Reputation Communications Director at World Vision Kenya

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Public Engagement, the Reputation Communications Director is a senior role proactively and reactively directing the development of reputation protection and building activities. They will lead two teams with distinct areas of communitions skills and responsibilities.

This director is responsible for maintaining World Vision’s reputation during crises and faced with risks. They will lead the risk communications team that handles emerging incidents and reputational crises in the partnership and ensures there are strong policies, procedures and protocols for these responses offices across the partnership and globally. This Director will work directly with global media and other influential external partners and stakeholders to shape their understanding of and trust in WV.

They will also direct a creative and technical digital properties team that develops and control all of the digital channels of World Vision Internationsl (WVI) (WVI.org, fb, Instagram, twitter etc.).

The postholder will fully understand the relationship between trust drivers, the impact of crises, and the increase in positive reputation and will use this knowledge to significantly build trust in the organisation in order to grow influence, impact and income.

This role will work closely with the Senior Director, Public Engagement and the Senior Director, Communications and others in the global marketing and communications core team to identify and promote opportunities for building trust and reputation in line with the global partnership strategy. Able to act on their own, the postholder will work closely in partnership with others, including members of the Executive Leadership Team, Regional Leaders and Support Office (SO) and regional executives, Evidence & Learning, Global Resource Development (GRD), External Engagement & Advocacy and Faith & Development, providing advice and guidance to ensure reputation is managed and maintained through change and operational actions.

Working closely with the Brand Director, this postholder will ensure all reputation building activities are on brand and build and support the partnership and Global Communications strategies.

The position will be responsible for directing a team of communications experts in crisis management and digital communications, ensuring partnership capacity is in place for strong responsive comms for global issues and crises, developing evidence based communications that convey who we are, our core values, demonstrate our Christian Identity and build our reputation with powerholders, supports and the humanitarian sector and maintaining best in class digital properties for WVI.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Set the strategic directions and lead a team of communications experts in crisis management and digital communications, ensuring partnership capacity is in place for strong responsive comms for global issues and crises, developing evidence based communications that convey who we are, our core values, demonstrate our Christian Identity and build our reputation with powerholders, supports and the humanitarian sector and maintaining best in class digital properties for WVI.
• Provide leadership to Risk Advisors team to ensure global capacity for incident responses and ensure policies, protocols and training are consistently reflecting best practice. Advise and guide senior leadership in the partnership on Tier 1 and 2 responses to issues that threaten to harm the WV brand and reputation, and deal directly with global media and other partners during these incidents.
• Strategically lead the digital properties team in developing and maintaining best-in-class digital channels for WVI, including WVI.org and all affiliated National Office, campaign and functional websites and microsites, fb, twitter, Instagram and youtube channels and any emerging digital channels.
• Engage with executives in WVI and across the partnership to create and ensure alignment and that executives are champions of the digital strategy.
• Work closely with the Senior Director, Public Engagement and the Senior Director, Communications and others in the global marketing and communications core team to identify and promote opportunities for building trust and reputation in line with the global partnership strategy. Work closely in partnership with others, including members of the Executive Leadership Team, Regional Leaders and SO and regional executives, Evidence & Learning, GRD, External Engagement &
• Advocacy and Faith & Development, providing advice and guidance to ensure reputation is managed and maintained through change and operational actions.
• Identify, develop and champion reputation building activities that take account of trust drivers and build positive organisational reputation and ensure these are used in WVI channels, and in offices across the partnership. Use organisational and communications strategies as a springboard to develop and maintain improvements to global reputation and engage the voices of leaders in the org as well as children, communities and partners.
• Work closely with the Brand Director to ensure all reputation building activities are on brand and build and support the partnership and Global Communications strategies.
• Lead the development of corporate materials that will grow trust in the organization eg, World Vision Guide, Global Annual Reviews in line with the organizational brand and strategy.
• Play an active senior role and provide strategic crisis management and branding approach in the Operations Management Team and lead digital comms networks for the partnership. In this strategic approach and the active role in the digital comms networks is considering the relationship between trust drivers, the impact of crises, and the increase in positive reputation and will use this knowledge to significantly build trust in the organisation in order to grow influence, impact and income.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Post Graduate degree or equivalent in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or a related field.
• 10+ years working in a communications role, preferably within World Vision.
• 10+ Experience with successful crisis management.
• Experience developing high-level communications strategies based on insights and research, and gaining senior stakeholders’ ownership and buy-in for the strategies.
• Thorough understanding of World Vision’s ministry and issues including children, poverty, relief, sustainable development, donor engagement and food aid.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; able to win the confidence of a broad range of different stakeholders.
• Thorough understanding of media, its likely interests, demands and expectations.
• Thorough understanding of crisis and issues management.
• Good understanding of private, public and institutional donors, as well as other partners, and their expectations and needs for information during a crisis.
• Experience of working in cross-cultural environments, sensitivity to multicultural social, religious and gender issues.
• Strong analytical skills, able to clearly assess and evaluate issues and alternative strategies.
• A self-starter, able to identify the key issues and mobilise senior stakeholder support.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Familiarity with general legal concepts such as confidentiality, liability, contractual obligations etc.
• Experience working with lawyers for legal advice and counsel.
• Understand transparency and accountability trends and issues in the humanitarian sector.
• Understanding of internal communications and of ways in which staff can help build and maintain reputation.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Understanding of what builds and detracts from trust and reputation.
• Multi-lingual ability an advantage.
• Crisis communications experience.

Work Environment/Travel:

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time.