Strategic Communications Project Manager

HDR - Atlanta, GA

Full-time - Mid Level

Onsite - Atlanta, GA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we work to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work and foster a sense of belonging throughout the company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? HDR is looking for a Strategic Communications Project Manager to join our team in Atlanta, GA. The Strategic Communications Project Manager will develop, execute, and manage communication and outreach activities on a variety of infrastructure projects. This individual must be passionate about community engagement, love to collaborate, and have a habit of thinking outside the box as a member of a high-performing team. You are a forward-thinking person who is comfortable working on multi-disciplinary teams and collaborating effectively with colleagues in both content and technical development. You have a deep understanding of NEPA and how infrastructure projects are developed under these guidelines. You are not afraid of leading and facilitating contentious public meetings, public hearings, open houses and other meetings with the public, clients and other project stakeholders. You are a great writer, skilled at defining and articulating a message. You describe yourself as a storyteller. You are exceptionally organized, with an almost obsessive attention to detail, and highly driven with the ability to manage several projects and meet deadlines. You have a record of accomplishment of creating and implementing communications plans that included target audience strategies, marketing and advertising plans, event planning, and collateral material development and implementation. You have a demonstrated track record of successfully managing projects, including preparing and monitoring scope and budget, preparing and implementing schedule, and coordinating with team members to deliver successful projects. You are a highly creative person who understands the importance of clear communication across multiple channels and mediums. You are a lifelong learner who is constantly researching new technologies and trends, pushing clients and the team to innovate. You embrace the new. You're a self-starter who thrives and adapts in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of scope, schedule and budget for tasks and standalone projects.
• Interface with client and/or client-facing teams to coordinate delivery of a successful project.
• Lead communications strategy development for planning, design and construction projects.
• Lead campaign development activities including target audience analysis, branding, messaging, and market research.
• Direct customer-facing communication in a variety of mediums including social, print, video and web.
• Lead concept development, writing and editing of collateral materials such as surveys, newsletters, websites, handouts, videos, advertisements, press releases and public notices.
• Coordinate with creative disciplines including graphic design, web development and social media to maintain consistency of brand, saturation of messaging, and user experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in related field
• 7 years related experience
• A minimum of 2 years project management experience
• Must have the ability to interact with various design teams, have excellent organizational, project management and communication (both written and verbal) skills
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

Nice-to-haves

• Master's Degree preferred
• Previous work experience in the infrastructure industry
• Deep knowledge of communications plans and campaigns for public involvement, stakeholder engagement and public relations
• Proven ability to develop compelling stories that strengthen messaging and engagement strategies for a program, initiative or project
• Strong project management skills
• Commitment to a rigorous quality control process
• Willingness to travel
• Experience collaborating with graphic designers, web developers and social media strategists to ensure cohesive message and user experience
• Experience writing for multiple mediums including social, print, audio/video, and web
• Service- and client-oriented personality with previous consulting experience
• Self-starter; can work well independently or in a team environment
• Experience leading social media campaigns
• Working knowledge of local, state and federal requirements for public involvement
• Experience in community advocacy, NEPA, CEQA and infrastructure projects
• Local candidates are preferred