Job description

Job Description We Protect Those Who Protect Us®. That mission drives everything we do, and it needs a clear, compelling voice to reach the online audiences who matter most. We are seeking a Manager of Digital Communications & Social Media to deliver our message across our digital ecosystem. This role is built for a strategic storyteller and a hands-on operator. You will shape our narrative, sharpen our market position, and turn complex capabilities into stories that build trust, influence policy, and win business. You will use our digital communications channels to translate our work as a trusted partner in defense and aerospace into content that resonates with government customers, industry stakeholders, prospective employees, and the broader public. If you thrive on solving problems from scratch, leading through influence, and delivering polished work on time and on message, we want to hear from you. Key Responsibilities Social Media Management • Own our social media channels end-to-end, including LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. • Develop and maintain the content and channel strategy, defining what we say, where we say it, and how each platform serves our goals. • Build the narrative framework and core messaging that keeps our voice consistent, confident, and aligned with our mission. • Organize disparate inputs from across the organization into cohesive, engaging stories that connect our work to a larger purpose. • Create original content, including copy, graphics, and video, that captures attention and drives engagement. • Manage the scheduling and approvals workflow, ensuring every post is on-brand, accurate, and cleared for release. • Monitor follower interaction on comments, reshares, and social inboxes and the wider, external web and social ecosystem; identify reputation risks and issues to manage; resolve or escalate to resolution. • Lead a community of practice, guiding contributors across the business so our social presence stays unified and high-quality, and our team is continually growing and improving. • Measure channel performance and sentiment on a regular basis, and independently develop recommendations to optimize content, targeting, and engagement strategies. Website Content Management • Understand our unique selling proposition and market positioning, clarifying what sets us apart in the defense and aerospace sector. Position the website to deliver these messages through content strategy and site architecture. • Improve legacy content and create new content aligned to our market position and business goals. • Optimize content for search engine optimization (SEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and generative engine optimization (GEO), making sure our story surfaces where audiences and AI-powered tools look for answers. • Review and approve content submitted by a dispersed community of content creators, holding a consistent standard for quality and brand alignment. • Manage a community of practice that supports contributors and keeps our website working as a marketing and public relations asset, while growing our team’s strengths and continuously improving our approach. • Track website performance on a regular basis and independently develop recommendations to improve user journeys and overall user experience, traffic, time on page, and overall site effectiveness. Targeted Paid Digital Management • Understand our unique selling proposition and market positioning to guide every campaign. Develop initiative or campaign proposition/positioning as delegated. • Build the strategy and tactics that influence policy and win business through targeted paid digital communication (paid social, paid search, paid display, retargeting, email campaigns), aligned to our market position and selling proposition. • Develop campaign frameworks and creative direction that communicates value clearly and drives measurable action. • Place campaigns in-market across the right channels and audiences. • Manage everything going into market across the enterprise to a given audience at a given time and deconflict or drive individual ads toward enterprise ads to reduce volume and maximize impact. • Measure performance, audience penetration, and conversion to iterate on results, and continuously improve outcomes while reducing costs. Required Education, Experience, & Skills • Bachelor's degree in mass communication, marketing, journalism, public relations, communications, or English. • At least 8 years of experience managing a digital ecosystem, including social, website, and paid digital. • At least 5 years of people management experience leading and developing high-performing teams. • Ability to work on-site in Falls Church, VA four days per week. • Proven experience managing through influence in a complex, matrixed organization. • A track record of managing people, processes, and final products on-time, on-brand, on-message, and on-budget. • The ability to work independently on abstract challenges that require critical thinking, building solutions from scratch, presenting clear options to leadership for alignment, and driving the working group toward consensus and delivery. • Proficiency with tools like Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, and social advertising managers. Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills • Master's degree in mass communication, marketing, or journalism. • Experience in business-to-government communications or marketing, particularly in the aerospace and defense industry. • Familiarity with Hootsuite and Talkwalker/Lumen highly preferred, as well as Brightedge, SEMRush, Brightcove, StackAdapt, and Adobe Creative Suite. • PCM, CDMP, or CDME certification. Pay Information Full-Time Salary Range: $118747 - $201870 Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience. Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics. About BAE Systems, Inc. BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support. Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters. This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.

Requirements

Must-haves

If you thrive on solving problems from scratch, leading through influence, and delivering polished work on time and on message, we want to hear from you.
Social Media Management • Own our social media channels end-to-end, including LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Develop and maintain the content and channel strategy, defining what we say, where we say it, and how each platform serves our goals.
Build the narrative framework and core messaging that keeps our voice consistent, confident, and aligned with our mission.
Organize disparate inputs from across the organization into cohesive, engaging stories that connect our work to a larger purpose.
Create original content, including copy, graphics, and video, that captures attention and drives engagement.
Manage the scheduling and approvals workflow, ensuring every post is on-brand, accurate, and cleared for release.
Monitor follower interaction on comments, reshares, and social inboxes and the wider, external web and social ecosystem; identify reputation risks and issues to manage; resolve or escalate to resolution.
Lead a community of practice, guiding contributors across the business so our social presence stays unified and high-quality, and our team is continually growing and improving.
Measure channel performance and sentiment on a regular basis, and independently develop recommendations to optimize content, targeting, and engagement strategies.
Improve legacy content and create new content aligned to our market position and business goals.
Optimize content for search engine optimization (SEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and generative engine optimization (GEO), making sure our story surfaces where audiences and AI-powered tools look for answers.
Review and approve content submitted by a dispersed community of content creators, holding a consistent standard for quality and brand alignment.
Manage a community of practice that supports contributors and keeps our website working as a marketing and public relations asset, while growing our team’s strengths and continuously improving our approach.
Track website performance on a regular basis and independently develop recommendations to improve user journeys and overall user experience, traffic, time on page, and overall site effectiveness.
Targeted Paid Digital Management • Understand our unique selling proposition and market positioning to guide every campaign. Develop initiative or campaign proposition/positioning as delegated.
Develop campaign frameworks and creative direction that communicates value clearly and drives measurable action.
Place campaigns in-market across the right channels and audiences.
Manage everything going into market across the enterprise to a given audience at a given time and deconflict or drive individual ads toward enterprise ads to reduce volume and maximize impact.
Measure performance, audience penetration, and conversion to iterate on results, and continuously improve outcomes while reducing costs.
Required Education, Experience, & Skills • Bachelor's degree in mass communication, marketing, journalism, public relations, communications, or English.
At least 8 years of experience managing a digital ecosystem, including social, website, and paid digital.

Nice-to-haves

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills • Master's degree in mass communication, marketing, or journalism.
Familiarity with Hootsuite and Talkwalker/Lumen highly preferred, as well as Brightedge, SEMRush, Brightcove, StackAdapt, and Adobe Creative Suite.

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: phenom
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Paid Time Off