We’re seeking an enthusiastic and nimble strategic communications specialist to join our team working across a variety of sectors and projects. We are seeking candidates with at least 3 years of experience driving communications strategy and material development (including emails, briefings, and other collateral) for diverse organizations and audiences. Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience working independently to execute communications tasks, showing initiative to identify and address challenges or needs proactively, coordinating and collaborating with team members and clients, and creatively leveraging tools and approaches to deliver bespoke solutions. Consulting experience is not required but is an asset. Experiencing working with government agencies is also considered an asset.

We are an innovative, fast-paced boutique consulting firm with a highly collaborative and supportive human-centered culture. We value experienced, creative, and proactive problem solvers who thrive in a collaborative setting. As a new member of our team, you will dive into a variety of projects, working both as part of a team and independently on critical deliverables. We seek individuals who are not only strategic thinkers but also meticulous executors. Ideal candidates are robust communicators who are open to continuous feedback, iteration, and adaptation, ready to tackle challenges head-on and drive meaningful change.

About Us

Frontier Design is a design and impact advisory firm, dedicated to serving mission-driven organizations and leaders transforming the world. Our core capabilities include measuring and improving impact, co-creating and implementing innovative strategies, leading human-centered change and transformation, and developing and supporting leaders and teams. How we deliver these services is unique, rooted in the mindset, tools and approaches of human-centered design and organizational psychology. 

We sit at the intersection of management consulting and human-centered design—what we call Design Advising. Our interdisciplinary team is both creative and analytical, combining our expertise as engineers, designers, evaluators, strategists, innovators and storytellers. We believe in delivering radical value, delighting our clients with exceptional quality and wowing them with our cost-effectiveness.

We work globally and locally in the U.S., with a wide variety of world class organizations across industries including federal and state governments, non-profit organizations, academia, foundations and the private sector. While headquartered in Alexandria, VA, our organizational construct is largely “virtual”, which offers us the opportunity to employ remarkable talent regardless of physical location. For team members in the Washington, DC area, we utilize shared office spaces for in-person meetings as needed. To learn more about Frontier Design please visit www.imaginefrontier.com.

Responsibilities

Strategic Communications

• Independently develop and implement communications and outreach plans that are tailored to client goals, platforms, and needs.
• Independently create and iterate on briefing materials to address specific client audiences and needs (e.g. senior leaders).
• Engage directly with clients to understand communications needs and challenges.
• Quickly familiarize self with client voices to develop high-quality communications specific to their organization.
• Develop excellent written communications (e.g., emails, briefing decks, talking points) for client projects, applying careful attention to detail.
• Design and implement social media strategy to achieve communication and marketing objectives.
• Incorporate visual communications best practices into products, using a variety of platforms (e.g., PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign).
• Assess success of communications efforts utilizing platform analytics and other metrics of success to evaluate reach and impact.
• Effectively navigate stakeholders and audiences to identify key objectives, platforms, and messages for communications.
• Support the development of graphic design materials including slide decks, graphics, icons, or branding.
• Support the delivery of high-quality products for clients and internal projects through a close eye to detail and copy-editing.

Project Management and Leadership

• Support multiple projects running concurrently, including supporting team members and addressing competing priorities.
• Engage directly with clients to build trust, understand needs, and obtain feedback.
• Conceptualize project needs and define action steps for accomplishing milestones and deliverables while meeting project deadlines.
• Work closely with a team using human-centered design problem solving to inform user-centered communications development and implementation.
• Work independently as well as collaboratively with diverse teams.
• Support internal capacity building, business development, and knowledge management.

Strategic Communications

• 3-5 years of demonstrated experience significantly contributing to or leading strategic communications work. Candidates with fewer than 2 years or more than 10 years' experience may not be right for this role and our current needs. However, all qualified candidates are invited to apply.
• Demonstrated ability to rapidly and effectively adopt client voice and style in communications material.
• Willingness and ability to execute on both big-picture, strategic tasks (e.g., creating communications campaign plans) and day-to-day activities (e.g., preparing outreach emails) to meet client and team needs. Willingness to adopt a mentality that there is “no task too big, no task too small.”
• Ability to create high-quality, innovative communications and marketing materials .
• Experience developing communications and outreach plans to achieve specific goals and reach identified audiences.
• Ability to adapt rapidly and iterate on collateral, drawing from client and team feedback and ideas
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize disparate information and perspectives into clear deliverables and communications materials.
• Experience using communications as a tool to influence change and culture building within organizations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Google Suite.
• Flexibility and willingness to learn and adapt to changing priorities and project parameters.
• Knowledge of and ability to effectively analyze communications analytics to assess the success of initiatives, identify trends, and provide recommendations for data-informed communications decisions.

Collaboration and Client Engagement

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop effective and trusted working relationships with a geographically and culturally diverse range of stakeholders from various industries.
• Proven ability to use empathy and others' perspectives to creatively frame engagements and surface possible solutions.
• Ability to embrace positivity and joy in the virtual work environment. 

Execution

• Experience leading, managing and owning projects and tasks.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality and professional products within tight timeframes.
• Experience creating compelling slide decks, executive briefings, guidance documents, and more.
• Ability to problem-solve complex issues using strong analytical skills.
• Well organized, attentive to detail, and able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Collaborative work style and openness/willingness to act on feedback.
• Self-motivated with effective time management skills and an ability to proactively anticipate work requirements with minimal supervision.
• Interest/skills in visual design and communication. 
• Interest and willingness to support a broad range of project topics and client types.
• Ability to work and use skills outside of your comfort zone.

Other

• Desire for continuous learning and growth, especially learning by doing.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field.
• Must be based in the United States.

Preferred Skill- and Mindsets

Strategic Communications

• Experience in communications for government agencies, especially federal government.
• Experience communicating data-related findings and/or using communications for change management and culture building within organizations.
• Familiarity with graphic design software such as Miro, Adobe InDesign and/or Illustrator
• Experience writing responses to requests for proposals/quotes, especially for federal contracts
• Experience incorporating accessibility considerations (e.g., 508 compliance) into work products

Type of Position: Full-time. This role will be remote with occasional travel for client engagements. 

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $75,000–$135,000, depending on experience and education. In addition to a competitive base salary, Frontier offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes flexible work schedules, 20 days of paid time off, 11 paid federal holidays, immediate 401K contribution, health/dental & vision insurance and more. All employees are also eligible for an annual performance-based bonus.