Communications Manager 47 views

Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of disability.

FUNCTION

This position will oversee Heifer Ethiopia’s communications, including all external communications in the country. S/he will additionally support local media outreach, and project-sponsored events, such as national and international conferences and events, by organizing, branding, and producing informational materials and facilitating business participation. S/he will report directly to the Country Director, with close links to program staff, and collaborate with Heifer Ethiopia donors and bilateral national partners and stakeholders, as needed. Working closely with Heifer’s Communications team based in Little Rock, AR, the Communications Manager will actively participate in, and materially contribute to, planning, initiating, and managing the full breadth of the marketing and outreach activities of Heifer Ethiopia, with a strong focus on capturing and promoting the reach and impact of Heifer to a broad range of public and private sector stakeholders. This position works with all country program components and stakeholders in helping them optimize their marketing strategies, including but not limited to collateral development, client outreach, web, and mobile applications, and social media.

The Communications Manager represents Heifer’s country-level management, program knowledge, and perspective in the development of strategies within Heifer at large and the development and private sector.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• In coordination with the Country Director, develop targeted brand messaging to convey mission, vision, strategy, impact, and success, in keeping with Heifer and its donor’s guidelines and priorities to internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and execute the overall communications strategy (internally and externally) for Heifer Ethiopia to highlight program achievements and effectively communicate progress ensuring that the strategy is aligned with Heifer’s global approach.
• Manage Heifer Ethiopia’s social media channels and develop social media content for platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
• Develop outreach materials including a quarterly newsletter, banners, brochures, reports, and other forms of internal and external communications, and manage clearance processes.
• Maintain an up-to-date and comprehensive communications contact database.
• Follow communications protocols as agreed upon with donors, Country Director, and Heifer’s HQ Communications, including receiving approvals for outreach.
• Support the Ethiopia team where applicable in developing SoWs for STTAs to support the marketing requirements of Heifer Ethiopia’s partners or beneficiaries.
• Provide quality assurance related to informational content and product development including PPTs, fact sheets, case studies, success stories, brochures, profiles, and the preparation of talking points.
• Coordinate and support programmatic and high-profile events, delegations, and field visits.
• Represent Heifer Ethiopia (as needed) at events and meetings as required, and liaise with relevant stakeholders, including institutional and public-private sector partners, to increase visibility and maximize coordination.
• Conduct interviews and capture quotes or stories as needed for reporting.
• Ensure country and program materials are branded correctly and consistently in keeping with Heifer and donor standards, branding, and marking plan.
• Assist with the building of the capacity of program staff to develop reporting and promotional content from program activities; support staff with templates and reporting guidelines as needed.
• Perform other duties as requested by the Country Director.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Business, or a related field (Master’s Degree is preferred);
• 7 years of experience in communications or marketing in the field of development or with INGO;
• The prior donor-funded program experience is strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated ability to unpack and communicate complex concepts simply with a range of stakeholders and sectors;
• Demonstrated experience in program and event management;
• Demonstrated experience in designing communications plans, developing and implementing communications tools or systems, and developing content for social media platforms;
• Sound knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
• Proficiency with Prezi, Visio, or other graphic arts and desktop publishing software a plus;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong team player;
• Ability to travel to support fieldwork;
• Ability to facilitate e-marketing and web-based technologies for professional purposes;
• Experience working collaboratively with institutional and public-private‐sector partners and stakeholders in Ethiopia;
• Ability to work well in diverse teams but also productive working individually with minimum supervision;
• Well organized, strong analytical skills, creative thinker, innovative, demonstrated personal initiative, stress tolerance, integrity, and ethics;
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English; and
• The ability to produce various informational products under tight deadlines.