Public Affairs Manager

About Skyeton, Inc

Skyeton is an aerospace and defense technology company focused on the design, production, and support of advanced unmanned aerial systems. At our growing Fayetteville, North Carolina operation, employees help establish and scale U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities that support demanding customer missions.

Company Culture

Skyeton combines the energy of a growing organization with the discipline required in aerospace manufacturing. We value teamwork, accountability, practical problem-solving, precise execution, and a willingness to improve. Our people make a difference, and every employee contributes directly to product quality, operational readiness, and customer success.

About the role

The Public Affairs Manager is the voice of Skyeton Inc. This is the person who turns hundreds of

thousands of real-world operational flight hours, a new US manufacturing base, and a fast-moving

defense program into a clear, credible story and tells it to the people who decide whether Skyeton's

aircraft fly for the United States and its partners.

Skyeton sells to some of the most discerning customers in the world: Special Operations Forces,

combatant commands, and the Department of War acquisition community. They are surrounded by

marketing. What earns their trust is plain, accurate, mission-first storytelling from someone who

understands their world and the discipline to know what must never be said. This role owns that story end

to end: the narrative and messaging, the press, the customer briefs and decks, the company's presence on

DoW and industry marketplaces, social and web content, and the response when something goes wrong.

Why "Public Affairs." At a UAS company, "communications" means command-and-control links and

radios. This role is public affairs in the sense the military uses it: informing external audiences, advising

leadership on messaging and media, and protecting the organization's reputation in sensitive and high-

stakes situations.

The role reports to the Chief of Staff and works directly with Skyeton leadership in the US and Europe,

with business development, and with engineering and flight operations, who supply the substance the

story is built on.

What you'll do

Narrative, messaging, and positioning

• Own Skyeton Inc.'s core narrative, messaging framework, and positioning for US defense, SOF,

and international partner audiences.

• Write and maintain the company's message house, boilerplate, fact sheet, and approved talking

points; keep them accurate as programmes, facilities, and products evolve.

• Advise the CEO and leadership on messaging, positioning, and public posture for major

announcements, contract awards, and events.

Media relations and press

• Build and maintain relationships with defense, aerospace, trade, business, and local press.

• Plan and execute announcements: press releases, media advisories, embargoed briefings, and

interview preparation for executives and engineers.

• Serve as the company's media point of contact; manage inbound inquiries, interviews, and facility

or flight-demonstration visits by press.

Crisis and issues communications

• Own the crisis communications plan: scenarios, roles, approval chain, holding statements, and

rehearsal.

• Lead communications during incidents — flight mishaps, security events, programme setbacks, or

public scrutiny — protecting accuracy, the company's reputation, and the people involved.

Customer and business-development communications

• Produce customer-facing briefs, capability decks, one-pagers, and award announcements in

partnership with business development.

• Own Skyeton's presence on DoW and industry marketplaces and partner platforms; keep profiles

current and compelling.

• Plan and run Skyeton's presence at trade shows, industry days, and customer demonstrations.

Content, brand, and digital

• Create and direct written, photo, and video content that shows Skyeton's aircraft, people, and

mission — from flight-line imagery to executive op-eds.

• Steward the Skyeton Inc. brand: visual standards, templates, website content, and social media

channels.

• Own recruiting and employer-brand communications in partnership with HR, including the

Fayetteville plant ramp.

Community and stakeholder relations

• Build Skyeton's relationships in the Fayetteville / Fort Bragg / Sandhills community, with local and

state economic-development partners, and with elected officials' offices in partnership with

leadership.

• Communicate milestones such as facility openings, hiring, and first deliveries to community

stakeholders.

Release review and information security• Run every public release through export-control (ITAR / EAR), OPSEC, and customer-sensitivity

review before it leaves the building; maintain the release-approval process and its records.

• Know what must not be said, and say everything else well.

Measurement and reporting

• Track and report coverage, share of voice, audience growth, and inbound interest attributable to

communications; report to the Chief of Staff on a regular cadence.

• All other duties as assigned by Skyeton leadership.

Qualifications

8+ years in journalism, public affairs, corporate communications, or media relations, including

significant experience producing content and managing media under deadline.

• Demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders on messaging, media engagement, and crisis

communications in sensitive or high-stakes environments.

• Exceptional writing and editing across formats — press releases, briefs, scripts, op-eds, and short-

form social content.

• Hands-on visual storytelling — photography, video, or directing production — with a portfolio to

show for it.

• Understanding of the US defense community and how it consumes information; ability to

communicate credibly with military and acquisition audiences.

• Sound judgment with sensitive and export-controlled information; comfortable working under

ITAR / EAR and OPSEC constraints.

• US person status.

Strongly preferred

• Military public affairs, command information, or strategic communications experience —

particularly with Special Operations Forces.

• An active security clearance (Secret or above; TS/SCI a plus).

• National-level journalism experience (wire service, network, or national digital outlet); recognized

industry awards.

• Experience in defense, aerospace, or UAS industries, or with DoW acquisition and industry-

engagement processes.

• Familiarity with the Fayetteville / Fort Bragg / Sandhills community.

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or a related field.

Key competencies

• A storyteller first — captures human emotion and mission impact through words and a camera

lens, and turns it into communication that moves people to act.

• Calm and decisive in a crisis; accurate under pressure.

• Credible with generals, operators, engineers, and reporters alike.

• Disciplined about accuracy, attribution, and what can and cannot be released.

• Self-directed; builds the function from the ground up without a large team or established

playbook.

• Thrives in the austere — comfortable on a flight line, at a trade-show booth, or in a boardroom.

• High personal standards of integrity and discretion.

Physical and work-environment requirements• Hybrid: regular on-site presence in Fayetteville, NC, with the remainder remote.

• Ability to work outdoors at flight-test and demonstration sites, in variable weather, and to carry

camera equipment (up to 25 lbs).

• Ability to travel domestically ~15–25%, occasionally on short notice for announcements or events.

• Ability to handle export-controlled and confidential information per Skyeton policy.

• Ability to participate in calls across US time zones and occasional cross-Atlantic calls with

Skyeton's international team.