Strategic Communications & Marketing Manager

Title: Strategic Communications & Marketing Manager Location: Herndon, VA

Hawkeye 360 is seeking a Strategic Communications & Marketing Manager to develop and execute its communications and marketing strategy. The manager will help U.S. and international defense audiences understand the company’s capabilities, the operational problems they address, and how they support warfighter mission needs.

This hands-on role combines strategy, writing, and execution. The manager will partner with leadership, sales, business development, engineering, and subject matter experts to create credible materials for customers, industry audiences, and employees. The manager will also hire and lead one direct report.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Develop the communications and marketing strategy. Align priorities with company leadership and define the audiences, messages, and channels that support business objectives in U.S. and international defense markets. Establish standard work, processes, and best practices that promote consistency, coordination, and effective execution across communications and marketing activities.
• Create materials for external engagements. Develop presentations, talking points, capability briefs, and other materials for trade shows, thought leadership events, and external briefings. Tailor content to each audience’s operational priorities and technical knowledge.
• Support sales and business development. Create and maintain proprietary capabilities decks, customer presentations, and materials tailored to specific opportunities. Connect capabilities to customer requirements and warfighter needs, and coordinate reviews for accuracy and appropriate disclosure.
• Educate and influence defense audiences. Explain the mission problem, show where the technology can help, and support performance claims with evidence. Adapt messaging to U.S. and international operational needs and acquisition environments.
• Lead social media planning and execution. Own the editorial calendar and coordinate content development, approvals, publishing, and performance tracking.
• Run internal communications. Develop and execute a plan to keep employees informed about company priorities, milestones, and organizational changes. Partner with leadership and HR on employee updates, leadership messages, and town halls.
• Assist with creative services firm management and marketing budget oversight. Help manage the company’s contracted creative services firm, coordinating project briefs, priorities, deliverables, timelines, and feedback. Monitor the firm’s work for quality, brand alignment, and completion within agreed scope and budget. Assist with marketing budget planning, expense and invoice tracking, and reporting variances to leadership.
• Hire and manage one direct report. Set priorities, assign work, coach the employee, and provide feedback. Align with company leadership on tradeoffs when requests compete for the team’s time.
• Assess what works. Use stakeholder feedback and channel performance to improve materials and refine the plan.

Your skills and qualifications:
Essential education and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• 8+ years of relevant communications or marketing experience within defense contracting or 10+ years of experience in marketing and strategic communications, including at least two years working in the defense market.

Desirable

• Working knowledge of the U.S. and international defense environments, including how mission priorities, acquisition processes, and stakeholder roles shape communications.
• Experience developing and executing communications or marketing plans that educate defense audiences, influence how they evaluate capabilities, and build trust through accurate, evidence-based messaging.
• Strong writing, editing, and presentation development skills, with the ability to explain how technical capabilities support specific warfighter mission needs.
• Experience developing and overseeing the production of strategic communications and marketing materials for current and prospective defense customers. Examples include interactive exhibits, technology demonstrations, promotional videos, infographics, capability briefs, customer presentations, and digital and social content. Ability to choose formats for the audience and setting and work with technical and creative teams to bring the materials to life.
• Experience supervising, coaching, or leading the work of others. Direct people management experience is preferred.