Communications Lead

Responsibilities

• Own Kaizen's major announcements end to end: federal contract awards, product launches, partnerships, and funding, from plan and embargo to coverage and follow-through.
• Serve as Kaizen's primary media contact. Build relationships with the reporters who cover federal technology and defense, and direct our PR agency on pitching, materials, and timelines.
• Build campaigns that pair earned, owned, and paid media, including ad buys, sponsorships, and placements, and report on what each dollar returned.
• Write in the founders' voice: op-eds, long-form posts, social, and speaking materials that make Kaizen's point of view on government technology hard to ignore.
• Run comms for events and conferences, from executive dinners and stakeholder briefings to launch events, and put leadership on the right stages.
• Partner with Head of Federal Strategy & External Affairs on outreach to congressional offices, committee staff, administration stakeholders, and industry associations.
• Keep the brand consistent across the website, collateral, and every channel, so the story agencies read matches the software the public actually uses.

Requirements

• 6+ years in press relations and media strategy, or equivalent experience, including running press for at least one major announcement from plan to coverage.
• Go-to-market campaigns that combined earned, owned, and paid media around a launch or milestone.
• Hands-on paid media experience: you've planned and managed ad buys, sponsorships, or placements and can explain what the spend returned.
• Writing strong enough to ghostwrite for founders. You can move from a press release to an op-ed to a rapid-response statement in the same afternoon.
• Experience directing PR agencies or outside vendors against scope, timelines, and results.
• Eligibility to obtain a Secret clearance.

Preferred

• Hold an active Secret clearance or higher.
• Have worked on the Hill, on a committee, or in an agency public affairs office, with working knowledge of authorizing and appropriations. Ability to register as a federal lobbyist is a plus.
• Bring product marketing experience, translating technical capability into clear stakeholder narratives.
• Have planned industry events, from executive dinners to major conferences.

Benefits

• Health & Insurance
• 100% coverage across the board: medical through Oxford/United (Gold and Platinum PPO plans), dental through Guardian PPO, and vision through Beam — all fully covered for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
• $100,000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
• One Medical membership, on us — same-day primary care, 24/7 virtual visits, and offices all over the city.
• Fertility and family-building support through Carrot.
• 401(k) through Guideline, with a 2% company match.
• Family & Time Off
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.
• Unlimited PTO, with a two-week minimum (we mean it when we say take time off!)
• Closed for all federal holidays.