What are the responsibilities and job description for the Communications Specialist position at HighPoint?
Communications Specialist
HighPoint professionals focus on helping government agencies and companies implement their most critically strategic initiatives. The role of Communications Specialist contributes to HighPoint by serving as a strategic communications partner responsible for developing and delivering clear, accessible, and impactful communications that promote DCDDP programs, initiatives, and outcomes.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead the development, revision, launch, and closeout of Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), including funding announcements, forecasts, synopses, and supporting documentation.
- Develop briefing materials, memoranda, and decision-support resources to assist leadership throughout the grants competition lifecycle.
- Coordinate applicant support activities, including public inquiry responses, eligibility reviews, application guidance, and maintenance of applicant and grant databases.
- Manage and support peer review processes, including reviewer recruitment, training, panel management, technical reviews, risk assessments, funding recommendations, and quality assurance of review documentation.
- Design and implement outreach strategies to increase awareness of funding opportunities and expand participation among underserved communities, including rural, Tribal, Indigenous, and economically distressed populations.
- Create educational resources, webinars, videos, and guidance materials to support prospective applicants and grant recipients.
- Develop and execute communication and marketing strategies that promote DCDDP programs, funding opportunities, recipient achievements, and organizational initiatives.
- Produce a variety of communications products, including press releases, congressional reports, white papers, case studies, website content, social media materials, stakeholder outreach packets, presentations, and briefing materials.
- Develop and maintain public-facing communication tools, including dashboards, story maps, and other digital resources that highlight program impact and outcomes.
- Ensure all communications and digital products comply with Section 508 accessibility requirements, VPAT standards, and federal editorial and communications guidelines.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:
- Strong knowledge of federal grants management, NOFO development, discretionary grant competitions, peer review processes, and applicant eligibility requirements.
- Exceptional written, verbal, and technical communication skills with experience developing policy documents, funding announcements, reports, and executive-level communications.
- Experience managing stakeholder engagement, outreach initiatives, and communications campaigns across diverse audiences.
- Ability to develop training materials, webinars, educational resources, and technical assistance tools to support applicants and program participants.
- Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills with the ability to evaluate grant applications, assess risks, synthesize information, and provide data-driven recommendations.
- Proficiency in content development, digital communications, website management, social media, and marketing best practices.
- Knowledge of accessibility requirements, including Section 508 compliance, VPAT standards, and federal editorial guidelines.
- Excellent project management, organizational, and multitasking skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with leadership, federal staff, reviewers, grant recipients, and external stakeholders.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality, compliance, accuracy, and continuous process improvement.
EDUCATION AND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelors degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, Marketing, Public Administration, Political Science, or a related field.
- 7 years of experience.
- Travel possible up to 10-20%.
A reasonable estimate of the current range is $101-$111,000
ABOUT HIGHPOINT:
HighPoint is a growth-oriented firm that provides a unique, differentiated employee culture relative to our Federal market peers. We leverage this growth-oriented and employee-focused culture to attract and retain a higher grade of talent than our peers to be an employer of choice.
HighPoint helps government agencies elevate the citizen experience (CX) by improving the touchpoints through which citizens interact with government. We were founded in 2006 by Ben Lanius with the spirit of transforming how agencies connect with and empower citizens to deliver on mission-critical objectives.
At HighPoint, our focus is on delivering results that matter. We support and modernize our federal customer’s mission critical systems and functions. Agility is at our core: it is the mantra that drives us to succeed. We work quickly, analytically and deliver on agency priorities.
HighPoint is a privately held company with a team of over 130 passionate professionals spread across 12 states in the U.S.
HighPoint Digital, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
HighPoint Digital, Inc. will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with HighPoint’s legal duty to furnish information.