Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator

HDR, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

HDR, Inc. is seeking a Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator to join its Strategic Communications program across Indiana and Illinois projects.

You will develop and manage communication and engagement activities for infrastructure projects, writing material and coordinating meetings, with direction from managers and clients. The role requires at least 5 years in the field, experience leading social media campaigns, and strong written and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience leading social media campaigns.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-starter with ability to work independently or in a team.
• Excellent organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Support development and execution of communication and engagement plans.
• Write copy for talking points, media releases, social media, and project materials.
• Coordinate meetings and stakeholder events.
• Organize meeting logistics and vendor management.
• Develop schedules and meeting plans.
• Coordinate production and distribution of outreach materials.
• Collaborate with social media, web, graphics, and video teams.
• Identify stakeholders and manage distribution lists.
• Develop and maintain comment management databases and coordinate responses.
• Research industry trends, stakeholders, and policy.
• Document outreach activities and reporting.
• Represent HDR in client meetings and build relationships.
• Mentor junior staff and support business development.
• Participate in industry events and professional development.

Skills

Social media campaigns

Written communication

Oral communication

Organization skills

Travel readiness

Client engagement

Self-starter

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator - ( 197387 )

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?
Watch Our Story: ' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'
Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We are looking for a Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator to be a member of our Strategic Communications program, a global team of communicators who are passionate about putting people first in planning and infrastructure. As a full-service communications, engagement, and creative practice, we develop and implement ideas to bring people together in projects of every size and sector. We help people get to know each other, foster understanding, and build more connected, equitable, and sustainable communities.

As a Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator, you will develop, execute, and manage communication and engagement activities on a variety of infrastructure projects. You will work collaboratively as part of a broader Strategic Communications team in Illinois and Indiana and take direction from Communications Managers, Project Managers, and clients. In this role, you will be expected to quickly absorb direction and complete tasks independently.

Core Technical Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of communication and engagement plans, including target audience strategy,
• Write copy for communication pieces including talking points, media releases, social media, project materials, and video scripts
• Coordinate formal and informal public meetings, hearings, open houses, workshops, advisory committees, or other stakeholder meetings
• Organize meeting logistics and vendor management
• Develop and implement task workback schedules and meeting plans
• Coordinate the production and distribution of outreach materials such as newsletters, websites, handouts, presentations, advertisements, door hangers, press releases, and mailings
• Collaborate with specialists in social media, web, graphics, and video to produce outreach tools and materials
• Identify stakeholders and manage the development of distribution lists
• Develop and maintain project-specific comment management databases and coordinate responses to comment according to protocols
• Research of industry trends, stakeholders, and policy
• Document outreach activities, including activity tracking and reporting

Other Job Responsibilities

• Independently represent HDR in client meetings to discuss project tasks
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with your team and internal partners
• Complementary responsibilities include mentoring/training junior staff and business development.
• Support the development of Strategic Communications content for pursuits and proposals
• Participate in industry events and personal professional development opportunities
• Perform other duties as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional experience in the infrastructure industry, specifically transportation, water, and/or power infrastructure
• Great attention to detail
• Ability to handle multiple assignments at a time, prioritize among tasks, and set and meet deadlines
• Willingness to travel (up to 20% of time)
• Ability to drive or independently get oneself to project locations
• Desire to learn and grow professionally
• Creativity and ability to think outside the box
• Experience working with remote teams/clients
• General professionalism and ability to represent HDR in front of clients
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years relevant industry experience
• Experience leading social media campaigns
• Service- and client-oriented personality with the ability to handle multiple assignments at a time and set and meet deadlines
• Self-starter; can work well independently or in a team environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location

United States-Indiana-Indianapolis

Industry

Strategic Communications

Schedule

Full-time

Employee Status

Regular

BusinessClass : Strategic Communications

Job Posting

Oct 26, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity.

We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employe r.

We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.