Director of Strategic Communications

Position Overview

D/SC is responsible for leading Metrea’s strategic communications efforts.  Strategic Communication includes media, think tanks, and other stakeholders and is a subset of a larger Strategic Engagement team which includes government officials and those of foreign partners. Strategic Communication includes mapping, networking, collecting, and shaping the environment to identify or create new business opportunities as well as to mitigate risk to existing business.

D/SC will be a senior member of the Strategy team and is expected to contribute across the Strategy team and wherever relevant to the enterprise.

D/SC RESPONSIBILITIES 

(1) Engaging with the Environment (“IN”)

Mapping 

Work to develop a detailed understanding of the actors, influencers, and stakeholders in the defense, foreign policy and national security media ecosystem. 

Networking

Using the environment mapping, D/SC will be responsible for building relationships with reporters, editors, commentators, influencers, and other national security communications professionals.

Collecting

Using the mapping and networking above, D/SC will be responsible for collecting, collating, and sharing information related to business opportunities and market intelligence emanating from U.S. Congress, DoD, and other federal government stakeholders, with the goal of identifying or creating new opportunities, and identifying and mitigating risk to current programs.

Shaping

D/SC will devise strategies for engaging with stakeholders described above to achieve Metrea’s strategic communications objectives, including increasing awareness of Metrea’s capabilities and highlighting problems that we can help solve; and will develop plans to execute that engagement.

(2) Developing Strategic Communication Tooling (“ON”)

Support Metrea’s Understanding of Risks and Opportunities

Work with the broader Strategy and MAM teams to be constantly building and improving the business tools, process, and capabilities of the teams, particularly by providing insights into the ecosystem that will enable more proactive engagement with stakeholders to drive down risks and stimulate new opportunities for Metrea.

(3) Supporting the Strategy Team (“IN”)

Scanning for & evaluating opportunities

As a part of the Strategy team, and the broader MAM team, continually scan for wicked problems and potentially elegant solutions. 

Participate in, and potentially lead when appropriate, evaluations of problems and potential solutions, using Metrea’s Solution Framework.

Support decision-making processes

Contribute to the development of investment briefs and memos and participate in the decision-making process used to assess organic and strategic opportunities, with a particular focus on whether the opportunity properly accounts for trends and dynamics in the defense tech ecosystem.

(4) Teammate responsibilities – Providing Support

TAG participation and leadership

Sponsor, lead or participate in Task Groups (TAGs) that draw on your skillsets or specialist knowledge as required by Metrea.

Knowledge, skills, experience and traits required:

Detailed understanding of Metrea's problem-space, mission themes, capabilities, and offerings. 

Five to ten years of experience media and communications in national security, defense, or foreign policy . 

Expert understanding of the defense media ecosystem, including reporters, commentators, influencers, etc. 

Expert knowledge of the human terrain around the U.S. Government's national security establishment, coupled with extensive personal contacts across the defense media ecosystem and a proven ability to generate high-impact networks. 

Proven ability to liaise and communicate with fluency with senior policy, military and industry officials, in addition to reporters. 

Ability to interact at the highest levels of industry, scientific, technology, military, policy, and finance communities. 

Experience managing people and budgets with measurable performance. 

Ability to immerse oneself in new defense, aerospace, and technology concepts and grow subject matter expertise in new technical niches and develop rapport with new user and stakeholder communities. 

Good understanding in the field of global aviation, aerospace and more broadly in defense, along with the associated missions, assets, technologies and operations. 

Highly developed sense of judgement and maturity.

Intellectually curious, with strong critical thinking skills a