IFDC’s global communications team is committed to creating and equipping internal and external champions of IFDC’s mission and vision. As a part of this team, the Regional Communications Officer – East and Southern Africa will assist in the development of regional communications and public relations materials that strengthen IFDC’s reputation and influence and build trust with key audiences in the East and Southern Africa region.
The Regional Officer will assist with core communications business, including content production, brand awareness, and internal engagement across all countries in the East and Southern African region.
A key member of the global communications team, the Regional Communications Officer will ensure the quality planning and delivery of high-impact communications for local to global audiences in support of IFDC’s 2020-2030 Strategy and Business Plan.
This position is open to international and national applicants and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Regional Communications Officer will report to the Corporate Communications Manager based at IFDC Headquarters in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.
In partnership with field offices across the region and in coordination with the Global Communications team, the Officer will be responsible for the following.
Strategic Communications
- Leads and executes a regional integrated communications strategy to strengthen IFDC’s regional and global reputation.
- Encourages innovation among staff to continually optimize ways of working to steward resources well and improve the quality of communications outputs.
- Advises regional and programmatic leadership on strategic reputation, brand, and communications opportunities across the region.
Content Development
- Oversees and produces high-quality content relevant to priority audiences, positioning IFDC as a leader in its strategic priority fields.
- Ensures content is relevant for regional and global audiences and meets the needs of IFDC stakeholders at all levels.
- Pushes the boundaries of creative content delivery with a willingness to try innovative methods and celebrate success or learn from missteps.
Media/Social Media Leadership
- Contributes to a regional social media presence with partners and donors, protecting the IFDC brand and ensuring compliance of project accounts.
- Stays on the cutting edge of social media – adopting trends as necessary, adapting to changing platforms, and keeping IFDC’s image relevant on social media.
- Engages traditional media at a regional level to maximize the positioning of IFDC in key regional outlets.
Team Management
- Coordinates with a region-wide team of communicators to deliver high-quality and engaging products covering research and development work in the region.
- Cooperates with the Head of Knowledge Management to ensure retention and sharing of organizational and project knowledge and documents.
- Works with the Director of Strategic Communications to assist in the development of priority stakeholder documents, such as capability statements and position papers.
- Reports successes and lessons learned monthly to the Global Corporate Communications Manager and shares with the Global Communications Team.
Internal Engagement
- Emphasizes and supports the mantra that “We are all communicators,” connecting, informing, and inspiring all staff to tell the organization’s story.
- Assists in knowledge-sharing efforts in the IFDC communications community of practice as well as among project and research staff and leaders.
Required Skills
- Track record of self- and team-management successes.
- Excellent leadership and organizational skills.
- Excellent presentation, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Strong track record in media relations.
- Demonstrated experience leading effective digital communications, including social media, and an understanding of relevant tools and trends.
- Proven ability to effectively manage a team and projects to deliver outcomes on time.
- Demonstrated understanding of international development systems and communication/donor networks.
- Fluency in English is essential for this position. French fluency is also preferred.
Required Experience
- University degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations, or another related field.
- At least five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communications, marketing/PR, and journalism and at least three years of managerial-level experience demonstrated.
- Solid/advanced work experience at a similar level, leading communications and public engagement strategies in the NGO or private sector.
- Experience working with a team in the international development sector. Background/familiarity in communications for development.
- Skill in leading and supervising, formulating strategies and concepts, relating and networking, persuading and influencing, and entrepreneurial thinking.
- Adoption of thinking that is informed by context and practice, and shows consistency of treatment and a clear strategic focus. Able to select and evaluate critical information to plan and manage communications and public engagement for local/regional entity.
- Advocate of an efficient, effective, and transparent flow of information across entities and with key internal and external stakeholders (requiring a high level of written communication and reporting, as well as a clear and persuasive verbal presentation style).
- Ability to manage multiple requests and priorities according to strategic needs, applying an agile approach to decision-making and execution.
