Regional Communications Officer - East & South Africa at International Fertilizer Development Center

The Position

IFDC’s global communications team is committed to creating and equipping internal and external champions of IFDC’s mission and vision. As a part of this team, the Regional Communications Coordinator - East and Southern Africa will oversee and assist in the development of regional communications and public relations materials that strengthen IFDC’s reputation and influence and build trust with key audiences in the East and Southern Africa region.

The regional coordinator will lead core communications business, including content production, brand awareness, and internal engagement across all countries in the East and Southern African region.

A key member of the global communications team, the Regional Communications Coordinator will ensure the quality planning and delivery of high-impact communications for local to global audiences in support of IFDC’s 2020-2030 Strategy and Business Plan.

This position is open to international and national applicants and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Regional Communications Coordinator will report to the Corporate Communications Manager based at IFDC Headquarters in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.

Key Responsibilities

In partnership with field offices across the region and in coordination with the Global Communications team, the coordinator will be responsible for the following.

Strategic Communications Leadership

• Leads and executes a regional integrated communications strategy to strengthen IFDC’s regional and global reputation.
• Encourages innovation among staff to continually optimize ways of working to steward resources well and improve quality of communications outputs.
• Advises regional and programmatic leadership on strategic reputation, brand, and communications opportunities across the region.
• Oversees production of high-quality content relevant to priority audiences, positioning IFDC as a leader in its strategic priority fields.
• Ensures content is relevant for regional and global audiences and meets the needs of IFDC stakeholders at all levels.
• Pushes the boundaries of creative content delivery with a willingness to try innovative methods and celebrate the success or learn from the missteps.
• Manages an engaged regional social media presence with partners and donors, protecting the IFDC brand and ensuring compliance of all regional and project accounts.
• Stays on the cutting edge of social media - adopting trends as necessary, adapting to changing platforms, and keeping IFDC’s image relevant on social media.
• Engages traditional media at a regional level to maximize positioning of IFDC in key regional outlets.
• Coordinates and oversees a region-wide team of communicators to deliver high-quality and engaging products covering research and development work in the region.
• Cooperates with the Head of Knowledge Management to ensure retention and sharing of organizational and project knowledge and documents.
• Works with the Director of Strategic Communications to assist in the development of priority stakeholder documents, such as capability statements and position papers.
• Reports successes and lessons learned on a monthly basis to the Corporate Communications Manager and shares with the Global Communications Team.
• Emphasizes and supports the mantra that “We are all communicators,” connecting, informing, and inspiring all staff to tell the organization’s story.
• Assists in knowledge-sharing efforts in the IFDC communications community of practice as well as among project and research staff and leaders.

Content Development Leadership

Media/Social Media Leadership

Team Management

Internal Engagement

Required

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

• University degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations, or another related field.
• Excellent leadership and organizational skills.
• Track record of self- and team-management successes.
• Excellent presentation, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong track record in media relations.
• Demonstrated experience leading effective digital communications, including social media, and an understanding of relevant tools and trends.
• Proven ability to effectively team and project manage to deliver outcomes on time.
• Demonstrated understanding of international development systems and communication/donor networks.
• Fluency in English and French is essential for this position.

Preferred

• At least five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communications, marketing/PR, and journalism and at least three years managerial level experience demonstrated.
• Solid/advanced work experience at a similar level, leading communications and public engagement strategies in the NGO or private sector.
• Experience leading a team in the international development sector. Background/‌familiarity in communications for development.
• Skill in leading and supervising, formulating strategies and concepts, relating and networking, persuading and influencing, and entrepreneurial thinking.
• Adoption of thinking that is informed by context and practice, and shows consistency of treatment and a clear strategic focus. Able to select and evaluate critical information to plan and manage communications and public engagement for local/regional entity.
• Advocate of an efficient, effective, and transparent flow of information across entities and with key internal and external stakeholders (requiring a high level of written communication and reporting, as well as a clear and persuasive verbal presentation style).
• Ability to manage multiple requests and priorities according to strategic needs, applying an agile approach to decision-making and execution.