Senior Audience Development Strategist

OPEN TO CURRENT AFRL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES ONLY.

This announcement will be accepting candidate submissions until 11:45 PM EST, 7 October 2026.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Technology Transition Office (TTO) seeks to hire a Senior Audience Development Strategist, DO-03 (GS-14 or equivalent) within the Enterprise Integration Division located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

The Enterprise Integration Division connects AFRL Science & Technology (S&T) with acquisition, operational needs, senior leadership priorities, and other critical stakeholders. The Division communicates across audiences ranging from senior Department of the Air Force leadership and acquisition executives to AFRL, TTO, Division, and team-level stakeholders, each requiring different context, messaging, products, and approaches.

TTO is seeking a Senior Audience Development Strategist to drive the Division’s audience strategy to grow partnerships and deepen engagement to accelerate S&T delivery. The incumbent will maintain broad awareness of Division activities; proactively identify strategic opportunities and gaps; develop audience-specific messaging and products; and use data, stakeholder feedback, and engagement outcomes to continually improve communication effectiveness.

This role will focus on internal, pre-decisional, CUI, classified, or content otherwise not intended for public release, while coordinating with Public Affairs when activities enter the public-facing domain. The role complements Public Affairs by leveraging TTO audience insights for mission-oriented strategic narratives, senior-leader engagements, and internal or protected communication requirements. The incumbent reports directly to the Enterprise Integration Division Chief, supports TTO-level strategic narrative efforts, and operates with significant autonomy following regular leadership alignment.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Leads the Enterprise Integration Division’s strategic narrative and audience-insights efforts.
• Translates complex S&T, acquisition, organizational, and enterprise activities into clear, audience-appropriate narratives and products.
• Develops and executes multiplatform communications, including senior-leader briefings, talking points, prep materials, newsletters, digital content, panels, video concepts, and event support materials.
• Tailors message, detail, format, and channel for audiences ranging from senior DAF and acquisition leaders to AFRL, TTO, Division, and team-level stakeholders.
• Maintains Division-wide awareness to identify emerging narrative opportunities, communication gaps, inconsistencies, and issues requiring leadership attention.
• Uses stakeholder feedback, engagement metrics, surveys, outcomes, and audience behavior data to generate insights and improve communication effectiveness; builds new feedback tools and measures when needed.
• Advises leadership on messaging, audience, sequencing, and communication approach; coordinates with the TTO strategic communications lead and AFRL Public Affairs on public-facing activities.
• Conducts interviews, synthesizes complex information, and writes/edit strategic content that communicates technical and organizational impact.
• Supports high-impact events from an audience and messaging perspective, in coordination with operations leads.
• Builds repeatable templates, processes, and tools—and coaches personnel when appropriate—to improve the speed, quality, consistency, and effectiveness of Division communications.

• U.S. Citizenship.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
• This is a drug testing designated position. The incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade (DO-02/GS-12 or equivalent). Specialized Experience developing and executing strategic communications and audience-engagement initiatives; translating complex technical, organizational, acquisition, and enterprise activities into clear, audience-appropriate narratives and communication products; and advising senior leaders on messaging, audiences, and communication strategies.
• Demonstrated experience developing narratives, communication strategies, or executive-level communication products for complex organizations or missions.
• Exceptional writing, editing, interviewing, storytelling, and oral communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information for different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to independently create high-quality products across multiple communication formats.
• Experience using data, audience feedback, engagement results, or other evidence to inform communication decisions and improve effectiveness.
• Strong project management and prioritization skills, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with significant autonomy.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment when working with sensitive, pre-decisional, CUI, classified, or senior-leader information.
• Ability to collaborate and build effective relationships across organizational and functional boundaries.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, organizational communication, business, social science, or another relevant field preferred; demonstrated experience and capability are the primary considerations.
• Experience in journalism, media, digital audience development, strategic communications, marketing, executive communications, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to use audience data and insights to expand reach, improve engagement, or achieve organizational goals.
• Experience developing multiplatform narratives and content, including briefings, newsletters, video, digital content, panels, events, or similar products.
• Experience developing senior-leader preparation materials, briefing packages, talking points, or executive communications.
• Experience planning or supporting major events, all calls, panels, conferences, AMAs, trade shows, or senior-leader engagements.
• Experience coaching or advising leaders, subject-matter experts, or other communicators on effective messaging and delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and implement new tools and to create systems, workflows, or structures that improve efficiency and product consistency.
• Experience working with technical, scientific, acquisition, defense, government, or other complex mission organizations.
• Demonstrated success influencing outcomes without formal authority across multiple stakeholder groups.

Resume requirement: Resume may not exceed two pages, and font size should be no smaller than 10pts.

Transcripts/SF-50 requirement: redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Instructions on how to submit your documents are provided in the automated email you will receive once you apply.

Requisition Number 60571