Required Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in communication, Journalism, Public Policy, International Development, or related field; or Bachelor’s plus substantial leadership experience.

• 10–15+ years in integrated communication with 5+ years leading multi-country teams.

• Proven public affairs/media experience across Africa; crisis and issues management expertise.

• Demonstrated success translating scientific/technical research for policy and practitioner audiences.

• Strong command of digital ecosystems (web CMS/SharePoint/WordPress, analytics, SEO, social, CRM/marketing automation, digital asset management (DAM, Adobe CC).

• Excellent writing/editing; multicultural fluency is an advantage.

A. Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute a 3-year integrated communication strategy aligned to the institutional/corporate strategy, SDGs, AU Agenda 2063, and donor priorities.

• Lead annual communication planning, objectives, and key results (OKRs) /KPIs for corporate, programmatic, and country and regional-level communication.

• Advise the DG/Director for Strategic Planning and senior leadership on reputation, issues management, and stakeholder positioning.

• Oversee the brand architecture, messaging framework, and tone of voice (organization, programs, country offices, and initiatives).

• Maintain brand guidelines, visual identity, and digital asset management (DAM) for photos, video, and templates.

• Oversee multilingual adaptation (e.g., English/French/Portuguese/Swahili) and accessibility standards.

• Lead proactive media relations, including Africa wide and international outlets.

• Coordinate media training and talking points for leaders and scientists.

• Manage reputation issues and crises.

• Translate R&D outputs into policy briefs, technical notes, data stories, infographics, and explainer videos.

• Establish editorial calendars and peer-review/quality assurance workflows with scientists and M&E teams.

• Drive open access, FAIR data, and repository visibility, coordinate outreach for journal publications E. Digital & Web Content

• Coordinate the web and intranet roadmap (information architecture, UX, SEO, analytics, content governance).

• Partner with Resource Mobilization team to develop cases for support, donor reports, and success stories.

• Ensure donor branding and visibility compliance (e.g., FCDO, USAID, EU, AfDB, Gates Foundation, regional governments).

• Design tailored communication packages for country governments, RECs (ECOWAS, EAC, SADC, COMESA), and city/province authorities.

• Organize and manage internal channels (town halls, intranet, staff newsletters, communities of practice).

• Support change communication for institutional initiatives.