About the job Journalist Author/Writer
Writer and Author Print Journalism
Hospital Communications and Executive Secretariat Support Services
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda Maryland
This Position Is Contingent Upon Contract Award
Position Details
• Customer: Defense Health Agency (DHA).
• Work Location: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20889.
• Number of Positions: One full-time position (1.0 FTE; 1,912 productive hours per contract year).
• Type of Employment: Full-time.
• Estimated Total Compensation: $39.81 per hour.
• Working Hours: Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays and Government-directed facility closures. The exact daily shift is not specified. Occasional support may be required outside normal duty hours for contingency activations or exercises.
• Work Arrangement: On-site at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Remote or telework authorization is not specified.
• Period of Performance: Base period from December 1, 2026 through November 30, 2027, followed by two potential one-year option periods through November 30, 2029.
• Security and Access: All work is unclassified. Employment is contingent upon a favorable Tier II non-critical sensitive background investigation, completion of the applicable SF-85 or SF-86 process, Common Access Card eligibility, identity verification, a nondisclosure agreement, security and HIPAA training, network-access approval, and all DHA and facility onboarding requirements.
• Travel: No routine travel requirement or separate travel line item is specified.
Summary of Services
The Writer and Author will develop accurate and engaging print and long-form digital journalism that communicates Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's clinical advances, research, patient experiences, staff achievements, and strategic messages. The role manages stories from concept through publication and supports broader public affairs, media, and crisis-communication activities.
Mandatory Qualifications
• Must have a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, English, or a related field.
• Must have at least five years of journalism or professional-writing experience and a portfolio demonstrating interviewing, narrative storytelling, and long-form writing.
• Must have experience in healthcare communications, military public affairs, or a similar regulated, high-visibility environment.
• Must understand and rigorously apply HIPAA and Protected Health Information requirements, particularly when interviewing patients and families.
• Must demonstrate excellent project-management skills and the ability to manage an editorial calendar, develop content strategies, and complete multiple stories concurrently.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust with patients, families, medical professionals, senior leaders, and other interview subjects.
• Must demonstrate strong command of AP style, newswriting structure, research, fact-checking, editing, and deadline-driven publication workflows.
• Must satisfy all Tier II background, CAC, training, NDA, network-access, onboarding, and facility-access requirements.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Develop and manage an editorial calendar for print and long-form digital publications aligned with WRNMMC strategic communication objectives.
• Lead feature stories from initial pitch and research through interviews, drafting, editing, multimedia coordination, layout, approval, and publication.
• Identify and develop stories involving clinical advancements, research, patient success, staff achievements, public-health priorities, and command initiatives.
• Conduct sensitive and thorough interviews with patients, families, medical staff, subject matter experts, military and civilian personnel, and senior leaders.
• Write, rewrite, and edit news releases, feature stories, special publications, speeches, briefings, web content, and social-media copy using AP style and accepted journalism practices.
• Coordinate with photographers, videographers, graphic designers, editors, and public affairs personnel to produce cohesive multimedia story packages.
• Develop messaging for internal and external audiences and help leadership prepare for major issues and crisis-communication requirements.
• Respond to media inquiries, coordinate interviews and media visits, and support press conferences, briefings, distinguished-visitor events, and community engagement activities.
• Monitor media coverage, maintain relationships with internal subject matter experts and external media contacts, and provide communications analysis and weekly reports.
• Generate recurring editorial ideas, meet daily, weekly, and ad hoc suspense requirements, and submit all products for Public Affairs Office review before release.
• Update authorized website, intranet, and social-media content as assigned while protecting HIPAA-regulated information, PHI, PII, and other sensitive information.
• Complete required orientation, annual training, security awareness, HIPAA training, and other Government-directed training and comply with all WRNMMC and DHA policies and procedures.
• Duties and responsibilities are subject to change if work schedules, locations, and/or priorities change based on Government or program needs.
Required Candidate Submission Documents
• Current resume documenting at least five years of qualifying journalism or professional-writing experience.
• Portfolio of published articles or writing samples demonstrating interviewing, narrative storytelling, and long-form writing.
• Copy of the required bachelor's degree or supporting education documentation.
• Any background, identification, security, HIPAA, training, NDA, CAC, network-access, or onboarding documents requested by Fidelity Partners or the Government/client.
About Us
Fidelity Partners is an Inc. 5000 USA company that provides medical, technical, logistical, and administrative services to the federal government and commercial clients across the country. Fidelity offers competitive salaries and benefits packages.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to learn more about us at www.fidelitypartners.org, call us at (210) 822-4005, or visit our careers page to join our team.
Fidelity Partners provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws (EOE).