Strategic Communications - Technical Writer / Graphics Support

SMS is seeking a Technical Writer / Graphics Designer to support to the CIO related to various strategic communications projects, artifacts and deliverables across the portfolio. The candidate must have a strong attention to detail and possess a proactive work ethic.

As a dynamic systems integrator, SMS offers proven solutions in engineering, operations, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. With expertise in modernizing and optimizing legacy infrastructure and systems, ensuring operational efficiency, and designing, implementing, and managing secure environments, SMS supports business and mission goals with proficiency, quality, and integrity.

SMS has been serving the advanced information technology needs of the federal government since 1976, delivering talented teams and innovative, cost-effective solutions and services to support our customers’ missions for more than 40 years. SMS is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, with offices and on-site operations at customer locations throughout the United States. For additional information on SMS, visit www.sms.com .

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Responsibilities

The CIO organization produces numerous high-level documents used to inform, shape and influence the Army and other organizations. Quality graphics are important to ensure that the documents are clearly understood by the intended audience and appropriately represent the CIO. To increase the public’s understanding of CIO themes, messages, vision, goals and priorities, the CIO requires assistance with its digital media program, including public-facing websites and social media.

To help generate greater understanding by audiences, the CIO requires assistance with planning and creating high quality graphics that reinforce themes and messages, core competencies, strategic vision and goals, and priorities. Graphics will be used internally and externally, in briefings, in digital and social media, and in other ways approved by organizational leaders.

In the role, the candidate will develop graphics for various messaging, briefs/presentations, documents and social media, in support of the CIO. The candidate will also be required to coordinate and collaborate graphics support across various Army and DoD organizations, and Industry.

This role will also be required to support technical writing efforts, knowledge management, and other duties as assigned.

NOTE : At a minimum, candidate personnel shall have an extensive military knowledge in terms of military capabilities, systems, operational concepts, and strategic theory, as well as expert knowledge with Army planning processes, communications, cyber, data, and network capabilities. The candidate will also have comprehensive knowledge of Army processes and systems work within multiple disciplines including information, operational, diplomacy, budgeting, spectrum, and the role of technology in the competition continuum. The candidate will have executive level research skills using classified and unclassified information and executive writing and communication skills.

The Candidate Will

• Provide graphics support to develop impactful graphics in support of overall and specific messaging
• Create CIO branding that complies with overall Army branding requirements, which includes developing CIO logos
• Update briefing and other templates with approved branding and logos
• Design the strategy, build the tools, and maintain tracking tools to accompany the strategic communication program to help gauge the performance measures to ensure the tools and information reach the intended audiences with the required frequency and produce the desired results
• Remain engaged with the broader IT, Signal and Cyber communities across the Army to be able to share relevant digital and social media content with and from the community.
• Update the strategy and tracking tool will be updated monthly
• Provide digital media program and web content management
• Design and maintain the CIO digital and social media programs
• Support development and maintenance of the CIO’s (intranet/extranet) web presence including, but is not limited to, maintaining daily social media activity for the CIO organizations, coordinating a social media calendar with online activity, partnering with directorates and divisions to ensure proper online messaging and relevancy, ensuring message consistency across social media networks, preparing reports on statistics and monitoring all relevant social media sites
• Provide written digital and social media reports or charts that highlight the status, impact and results of the digital media program from the prior month
• Support the development of short, high impact videos
• Attend a variety of meetings on a weekly or as needed basis to include, but not limited to: SIG/StratComm 2x weekly meeting, SIG public website meetings, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs digital and social media meetings, and SIG Update meetings
• Provide written digital and social media reports or charts that highlight the status, impact and results of the digital media program from the prior month
• Leverage graphics expertise to enhance digital and social media posts
• Support technical writing and knowledge management tasks
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Direct and relevant experience in the above areas at the C-Suite or GO/SES level
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Business Administration, or related field
• Currently possess, and retain, an active DoD or IC SECRET clearance; Must be active upon date of hire
• Ability to coordinate and work closely with senior leaders to fully understand the desired impact of developed graphics
• Ability to help oversee the file management, printing and press checks of CIO jobs
• Possess high level graphic design skills and experience on PC platforms and advanced skills in Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office applications, with the ability to bring visual themes to life
• Production artist skills to ensure that graphic designs from multiple projects accurately reflect desired concepts
• Excellent time management, accuracy, attention to detail, self-motivation and innovative thinking are essential
• Ability to provide high quality creative products and programs while paying attention to detail to ensure materials adhere to brand guidelines and are delivered to meet budget requirements, project deadlines and CIO expectations
• Ability to coordinate and work closely with other senior leader digital media outreach support to ensure outreach is aligned
• Ability to provide a full range of digital media and other media support directly to CIO, as well as a similar level of support to the entire CIO organizations
• Ability to assist in migrating data to the CIO’s digital platforms and websites
• Use strategic messaging developed to upload content to the public website
  
  

Degree Preferred

• Master’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Business Administration, or related field
  
  

Duty Location:

• On-site at the Pentagon, Washington DC; at Fort Belvoir, VA; or at other alternate locations within the National Capital Region
• A requirement to attend meetings at Government locations, as needed.
• Onsite requirements are determined by the needs of the CIO and scheduled with the team lead.
  
  

Travel

• Some travel may be required as directed by the CIO.
  
  

SMS is a dynamic systems integrator established in 1976, delivering talented teams and innovative, cost-effective solutions and services to support our customers’ missions for more than 47 years. Our ability to hire and retain quality people in a rapidly evolving IT market is proven through our employee retention rate averaging over 3 years. At SMS, we place a high value on quality of service, customer satisfaction, and best-of-breed policies and practices, resulting in CMMI Level 3 certification and ISO registrations including 9001:2015, 20000-1:2018, and ISO/IEC 27001:2013. SMS is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, with offices and on-site operations at customer locations throughout the United States.

SMS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.