Strategic Communications Lead — Federal Programs

The Clearing, Inc.; Alexandria (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Clearing, Inc. is seeking a Strategic Communications Specialist to support senior federal and Department of War stakeholders through strategic communications, executive briefing development, and digital content creation.

Candidates must have substantial federal-sector experience, strong writing and visual storytelling, and an active Top Secret clearance. The role blends strategic communications planning, project management, executive briefing support, social-media content development, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English, public relations, marketing, media studies, or a closely related field.
• At least six years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic communications and project management.
• At least six years of experience supporting a federal government organization, Department of War organization, federal contractor, or federal consulting engagement.
• Demonstrated experience preparing communications products and briefing materials for senior leaders, executives, or other high-level decision-makers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of senior-level briefing methods, including development of concise executive narratives, leadership talking points, decision-support materials, briefings, and presentation decks.
• Demonstrated content-development experience for social-media platforms, particularly LinkedIn and X.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Working familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud applications, particularly Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
• Basic understanding of Department of War and federal government operations, organizational environments, and communications requirements.
• Willingness and ability to learn Section 508 accessibility-compliance tagging for documents, presentations, and other digital communications products.
• Active Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic communications plans that align messaging, products, audiences, timelines, and stakeholder-engagement objectives.
• Plan, coordinate, track, and deliver communications projects from initial requirements through review, approval, publication, and closeout.
• Prepare senior-level briefing materials, including executive briefings, talking points, read-ahead materials, decision memoranda, presentations, fact sheets, meeting materials, and communications plans.
• Apply senior-leader briefing methods to organize complex material into concise, decision-ready, and visually compelling products tailored to executive audiences.
• Draft, edit, and proofread communications products for accuracy, clarity, grammar, tone, consistency, and compliance with organizational style requirements.
• Create and manage content for professional social-media platforms, with particular emphasis on LinkedIn and X.
• Develop social-media calendars, campaign concepts, platform-specific copy, graphics, engagement messaging, and performance-informed content recommendations.
• Translate technical, policy, programmatic, and operational information into accessible content for internal, external, and senior-level audiences.
• Produce and format presentations, documents, spreadsheets, trackers, briefings, and other communications products using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Create, adapt, and refine visual communications products using Adobe Creative Cloud tools, including Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Coordinate with subject-matter experts, program managers, government personnel, communications teams, and other stakeholders to gather information, validate content, and obtain timely reviews and approvals.
• Maintain project schedules, action-item trackers, content calendars, production schedules, and status reports to support visibility, accountability, and on-time delivery.
• Support the development of communications materials that meet federal accessibility expectations, including learning and applying Section 508 document and presentation tagging practices.
• Demonstrate a working understanding of Department of War and broader federal-government operations, organizational structures, decision processes, and stakeholder environments.
• Handle sensitive information appropriately and comply with all applicable security, information-handling, and client-site requirements associated with an active Top Secret clearance.

Job description

The Clearing, Inc. is seeking a Strategic Communications Specialist to support senior federal and Department of War stakeholders through strategic communications, executive briefing development, and digital content creation.

Candidates must have substantial federal-sector experience, strong writing and visual storytelling, and an active Top Secret clearance. The role blends strategic communications planning, project management, executive briefing support, social-media content development, and