Leader Spotlight: Meet Monica R. Who Strategizes Internal SNC Communication

 Monica is the Sr. Manager of Corporate Communications at SNC. One part of her scope involves coordinating the strategy behind SNC's internal communications, making sure employees enterprise-wide understand the value and the vision behind our work to support and protect explorers and heroes, both inside and outside the company. This includes building the weekly Leading Matters and Future of Space newsletters which go out to thousands of employees each week. So what drives her to make a difference each day? We spent some time with her to find out.

What brought you to SNC? Why do you remain excited to come to work?

I’ve been at SNC for about five years, now – and for me this was a leap into a new industry. I came for the ‘dream,’ of course – and the endless possibilities of doing cool things with cool people.

Strip away the specifics - we at SNC, Sierra Space, and all our other subsidiaries make the impossible, possible and those ideas around technology, solving problems, the future – that vision is so interesting and motivating. And as a storyteller? So juicy and rich in opportunity!

On a more practical level, helping to stand up the Comms function was and is such an exciting challenge to dig into. We’re still a startup, really, embedded in this larger ecosystem with deep roots and heritage. But year over year we can see such amazing progress as we scale as a team – and to contribute to something greater – what more can you ask for as a professional?

Can you share a little about your job – what’s a day in the life like?

No two days are the same – which is great fun. We run at a pretty fast clip and get to gnaw on complicated, interesting projects. And I’m always, always learning.

I feel really fortunate to be able to work alongside people from across the entire company, top to bottom, side to side. It really feels like an extension of my early career in international and cross-cultural affairs – so much of our job is translation and diplomacy across different (functional) cultures, points of view, and, even, languages (eg, translating engineerspeak, HR, legal...) within the company.

Our purpose as a function is to foster and grow the brand – which is an honor and privilege to steward. That means we get to see across external and internal audiences; we get to drive strategy but also still roll up our sleeves and do; we get to both lead and serve. A lot of what my team and I do is specifically focused on engaging with our most important audience: our colleagues. So ultimately we help energize and engage, build trust and confidence, drive team and business success – to help our people and the bottom line.

And our team is such a joy to work with – small, but mighty, as most Comms teams have to be. But seriously: they are the most tenacious, talented, hard-working group of smart, saavy people. AND are also lovely humans! Jackpot!

Obviously, the comms department feels strongly about the importance of communicating what’s going on in the company. And you have a big role to play in that! Share what you do to curate & build Leading Matters & Future of Space.

I can’t help but use the phrase “get to” over and over again: we as a team get to shine a light on all the great work *you* do. We get to partner with projects, programs, initiatives - small and large - and help *you* succeed. There is always something we can do to contribute. That’s endlessly interesting and satisfying.

Each week, we curate, write and edit the content in The Current, Leading Matters, and Future of Space newsletters. There are online and monthly / quarterly channels, too, of course, but packaging up and delivering those weekly updates in an effective, efficient, engaging way is a weekly reminder to me of the great things we all do. And, yes: I get to plan but also design, write, and literally hit send for Leading Matters and Future of Space. That’s a fun opportunity to be able to both strategize and execute.

As part of our internal comms strategy, we use those weekly channels to help make sure people here feel connected to the greater vision and strategy of the company. That means knowing practical announcements and actions required – getting to know the amazing people we work with and the work they do -- all the way up to the loftiest vision and biggest company wins and accomplishments. Our ‘weeklies’ are just one tactic among many *but* their intention is a good example of our overall purpose – to help everyone succeed.

What is something you wish people knew about Comms?

I mentioned before how crazy-talented our team is – really, what a team this small achieves so quickly, with little budget and resources? It’s bonkers. You’ve got a goldmine, here, people: and we’re here to help *you* succeed.

Also: part of our job, done well, is to make things look and feel easier than they might seem. So don’t underestimate the value of (or effort required for) our work! It is paradoxically both very visible and very behind the scenes. So I would encourage our more skeptical colleagues to think again if they assume we’re just fluff or style or surface – you’ve got really outstanding strategic resources here at your disposal. Would be short-sighted to not leverage us.

What’s a (personal) fun fact about you?

Oh, gosh. Let’s see:

I have three kids so clearly my leadership and communication skills are put to the test every day on the job as a parent.

I made it to 30 countries by age 30.

I do mix a mean cocktail.