Location: Africa Regional Office, Nairobi
Length of Contract: 1 Year Renewable Annually
Purpose: The Regional Communications Officer will be responsible for collecting content to show inform key constituents of the work of World Concern and the transformational impact it has on the lives of the poor and marginalized people.
Specifically, he/she will work with the Country Directors and the Africa Area Director to produce content for donor and public engagement, media relations, emergency communications and internal communications.
He /she will frequently share compelling stories, photos, videos and tweets on social media platforms that reflect World Concern’s work and impact.
The position will work with Communications Director in Headquarters to ensure brand guidelines are followed and aligned in all communications/resources and meet World Concern’s Global standards.
Scope:
Drive forward the communications strategy for the WC in Africa, which is to grow our profile in support of advocacy and fundraising
Increase media coverage and drive stories of WC programmes, opinions and technical research on and off-line
Oversee the proactive development of relevant and targeted communication and branding materials to disseminate WC news, events, announcements and key initiatives extensively
Drive organizational growth and reputation by maintaining strong working relationships with media networks and contacts, and by effectively representing the WC as a writer, thinker, and speaker
Identify media and digital trends, and competitive strengths and weaknesses, and act promptly on information gathered to guard and grow WC’s reputation and visibility
Oversee internal communications for the WC in Africa, including through the intranet and fortnightly newsletter
Develop and manage relationships with key donor communications contacts in order to contribute to a strengthened partnership with donors on communication and visibility of humanitarian programmes
Lead and manage the Communications team and manage the unit budget.
Main Tasks & Responsibilities
Strategy and planning
Create, maintain, and update communications materials including newsletters (print and email), corporate brochures, annual reports, profiles, photos, videos, presentations and promotional material for the target audiences.
Ensure the ongoing development of clear messaging, and clear media and digital plans, to support the WC’s communications strategy in Africa
Work as part of cross organizational teams driving WC’s influence, profile and funding in Africa
Act as WC Global Fundraising’s primary source of OVT information and stories in Africa. Includes collecting, curating and disseminating field information to the WC Global Communication team.
Develop and manage the communications budget in liaison with the Africa Area Director
Work closely with the team in writing press releases, annual reports, and other communications outputs, to ensure the highest possible quality of all outputs
Lead on emergency and crisis communications in Africa as required
Act as the WC’s brand champion in Africa, ensuring all output is consistent with WC brand guidelines, culture and values
Drive forward communications for high profile activities and events with the Africa Area Director.
Consult and liaise with internal departments and partners to support communication strategies and develop materials that will bring greater visibility and understanding of programs and events within World Concern.
Provide strong and clear leadership in articulating and championing World Concern’s Transformational Development ethos in the lives of staff, partners, and beneficiaries.
Staff Management
Set clear objectives with all direct reports, and ensure strong support and supervision against clear deliverables. Carry out annual appraisals and mid-year reviews
Ensure a high performing communications team in Africa Regional Office
Develop and manage consultants in Africa delivering media and profile for WC, as appropriate
Ensure that the WC Communications team in Africa is networked into the global communications team and ensure integrated and collaborative working.
Developing and Delivering Communications Content to raise the profile of WC
Create, maintain, and update communications materials including newsletters (print and email), corporate brochures, annual reports, profiles, photos, videos, presentations and promotional material for the target audiences.
Drive forward integrated media and digital communications campaigns to raise the profile of the WC in Africa, in support of the WC’s Fundraising and Advocacy objectives, and in close collaboration with these teams
Support the delivery and dissemination of the corporate communications materials as required
Responsible for responding to public as well as beneficiaries’ queries and concerns (from social media) and directing them to the appropriate individual/department.
Develop and champion strong knowledge management within WC Africa, including the use of the SharePoint to provide materials, support and communications output
Ensure management and delivery on visibility of projects in Africa.
Emergency Communication
Deployed to disaster zones if/as required during emergencies to produce quality stories and photos highlighting the plight of affected people.
Qualifications: Education / Knowledge / Technical Skills and Experience
Undergraduate degree in Communications, Journalism or a related field from a recognized institution.
At least 4 – 5 years of experience in communications.
Past experience working in volatile environment or humanitarian emergency organization and or media.
Team player, ability to work with diverse teams and build relationships internally and externally
Website and social media management experience.
Must possess excellent journalistic and photography skills.
Ability to produce video and audio documentaries
Significant experience of working with the media / press and an excellent understanding of effective online and non-traditional media campaigns including digital media outlets and social media platforms
Experience of driving forward communications in support of fundraising objectives
Excellent ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing; strong presentation skills
Ability to work in close collaboration with colleagues and team members based remotely
Flexibility
Strong organizational and time management skills
Ability to travel overseas, sometimes at short notice, to situations of conflict.
Personal commitment to Jesus Christ, World Concern’s mission statement and core values.
Other Competencies / Attributes:
Demonstrates well-developed interpersonal skills, excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, as well as negotiation skills and professional maturity.
Able to function in a fast-paced, deadline driven, high-performance environment, and meet tight deadlines and multiple demands for support from a results-driven team.
Must adhere to set security standards
