Strategic Communications Manager

About the Role

Aptive is seeking a full-time Communications Manager to lead executive outreach efforts and manage a team of communications professionals. This role involves producing executive-level communications, setting team standards, and serving as the primary communications point of contact for client leadership. This is a full-time remote position.

Responsibilities

• Lead, supervise, and develop a team of communications specialists, including assigning work, setting priorities, balancing workload against competing deadlines, and managing team capacity.
• Serve as final reviewer and approver for team work products, ensuring quality, accuracy, and consistency before materials reach senior leaders or the client.
• Provide coaching, feedback, performance input, and professional development for team members; support hiring, onboarding, and retention.
• Establish and maintain team standards, style guidance, editorial workflows, review cycles, and version control practices.
• Serve as the primary communications point of contact for client leadership, managing expectations, escalations, and competing requests across stakeholders.
• Support congressional testimony preparation for federal senior leaders.
• Draft talking points, executive summaries, and briefings for senior leaders.
• Coordinate with subject matter experts, leaders, and other stakeholders to develop messaging for senior leaders on a variety of topics.
• Translate complex messaging into plain language to ensure materials are easy to read, understand, and use.
• Ensure content conveys critical information and reflects key messaging in a standardized and consistent tone and voice.
• Review documents for stylistic and formatting consistency.
• Ensure all content aligns with client style guides and federal plain language standards.
• Engage and identify targeted stakeholders to create and demonstrate implementation of decisions for executive communications.
• Establish and maintain communication channels that facilitate engagement between VHA Central Office, VISNs, and VA Medical Centers.
• Coordinate and participate in communications strategies, plans, and mission statements in collaboration with VA staff offices.
• Update, execute, and maintain the Communications Plan, ensuring it is comprehensive and integrates with EHR product and program plans.

Requirements

• 8 years of related communications experience, including 2+ years supervising, leading, or mentoring communications staff.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing team workload, review cycles, and delivery against firm deadlines.
• Experience supporting complex projects and transformation efforts within the federal government.
• Experience creating, executing, and measuring the success of strategic communications plans.
• Comfortability with supporting complex client relationships.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust clearance.
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Strong critical thinking, analytical, and time management skills.
• Proven ability to organize, prioritize, and work well with others.
• Ability to communicate thoughts, ideas, and solutions logically both in writing and orally.
• Ability to stay calm under pressure and in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to receive feedback from senior-level clients and implement changes quickly and effectively.
• Ability to get up to speed quickly on complex issues.
• Desire to work in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment.
• Demonstrated ability to give direct, constructive feedback and grow the capability of a team.
• Experience supporting VA, VHA, or other federal health communications, including change management and field-facing messaging.
• Familiarity with change management methodology such as PROSCI, and with Section 508 accessibility requirements for published content.

About Aptive

Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations, and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies, including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security, and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity, and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded in 2012, Aptive has 300+ employees nationwide.