Strategic Communications Manager

About Rockwood: Welcome to Rockwood Company, LLC - where innovation meets impact in the heart of the DC Metropolitan Area. As a rapidly growing, woman-owned change management consulting firm, we pride ourselves on delivering unparalleled value to our clients.

At Rockwood, we foster a team‑oriented learning environment that encourages our consultants to push boundaries and reach new heights. The work we do is impactful, and our clients are trusted partners. Our consultants take ownership of their success and partner with leadership to achieve their professional development goals.

About the Position: Our Strategic Communications Managers lead our consulting teams and drive results for our clients by providing strategic communications insights, organizational engineering expertise, and project management acumen. These managers help clients achieve their missions while teaching them sustainable ways to achieve outcomes. These seasoned consultants drive business development initiatives to contribute to the company's growth.

Responsibilities may include:

• Serve as subject matter expert in strategic communications, provide direction, support and mentorship for project team members, particularly related to the discipline of strategic communications, and conduct quality review of all client deliverables.
• Lead the design and development of compelling, high‑quality strategic communications products (e.g., talking points, briefings, reports, briefing cards, presentations, one‑pagers, press releases, memos, etc.) in partnership with Rockwood's visual designers.
• Establish project metrics (both programmatic and outcomes‑based) at the onset of the project and ensure they are tracked and reported to the client and internal leadership.
• Lead the development and execution of targeted strategic communications plans, identifying the appropriate audiences and channels and developing tailored messaging for specific audiences, using proven methodologies and frameworks.
• Design and lead stakeholder analysis initiatives, including qualitative research to inform strategic communications planning and execution. Design, facilitate, and manage client strategy sessions to shape messaging priorities, align communication objectives with mission goals, and inform stakeholder engagement across military, civilian, and interagency audiences.
• Develop and maintain close and trusted relationships with clients, serving as senior communications advisor on all communication‑related initiatives.
• Guide project work through innovative planning to include customizing approaches, integrating technologies, introducing new methods, and engaging stakeholders in design thinking processes.
• Facilitate complex internal and external stakeholder meetings to achieve outcomes that align with strategic messaging and achieve results.
• Identify and support new growth opportunities, identifying new service offerings and offering technical writing and proposal assistance to win new work.
• Manage project resources and financials as needed, support and enable risk mitigation and the exceptional completion of contract requirements and ad‑hoc client requests.
• Prioritize client demands effectively in a fast‑paced environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to obtain and maintain an active security clearance throughout employment.
• Fifteen (15) plus years of relevant work experience in strategic communications, including management consultant experience.
• Bachelor's degree.
• Strong writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, including experience briefing senior executive leaders, General Officer/Flag Officers, and high‑stakes missions.
• Demonstrated success in managing strategic communications in high‑security, complex, or fast‑paced environments.
• Familiarity with the Department of Defense and experience developing strategic communications plans for unclassified and classified programs and a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Willing to work full‑time (5 days a week) at client sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Quantico, Virginia.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active DoW Secret clearance or above (other federal agency clearances considered). Master's degree in a…