Public Relations Specialist 2026P-0749
Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!
Ascension LLC seeks an experienced Public Relations Specialist to support Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and its Public Affairs Office. The specialist translates hospital priorities, military health initiatives, and complex operational information into clear, timely communications for patients, staff, military families, community partners, and the news media. This role strengthens understanding of the hospital’s mission and services, supports access-to-care messaging, and helps leadership communicate consistently during routine operations and sensitive events.
The ideal candidate combines public affairs expertise with disciplined project coordination, strong editorial judgment, and confidence working with senior leaders, subject-matter experts, and journalists. The candidate demonstrates discretion, initiative, attention to detail, and the ability to reconcile competing inputs while meeting daily, weekly, and urgent deadlines.
Summary of the Contractor Role
The specialist plans, develops, coordinates, and evaluates strategic communications, media relations, community engagement, website content, and social media products. The role supports WRNMMC, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Military Health System (MHS), National Capital Region (NCR), and military treatment facility (MTF) communications coordination. It helps resolve inconsistent messaging, fragmented stakeholder input, competing publication priorities, and emerging public perception issues.
The specialist maintains communication plans, editorial calendars, media inquiry logs, project schedules, approval trackers, and campaign measures. Work uses Government-approved project management and digital communication tools, website and intranet publishing systems, social media platforms, media monitoring resources, and reporting tools. Products follow Associated Press (AP) style and applicable customer guidance. All products route through the Government Public Affairs Office for review and approval before release or posting; the contractor supports authorized Government officials and does not independently authorize public release.
Expected Activities and Responsibilities
Develop and execute coordinated public affairs and strategic communication plans that connect hospital priorities with audience needs and measurable outcomes.
Draft and edit press releases, talking points, speeches, leadership briefings, newsletters, feature stories, web content, and social media messages.
Research complex healthcare and military health topics, verify facts with subject-matter experts, and translate technical information into accessible language.
Generate two to three editorial ideas per month and refine story angles with the Government Public Affairs lead.
Schedule and conduct approved interviews with military and civilian staff, patients, visitors, and subject-matter experts; prepare balanced content using multiple sources.
Apply AP style, active voice, clear leads, logical transitions, and consistent terminology to written products.
Coordinate media inquiries, interviews, press visits, and briefing logistics; maintain contact records and escalate sensitive or urgent inquiries.
Assist visitors and callers, with workload planning reflecting an average of approximately 10 callers daily, and support approximately four distinguished visitor visits monthly.
Plan and support press conferences, media briefings, community engagement activities, and strategic partnerships with medical, military, veterans, federal, and nongovernmental organizations.
Prepare and update external website, intranet, and social media content as approved; support multiple daily updates and mission-driven social media posting.
Monitor media coverage, audience response, and emerging issues; recommend communication adjustments and maintain a Public Affairs issue log and action tracker.
Compile weekly external communication reports and support distribution of approximately two communication reports weekly, coordinating overlapping reporting requirements with the Public Affairs lead.
Coordinate themes, messages, products, and dissemination with DHA, NCR, and MTF communications teams to maintain consistency across channels.
Participate in strategic communications, access-to-care, emergency management, DHA, and NCR Public Affairs meetings; document decisions and track follow-up actions.
Support crisis communication planning, prepare time-sensitive messages and briefing materials, and escalate incidents with potential national media or congressional interest.
Reconcile conflicting stakeholder inputs, recommend consensus language, and obtain required reviews before submitting products for Government approval.
Manage concurrent communication projects using schedules, deadlines, review checkpoints, and status trackers; anticipate delays and propose corrective actions.
Evaluate campaign and community relations results using appropriate measures of reach, engagement, message consistency, timeliness, and stakeholder response.
Protect sensitive information, follow applicable privacy and release procedures, and maintain organized communication records and approved final versions.
How to Apply
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| Job Category | Communications |
| MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS | Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Project Management, or a related field. | Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor complex information for different internal and external audiences. | Skill in one-on-one and group interviews and in explaining views, goals, and objectives clearly. | Ability to perform the onsite assignment and meet the suitability, access, training, and onboarding requirements described below. |
| REQUIRED SKILLS | At least five years of experience in public affairs, project management, or a combination of both. |
| TECHNICAL SKILLS | Knowledge of strategic communication principles, methods, practices, and techniques for planning and implementing command information programs. | Demonstrated ability to develop written, oral, and social media materials that explain organizational operations, programs, and activities. | Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, prioritize competing deadlines, and maintain effective time management in a fast-paced environment. | Proficiency with project management tools and software and digital communication tools. | Ability to establish cooperative relationships with organizational representatives on and off a military installation and communicate effectively with leaders, staff, contractors, and other stakeholders. |
| DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS | Experience in healthcare communications, military public affairs, a federal agency, DHA, WRNMMC, an MTF, or the Military Health System. | Project Management Professional (PMP) certification; relevant public relations credentials such as Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) are an additional Ascension preference. | Demonstrated success in media relations, crisis communications, leadership messaging, community engagement, and coordinated communication campaigns. | Advanced proficiency in AP style, executive writing, interviewing, fact verification, and translating complex healthcare information. | Experience managing websites, intranets, social media publishing, editorial calendars, media monitoring, and communication performance reports. | Working proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and collaboration tools; these are recommended recruiting preferences rather than named PR-specific PWS minimums. | Experience supporting distinguished visitor engagements, press events, and senior leader briefings. | Knowledge of public-sector information release processes, patient privacy considerations, and coordinated approval workflows. | Relevant graduate education or professional development in strategic communications, public relations, healthcare communications, or project management. |
| SUITABILITY/SECURITY REQUIREMENT | Complete the Government-directed background investigation and adjudication appropriate to the position and required access. The PWS identifies Tier II and a non-critical-sensitive position designation; the DHA Personnel Security Office determines the applicable investigation and access requirements. | Obtain and maintain eligibility for a Common Access Card (CAC), installation access, and required Government network access. | Complete DHA onboarding forms, applicable security awareness and privacy training, and any required nondisclosure agreements before receiving access or starting applicable duties. | Safeguard Government property and information, protect sensitive material, and identify contractor status in official communications. | Comply with applicable site health and immunization requirements during onboarding. |