Consultant - Senior Sprout Communications and Marketing at Mercy Corps

The Consultant will:

• In coordination with the AgriFin Communications Lead, publish content on social media and the Sprout & AgriFin website, maintaining continuity of themes, designing layout, streamlining navigation, and increasing online presence to potential partners. 
• Manage the Sprout Platform mailing lists and internal file storage system through the CRM, ensuring upkeep and organization. 
• Implement the Sprout Platform’s internal and external communications and social media strategy, draft and publish periodic newsletters, document, socialize, and share major achievements, milestones, and updates. 
• Support the Sprout Platform in achieving a strong, visible social media presence by developing concepts with viral potential and acting as an advocate for the company in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues, and answering questions where appropriate. 
• Develop marketing and branding initiatives, conduct research related to targeted audiences and regional competitiveness. 
• Streamline program reports and deliverables to highlight impact and learning across counties or topics. 
• Write and edit content to improve overall coverage and presentation of the Sprout Platform. This includes making suggestions for improvements, rewriting and rearranging material, checking for consistency, verifying quotations or illustrations, creating lists of acronyms and tables of contents, and providing guidelines for the indexer when applicable. 
• Proofread to ensure consistency in spelling, style, headings, grammar, font sizes, bullet listings, and spaces. Verify that no text is missing or cut out accidentally during layout, and check numbering, paragraphs, headings, and sub-headings to ensure they correspond to the table of contents. 
• Manage the design, content, and development of new branded collateral (booklets, infographics, videos, etc.). 
• Develop, prepare, and distribute marketing materials, social media campaigns. 
• Ensure proper use of Sprout, Mercy Corps AgriFin, and donor graphics and branding. 
• Work with the Sprout and Mercy Corps AgriFin on communication and learning opportunities: including events/workshops/visits. Prepare relevant communications for learning products such as briefs, op-eds, case studies, short videos etc. for dissemination. 
• Work with the content team to create and continuously improve the content intake process for content creation and design
• Monitor and manage the Content Development Process to support the Zambia Government Content Development Project, promote partnerships including with the Zambia Government, and promote and market final and uploaded content on the Sprout Platform. 
• Lead marketing of FFO Market Research to Sprout FFOs and non-Sprout FFOs via LinkedIn and email campaigns, support research survey instrument development, and share survey learnings through marketing channels
• Engage in other communications-related activities,and support project management as and when required. 

Consultant Deliverables:

• The consultant will work to produce updates showing the achievement of the deliverables listed below, alongside regular progress reports and activity time logs, in close collaboration with the DCSA Director and Sprout Platform Lead:
• In coordination with the AgriFin Communications Lead, publish content on social media and the Sprout & AgriFin website, maintaining continuity of themes, designing layout, streamlining navigation, and increasing online presence to potential partners. 
• Manage the Sprout Platform mailing lists and internal file storage system through the CRM, ensuring upkeep and organization. 
• Implement the Sprout Platform’s internal and external communications and social media strategy, draft and publish periodic newsletters, document, socialize, and share major achievements, milestones, and updates. 
• Support the Sprout Platform in achieving a strong, visible social media presence by developing concepts with viral potential and acting as an advocate for the company in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues, and answering questions where appropriate. 
• Develop marketing and branding initiatives, conduct research related to targeted audiences and regional competitiveness. 
• Streamline program reports and deliverables to highlight impact and learning across counties or topics. 
• Write and edit content to improve overall coverage and presentation of the Sprout Platform. This includes making suggestions for improvements, rewriting and rearranging material, checking for consistency, verifying quotations or illustrations, creating lists of acronyms and tables of contents, and providing guidelines for the indexer when applicable. 
• Proofread to ensure consistency in spelling, style, headings, grammar, font sizes, bullet listings, and spaces. Verify that no text is missing or cut out accidentally during layout, and check numbering, paragraphs, headings, and sub-headings to ensure they correspond to the table of contents. 
• Manage the design, content, and development of new branded collateral (booklets, infographics, videos, etc.). 
• Develop, prepare, and distribute marketing materials, social media campaigns. 
• Ensure proper use of Sprout, Mercy Corps AgriFin, and donor graphics and branding. 
• Work with the Sprout and Mercy Corps AgriFin on communication and learning opportunities: including events/workshops/visits. Prepare relevant communications for learning products such as briefs, op-eds, case studies, short videos etc. for dissemination. 
• Work with the content team to create and continuously improve the content intake process for content creation and design
• Monitor and manage the Content Development Process to support the Zambia Government Content Development Project, promote partnerships including with the Zambia Government, and promote and market final and uploaded content on the Sprout Platform. 
• Lead marketing of FFO Market Research to Sprout FFOs and non-Sprout FFOs via LinkedIn and email campaigns, support research survey instrument development, and share survey learnings through marketing channels
• Engage in other communications-related activities,and support project management as and when required. 

Required Experience & Skills:

The individual consultant must demonstrate significant experience and expertise in:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences or Development Studies, Communications, Social Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Micro-finance, Business Administration, Communications and Marketing, ICT4D, Organizational Development, or Banking and Finance;
• A minimum of 20 years professional experience ls in leadership, operations, communications, relationship building, strategic planning roles
• Experience in marketing in the agricultural sector is a plus. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage websites and social media
• Demonstrated ability to carry out independent data analysis and presentation of results to a wide variety of audiences
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, excellent attention to detail and ability to take ownership of tasks, being accountable for their completion with minimal supervision. 
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing, and editing
• Demonstrated ability to work constructively in teams 
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with an international organization. 
• Demonstrated experience in producing public-facing communication and marketing outputs for a professional client. 
• Understanding and experience in developing communication and marketing products or written material (as applicable) to appeal to both commercial audiences and NGO, government and CSO audiences
• Experience working in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria and/or Zambia preferred
• Excellent computer, verbal, and written communication skills, including report development, writing and editing. 
• Demonstrated competence used shared document platforms including GSuite, as well as Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel and Powerpoint). Ability to use flow-chart / decision-tree design software is an advantage. 
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills. 
• Willingness to travel
• Able to manage team and clients remotely