Communications Specialist, Public Affairs Washington, DC

Communications Specialist, Public Affairs

Washington, DC

About the Role:

The Communications Specialist supports the Center for Audit Quality’s Public Affairs team by executing day-to-day communications operations and providing essential administrative support that keeps the team organized, responsive, and effective.

This role is ideal for an early career, detail-oriented communicator who enjoys managing workflows, coordinating content, and ensuring information moves smoothly across channels. The Specialist will support daily operations and play a hands-on role in drafting and publishing communications material across channels, managing editorial calendars, coordinating project timelines, managing survey tools, and handling light CRM and website updates.

Working closely with Communications and Public Affairs leadership, this position serves as a foundational role on the team and provides exposure to media relations, research, digital communications, campaign execution, and public policy affecting the financial services industry.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Communications Operations and Coordination

• Maintain the Public Affairs editorial calendar, including coordinating timelines, deliverables and reviews, and scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, and documenting next steps.
• Manage internal review and approval workflows, including consolidating feedback, tracking versions, and ensuring accuracy and completeness prior to senior review.
• Organize and maintain the library of approved talking points, messaging documents, and related materials, including version control, archiving, and periodic clean‑up, to ensure accuracy, clarity and usability.
• Compile daily media briefings and coverage summaries.
• Execute routine website updates, including posting blogs, updating copy, and ensuring formatting, links, and metadata are accurate.
• Compile, organize and validate metrics and data to support evaluation of communications activities and campaign.
• Support social listening and media monitoring efforts.
• Assist with drafting first versions of communications materials as needed, including blog posts, email communications, social media copy, web content, internal updates, and short‑form policy or research summaries.

Research and Survey Support

• Serve as the primary coordinator for Qualtrics, including survey setup, fielding support, troubleshooting, and file management.
• Maintain organized records of surveys, links, results, and timelines.
• Assist with preparation of data exports, topline summaries, and internal distribution of findings to support review and communications development.
• Support integration of survey findings into communications materials by drafting summary language and charts as needed.

Operations and Team Support

• Coordinate project timelines and deliverables across the Public Affairs and Communications team to ensure materials move efficiently from draft through review, approval, and publication.
• Coordinate internal meetings, including scheduling, calendar management, and meeting logistics.
• Maintain shared folders, contact lists, and documentation related to communications activities.
• Maintain and update contact records in Salesforce to ensure accuracy across communications and outreach efforts.
• Monitor and triage shared inboxes, flagging priority items, routing inquiries, and ensuring timely follow‑up.
• Support contracting workflows for Public Affairs communications vendors and consultants, including initiating requests, tracking approvals, and managing timelines.
• Track invoices, billing schedules, and spend related to Public Affairs communications activities.
• Maintain organized records of contracts, scopes of work, invoices, and vendor deliverables.
• Serve as a power user of communications platforms and tools, including CMS, social scheduling tools, media monitoring platforms and survey tools.
• Provide general administrative support and assist with additional tasks and special projects as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None.

What You’ll Bring to the Role:

• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities with…