Communications Officer-Kenya Rift Lakes Programme at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya

Reports to: Kenya Rift Lakes Programme Manager
Supervises: None

 Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Kenya Rift Lakes Programme Manager and with a dotted reporting line to the Communications and Content Development Coordinator, the Communication Officer will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of effective communication and advocacy strategy within the Kenya Rift Lakes (KRL) landscape.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Communication for Public Engagement and  Movement Building

• Work in close partnership with Communications and Content Development Lead and KRL  landscape programme teams to develop and implement effective internal and external public relations and  communications strategies for the KRL landscape; 
• Participate in the development and implementation of strategic communications and advocacy outreach programmes and campaigns to influence attitude and behaviour change; 
• Develop and disseminate Information Education and Communications materials including print and electronic materials; 
• Work in close partnership with KRL  program leaders to develop and disseminate quarterly bulletins highlighting the KRL  landscape conservation activities and impact;
• Assists in designing and implementing crisis and media handling strategies;
• Work with communications and program teams to generate digital content;
• Support the delivery of creative, targeted and impactful communication, advocacy and engagement campaigns, activities and projects, which support the objectives of WWF-Kenya conservation impact and communications strategy;
• Collaborate with communicators across the WWF network to enhance and develop communications planning processes and to achieve greater levels of engagement, participation and conversion from our core campaigns and initiatives. 

Strategic Communication for Program Support  and Advocacy 

• Participates in developing and implementing strategic outreach programmes and campaigns within the KRL landscape; 
• Prepares talking points and speeches for KRL programme teams ; 
• Support development of program proposals and  preparation of project reports; 
• Contribute to programme conservation action plans development and review;
• Support transboundary communications initiatives and jointly funded projects like SOKNOT; 
• Identify ways to measure the success of activities and ensure regular evaluation reports are produced and prepared for individual campaigns, programmes and projects within the landscape. 

Communications for Partnerships and Fundraising

• Network with partners to ensure participation at partner-led public events to enhance WWF-Kenya’s  visibility within the KRL landscape; 
• Participates in developing and implementing Corporate Citizenship Programs and activities; 
• Assists in planning and organizing corporate events within the KRL  landscape;
• Support the fundraising team in developing fundraising collaterals as part of the wider resource mobilization strategy; 
• Monitors, reviews and provides recommendations regarding communication and fundraising activities; 
• Organize and execute partner and corporate events such as media briefs, seminars and conferences among others;
• Support communication liaison for donor visits within the KRL landscape.

Internal Communication

• Support the delivery of internal communications activities to support a range of projects, work areas and workgroups;
• Ensures prudent management and safety of communication assets and resources; 
• Support the management of WWF-Kenya’s website by liaising  with responsible staff to generate and update web content;
• Work with the IT team in the regular development of online channels, to ensure it maximizes opportunities, to support the sharing of messages and two-way engagement and interaction;
• Coordinate logistics, planning and evaluation to support a range of internal communications events in KRL landscape;
• Embed and bring our brand to life for colleagues, building champions within the KRL landscape to support our external messaging and positioning;
• Responsible for supporting scheduling and creating high-quality and engaging internal communications content on a weekly basis for core channels, and to deliver this in a variety of mediums, including written, visual, audio and video;
• Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required of you in the post.

Profile

 Experience, Qualifications and Knowledge  

• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree in public relations or communication-related field;
• At least 5 years’ experience in a fast-paced media/communications environment; 
• Respected relationships with key media; demonstrated success in pitching to local, regional and international media;
• Proven experience in identifying and proactively developing story ideas;
• Strong writing, case study story gathering and  editorial skills;
• Strong content development, digital and creative skills;
• Media Relations and crisis management;
• Networking and Relationship Building capability;
• Experience in a corporate affairs and communication function in Conservation, development, policy environment or related areas;
• Excellent  communications, networking, media relations, event and brand management; 
• Creative thinking and an ability to be inventive, sharing new ideas to help increase the impact of our interventions; 
• Extremely organized with attention to detail. 
• Proficient in IT, Microsoft Office skills; 
• Membership of a Public Relations Society or media association is an added advantage.

Working Relationships

Internal: Interacts frequently with communications team members, Landscape Managers, Coordinators, Thematic leads, Projects Officers, Consultants, researchers and All WWF staff.

External: Interacts frequently with WWF Regional Communications Staff and WWF Network Communications Staff, Government ministries, departments and agencies, Civil Society Organizations, Private sector, Professional bodies, development agencies, other NGOs, INGOs and donors.

This job description sets out key responsibilities of the role and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of tasks and duties. The tasks and responsibilities may reasonably vary from time to time depending on the needs of the organization.