Communications Officer at Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa Expertise Centre (SECAEC)

Duration: 1-year contract (extension based on performance)

Position Overview

Main objective of the function

Solidaridad is looking for a Communications Officer with a passion for the development sector, strong interpersonal and communications skills, and enhanced multi-tasking abilities. The ideal candidate will steer the internal and external Communication aspects of Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa to ensure Brand visibility and equity. S/he will have experience in photography, videography, writing news, impact and feature stories. S/he will also be expected to exercise a degree of responsibility and proactivity.

Organisational Position

The Communications Officer will work closely with the regional programme teams, regional innovations team (i.e. climate & landscapes, digital innovation, impact investment and gender), and quality functions team (including finance, communications, operations and PMEL), for alignment to organizational procedures. The Communications Officer will also work closely with Solidaridad Network team members. The right candidate will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with regular travel regionally and internationally.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical support and advice on public relations and Communications at Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa;
• Analyse and report on impact of communications activities on a quarterly basis, and also compile and submit periodic management reports as prescribed;
• Coordinate initiatives that enhance communication with key stakeholders and facilitate use of appropriate media to generate visibility for Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa’s brand among external audiences;
• Facilitate documentation and dissemination of experiences, lessons learnt, impact stories, best practices and case studies;
• Take and edit pictures, audio and video recordings for documentation purposes and for sharing with partners and key stakeholders.
• Facilitate the production of newsletters, IEC materials, publicity materials such as brochures, pamphlets, documentaries, annual reports and special publications etc as directed by management.
• Support in drafting of various articles, letters and communiques as and when required
• Provide advice including development of relevant messages and use of the right media channels for effective communication;
• Develop press materials including press statements and releases, and information kits/fact sheets.
• Maintain Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa’s official social media platform sites (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and keep them current, relevant, updated and interactive, while ensuring implementation of emergent platforms.

Core Competeencies

• High-level communication skills
• Stakeholder management skills
• Proven ability to negotiate
• Experience with design and implementation of communications strategies
• Conflict resolution
• The ability to self-motivate and motivate a team;
• Experience working towards achieving set targets and exceeding them.
• Demonstrated self-reliant problem-solver with strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and oral skills
• Able to travel extensively within Eastern and Central Africa and occasional international travel.
• Proficiency in Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Creative Suite

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Mass Communications, Journalism, Marketing or any related field;
• At least three (3) years’ experience in a Communications role, serving in an International NGO or related experience in private sector;
• Experience working in the development sector (specifically in agri-business) in developing countries;
• Proven track record in developing videos, taking/editing potos and writing impactful stories.