Integrated Communications Director

It’s a great time to join Team Blue! We are building a road to space for the benefit of Earth, humanity’s blue origin. Our company builds reusable rocket engines, launch vehicles, in-space systems, and lunar landers. 
 

We are a stellar team of collaborators, doers, and problem-solvers who are relentlessly committed to a culture of safety. This position will directly impact the history of space exploration and require your commitment and detailed attention to safe and repeatable space flight. Join us in lowering the cost of access to space and enabling Blue Origin’s vision of millions of people living and working in space to benefit Earth. 

We are seeking an experienced Integrated Communications Director (Principal) to serve as an embedded communications partner and integrated communications beat lead for one of our Business Units. This is an individual contributor role within the Integrated Communications team. You will own both the internal and external communications strategy and daily execution for your beat, including launches, program milestones, and proactive storytelling. The role also includes managing company-wide crisis communications. The ideal candidate will have proven expertise in managing high-profile news announcements and events, reputation management, and crisis response capabilities as needed.

Experience with within the high-tech and space industries is preferred. Maintaining well-established and strong working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, news outlets, reporters, and influencers is essential. 

By the way, you’re not only a news media expert but also a world-class writer and copy editor, a team player, a data-driven zealot, and a great communicator at all levels of an organization. You can expertly tell and deliver stories and related content to both internal and external audiences. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the embedded communications partner and integrated comms beat lead for determined beat, building deep relationships with program leadership, engineers, and operations teams to become the go-to communications resource for all related activities and announcements. 

• Develop and implement comprehensive and innovative media relations launch strategies, messaging, and appropriate tactics for rocket launches and crises that reflect effective news management, message delivery, and internal stakeholder management. 

• Develop and execute integrated internal communications for your beat, ensuring employees are informed, engaged, and aligned with program objectives, milestones, and company messaging. 

• Discover and create proactive story ideas and pitches that showcase your beat area's achievements, innovations, and mission impact for both internal and external audiences. 

• Arrange and oversee media events, press conferences, and briefings, and serve as the primary point of contact and occasional spokesperson for media inquiries related to your beat.  

• Establish, fine-tune, and maintain crisis communication policies and protocols. This includes developing messaging, preparing spokespersons, and coordinating with sales, customer experience, internal, social, and marketing teams to ensure consistent and timely communication. 

• Lead, manage, and execute crisis communications responses, ensuring readiness to handle a variety of potential crises related to launches, Blue Origin offices, factories, and other unforeseen events, coordinating both internal and external messaging. 

• Cultivate and grow relationships with critical media outlets, journalists, and industry influencers. 

• Write and copy-edit content from press releases, social media, internal communications, submitted articles and opinion pieces, captions, internal memos and plans, and related multimedia assets. 

• Ensure compelling and accurate narratives that align with and drive sales and brand growth, while keeping employees informed and engaged. 

• Leverage media monitoring and analytics tools as both an alert system and to measure impact and adjust execution based on critical insights and continuous improvement and optimization. 

• Work closely with, propose, and write compelling stories and content for your beat area for the social media and digital marketing teams to share Blue Origin’s mission and accomplishments. 

• Partner closely with the larger Internal, Marketing, Sales, and related teams to ensure messaging alignment and brand voice consistency across both internal and external channels 

• Stay informed about industry developments, competitor activities, emerging high-tech and news technology, macro news trends, and digital platforms to identify new opportunities for engagement or productivity. Be familiar with the latest AI and digital marketing trends, related usage models, and privacy and legal restrictions. 

• Work day-to-day with various external vendors, agencies, customers, and partners in a way that optimizes results and drives down budget. 
   

Qualifications & Skills: 

• This is an on-site and in-office position, with occasional travel. The preferred office location is in Arlington, VA, or Merritt Island, FL. 

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism, Communications, or Public Relations is strongly preferred. 

• 10+ years of experience in public relations, integrated communications, or journalism.  

• A proven track record of managing high-profile and highly integrated brand and sales campaigns, PR efforts, and crisis communications, preferably at larger corporations in the high-tech sector.  

• Experience and comfort in leveraging data and actionable analytics that drive stories, investment, and results. 

• A passion for space exploration, commitment to Blue Origin's mission to benefit Earth, and thirst to constantly seek and learn about cutting-edge industry trends and tools.  

• Deep understanding of the ever-changing journalism, marketing, and social media fields and the intersection of the space exploration and high-tech industries. A passion for communicating complex technical concepts and launching rockets. 

• A strong network of contacts within the media and relevant industry organizations. 

• Excellent communications and leadership skills, with the ability to navigate high-pressure situations and effectively lead crisis response at any time and at all company levels. 

• Expert – world-class – writing and editing skills. A detailed, thoughtful, and clear narrative writer who delivers “defect-free” content for both internal and external audiences. 

• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Working in the space industry is often interrupt-driven with rapidly changing priorities, opportunities, and crises. 

• Team player with a collaborative, can-do, and yet humble mindset. Ability to work effectively across teams and at all company levels—focused on a “win and have fun” environment.