Project Communication Specialist

ASSYST is currently seeking a Project Communication Specialist to support the successful delivery of enterprise technology projects by developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive communication strategies and plans. This role is responsible for ensuring that project stakeholders—including County leadership, department heads, project teams, and the public—are informed, engaged, and aligned throughout the project lifecycle. The specialist serves as a strategic partner to project managers, change management leads, and subject matter experts, translating complex technical concepts into clear, accessible messages.

Job Title: Project Communication Specialist
Location: Rockville, MD (Hybrid)

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborates closely with the project manager and project team to develop communication plans and deliver messaging, presentations, reports, and other supporting materials.
• Identifies, plans, and delivers strategic communication content across multiple channels to advance project goals.
• Crafts communications, ensures distribution, and follows up on any requested actions from recipients.
• Drafts and produces clear, engaging content tailored for various formats.
• Develops presentation materials to support the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO).
• Translates technical content into plain language suitable for diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders and the general public.
• Facilitates and coordinates meetings, workshops, and presentations to enhance stakeholder communication.
• Ensures all project communications adhere to organizational policies and communication best practices.
• Collects and consolidates incoming communications and responses to enable timely and organized tracking of stakeholder feedback.
• Maintains communication logs, calendars, and impact assessments.
• Tracks communication effectiveness and reports on outreach efforts and stakeholder sentiment.
• Identifies key stakeholders, target audiences, and communication objectives for each initiative.
• Serves as a liaison between project managers, technical teams, and business stakeholders to maintain alignment on project goals.
• Supports stakeholder analysis and engagement strategies to foster collaboration and transparency.
• Identifies potential communication risks and proactively mitigates issues to support successful project delivery.
• Partners with change management leads to align messaging with change readiness and adoption strategies.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in communications, public affairs, or stakeholder engagement, preferably in a government or public sector environment.
• Experience supporting enterprise IT or business transformation projects is strongly preferred.

Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to various stakeholder groups.
• Ability to interpret stakeholder project needs to ensure internal communications are appropriately crafted in tone, language, and format.
• Understanding of employee engagement strategies, with the capability to identify challenges and suggest actionable improvements.
• Skilled in guiding communication activities including survey design, data analysis, presentation of results, interviews, consultations, and focus groups.
• Knowledge of change management principles and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement effective communication strategies.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet), and collaboration platforms (e.g., SharePoint, Teams).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Capable of working independently while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with project management frameworks such as PMI, Agile, or ITIL is a plus.

ASSYST is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, military status, national origin or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or applicable local law.