Communications Lead, Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA) at Abt Associates

The Opportunity

• As Communications Lead for the USAID-funded Power Africa Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA), you will be a crucial member of the partnerships team, responsible for development and implementation of HETA’s communications and engagement strategies, advising on and guiding events and thought leadership activities, managing the design and production of communication materials and progress reports, ensuring compliance with the Branding Strategy and Marking Plan, supporting engagement with external partners and alliance members, and working with country and technical teams to promote HETA’s value at the intersection of health, energy access, and climate resilience to USAID Missions and encourage them to buy into the activity.

This position is full-time (100%) and reports to HETA’s Partnerships Director.
Core Responsibilities

• Lead implementation of HETA’s communications strategy and related activities, including driving continuous learning and revisions to improve the strategy’s effectiveness. This includes supporting knowledge management and learning and publishing of thought leadership content that amplifies HETA’s Brand.
• Guide HETA colleagues, including select staff at HETA’s partners, on general communications and knowledge management techniques and strategies.
• Champion innovative and agile methods to drive communications.
• Develop and disseminate communications with internal and external alliance stakeholders by creating targeted, audience-centered communication products, including newsletters, fact sheets, success stories, technical briefs, research summaries, and multimedia products.
• Lead engagement with Power Africa and USAID Mission communications teams to facilitate coordinated communications and other efforts to promote publicize HETA’s achievements. This includes development and dissemination of social media posts/campaigns through their channels.
• Ensure consistent and coherent USAID branding and editorial style across all activity outputs, including media outreach, audiovisual material, publications, reports, documents, and presentations in line with HETA’s Branding Strategy and Marking Plan.
• Lead and/or advise HETA leadership, technical and country teams, and alliance partners in conceptualizing, organizing, and promoting HETA’s strategic representation at events, roundtables, and other convenings. This includes alliance-sponsored events and events where HETA staff are attending or presenting.
• Oversee the work of the team developing and managing HETA’s website (and, eventually, social media channels).
• Support branding integrity, content development, and production for HETA’s presentations, quarterly reports, annual reports, and other deliverables (e.g., work plans, monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans). This includes coordination with writers, editors, graphic designers, and other colleagues to ensure reports and presentations are edited and formatted appropriately—and that publicly disseminated materials are accessible (508 compliant).
• Support the program management and operations team to maintain and update a repository of HETA’s technical products (e.g., reports, presentations, publications, client communication) in SharePoint/Teams and other repositories.
• Collaborate with HETA’s finance/operations and program management teams to support meetings and event organization and production. This includes ensuring appropriate branding, availability of communications and promotional materials, editing/formatting of presentations, coordination of external participants, development, and choreography of “run of show,” and coordination with Abt’s in-house support teams as needed for production and facilitation.

What We Value

• Bachelor’s degree + 12 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree + 10 years of relevant experience, or PhD + 8 years of relevant experience.
• Degree in a relevant field (communications, journalism, social sciences, international development).
• Experience on USAID- or other donor-funded projects as a communications lead or in a similar role.
• Demonstrated experience driving communications, monitoring, and maintaining timelines, and producing high-quality communication products.
• Strong creative and analytical skills and good strategic judgment.
• Understanding of media planning and experience working on digital communications, including social media management and campaigns.
• Knowledge and understanding of USAID programs, branding/marking policy, and communications preferences.
• Knowledge of at least one of the following: climate adaptation/resilience, energy, and telecommunications, and/or climate policy planning and implementation.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; French, Portuguese, or Swahili are a plus.