Senior Specialist - Public Affairs & Communications at Novonesis

Responsibilities-

Business Enablement

• Work with stakeholders towards Biolsolutions policy advocacy,
• Identify and develop new business opportunities across key industry sectors in Africa
• Identify and address barriers to market entry and scale for Novonesis' products and technologies in Africa.
• Provide strategic insights to commercial teams on status and progress of key Government programs and potential business opportunities
• Business development and issues management. Monitoring and mapping of public policy and regulatory issues of relevance to Novonesis businesses in Africa; in coordination with business leaders prioritizing issues based on a value-at-stake approach; monitoring and reporting on developments.
• Act as a trusted advisor to Novonesis leadership; in Africa, regionally and globally.
• Track emerging trends, competition, and customer needs to shape commercial strategy.
• Represent Novonesis at key industry events, conferences, and trade missions.

Government Affairs

• Collaborates with Public Affairs (PA) and Regulatory colleagues to develop material towards market access policy inputs and policy advocacy
• Liaison with key influencers and aid agencies towards technology adoption of Biosolution across Africa.
• Supports the team by coordinating on ongoing research projects with external entities and drafting in-depth analysis reports on key, business-impacting policy issues
• Supports key programming activities, including issue-specific roundtables and periodic government engagements,
• Support the information requirements of regional and global teams on policy and regulatory developments in Africa.
• Attends select conferences and external meetings, providing concise analysis and readouts on key engagements to relevant internal teams
• Manages engagement with select government offices
• Coordinates the submission of written materials and company input required for government and regulatory bodies
• Internal enablement of business teams on policy developments.

Public Relations

• Develop a PR strategy for focus countries with the objective of positioning biosolutions and Novonesis
• Works on media outreach with relevant media in the region to amplify Novonesis’ visibility
• Have a good understanding of the media landscape in target markets and experience working with media in the region

Qualifications

• 10 years+ experience in the public sector or international corporate government relations
• Educational qualifications: A master's degree in Public Administration/public Affairs/ Business Administration, or related field.
• Strong understanding of Sub-Saharan African market dynamics, business culture, and regulatory environments.
• Ability to work well with internal and external stakeholders
• Highly effective written, and interpersonal communications skills; demonstrated ability to effectively interact with senior corporate and political stakeholders
• A deep working understanding of the policymaking process and government relations
• Ability to communicate complex information and interpret legislative/regulatory language to diverse audiences
• Experience / exposure to Public Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Ability to grasp and translate complex issues into a language suitable for concerned audiences in a fast paced and dynamic work environment.
• High ethical standards, confidentiality and strong professional reputation
• Ensures compliance with company policies and procedures and supports the company purpose, values, and standards of ethics and integrity
• Demonstrated ability to build and foster effective relationships and professional networks