety agencies, or workforce programs tied to national security, military, or law enforcement missions.
• Knowledge of recruitment marketing best practices, employer branding, audience segmentation, and candidate journey design.
• Familiarity with veteran hiring programs, military transition pipelines, law enforcement talent markets, or cleared recruiting environments.
• Experience working in a matrixed environment with creative, digital, recruiting, and client teams.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret campaign and hiring data to drive strategy.
• PMP, marketing, or communications-related certification is a plus.

Professional Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation and executive briefing experience.

Working at ICF

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future. We can only solve the world's toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer. Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read ourEEO policy. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation, please [e-mail] we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process. However, we understand that some candidates may require accommodation that involves the use of AI. If such an accommodation is needed, candidates are instructed to contact us in advance [e-mail]. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Pay Range

Pay Range - There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position. The pay range for this position based on full-time employment is: $130,687.00 - $222,169.00 DC Remote Office (DC99) Need help? We're here: [e-mail] About ICF ICF is a global consulting and technology services company with approximately 9,000 employees, but we are not your typical consultants. At ICF, business analysts and policy specialists work together with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. We combine unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge engagement capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future. Learn more at icf.com.