Strategic Communications & Public Affairs Director

Penta Group; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Coverage

Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with match

Income Protection: STD/LTD/Life

Paid Parental Leave

Flexible PTO

Monthly cell phone stipend

Pet insurance (employee-paid)

Firm-wide events

Employee Assistance Programs

Wellness benefits

Job summary

Penta Group in Washington, D.C. is seeking a Senior Director to lead multiple client teams in a fast-paced environment. You will oversee strategy execution, deliverables, and daily client interactions while mentoring associates and driving quality.

A strong policy background and 7–10 years of relevant experience are essential for this role. The role emphasizes stakeholder engagement, media relations, and bespoke public affairs strategies across tech, finance, energy, and healthcare sectors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, political science/government, business, journalism, public policy, or related field
• 7-10 years of professional experience in communications or policy roles in a related field: political campaign, Capitol Hill, Administration, consultancy, nonprofit, or corporate enterprise; experience working in a client service environment preferred
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, mentor, and motivate multiple talented, high-achieving teams at once, empowering different types of personalities with a team-first mentality
• Experience in using research and/or working in a relevant policy field (ideally technology, financial services, transportation, food/agriculture, healthcare and/or energy); familiarity with politics, the legislative process, and corporate industries
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, coupled with strong analytical skills
• Proficiency in utilizing AI tools and emerging technologies, where appropriate, to enhance efficiency, quality, and impact, while staying current on evolving capabilities and incorporating relevant innovations into day-to-day work
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and manage multiple competing priorities
• Willingness to learn new skills and participate in new projects, leading by example and embracing new challenges
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day manager on multiple clients, including leading client engagement, team management, and deliverable planning, execution, and delivery. This includes managing internal team assignments, setting deadlines, reviewing and providing substantive feedback on deliverables, regularly engaging management, and developing and implementing processes to ensure quality, effective, and efficient client service.
• Ensure the highest quality of client service by leveraging prior experience and strengthening individual and team issue expertise on clients’ business and issues. This includes serving as the primary lead for all client communications to ensure clear, timely responses; proactive, thoughtful idea generation; and quality deliverables.
• Ensures the internal team has the necessary skills and substantive client/issue expertise to develop high-quality products. This includes providing clear, constructive feedback on deliverables and day-to-day direct coaching and mentorship, as well as developing, implementing, and enforcing appropriate norms and processes for teams.
• Develops, maintains, and strengthens understanding of the core business, industry, and policy issues of clients, which is essential to translating complex policy issues to target audiences.
• Develops and executes bespoke public affairs strategies for clients that may include stakeholder mapping and engagement, media relations, event planning, message development, collateral development, and more. This also includes building and maintaining relationships with key reporters, producers, think tanks, academics, etc.
• Participate in proposal writing process, pitch preparation, and coordination, contributing to potential clients understanding of Penta’s value proposition.

Skills

Leadership

Client service

Policy expertise

Communication skills

AI tools

Multi-tasking

Public policy

Problem solving

Presentation skills

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Penta Group in Washington, D.C. is seeking a Senior Director to lead multiple client teams in a fast-paced environment. You will oversee strategy execution, deliverables, and daily client interactions while mentoring associates and driving quality.

A strong policy background and 7–10 years of relevant experience are essential for this role. The role emphasizes stakeholder engagement, media relations, and bespoke public affairs strategies across tech, finance, energy, and healthcare sectors.