Communications Manager-EGF

Job Purpose:

Equity Group Foundation (EGF) is the social impact implementing arm of the Equity Group Holdings. EGF aims to transform the lives and livelihoods of the people of Africa socially and economically by equipping them, capacity building and linking them to modern, inclusive financial services that maximize their opportunities. Since its inception, EGF has led high-impact development programs in East and Central Africa in the fields of Education and Leadership Development; Food and Agriculture; Enterprise Development and Financial Inclusion; Energy, Environment & Climate Change; Social Protection; and Health. EGF has adopted Innovation & Technology as a leverage to expand its reach, efficiency in program delivery and impact at scale, as well as Advocacy to advance social change through awareness, mobilizing partnerships and championing relevant policy change.

The Communications Manager shall be responsible for coordinating the communications efforts of Equity Group Foundation and will collaborate with the Corporate Communications office on public relations and community awareness/ sensitization initiatives and efforts for the Foundation. They shall contribute to implementing communication policies and procedures to uphold Equity Group Foundation and Equity Group brand image.

Main Responsibilities:

• Originating drafts towards relevant internal and external communication in alignment with Group Communications policy – including press release statements as relevant and guided for EGF
• Examining marketing materials towards publication of content.
• Creating and updating training materials for new employees and other stakeholders on EGF and Equity Group’s brand and mission statement.
• Contribute to the collation and analysis of media coverage for EGF
• Working with research department to complete market research as/ where relevant
• Coordinate EGF interviews with media personnel/ relevant stakeholders under guidance of Group Communications office.
• Supporting the implementation of new and effective communication strategies including organization’s social media communications.
• Gathering information for marketing collateral and collateral for various relevant events
• Developing informative materials, and crafting compelling stories highlighting EGF programmatic work and impact
• Contribute to the development of Equity group communications strategies
• Support the execution and delivery of various events relevant to EGF/ Equity Group
• Project management as/ where needed

Key Deliverables for this position:

• Internal & External newsletters for EGF
• Up to date reporting on program impacts
• Up to date and relevant website and social media content
• Ensuring that all programmatic content and events are in line with Equity Group branding guidelines.
• Showcasing Impact and Content Development – timely and effective communication on evidence generated by EGF proof of concept programs as relevant across internal and external channels, including for key partners.
• Audience analysis to provide relevant content based on audience expectations
• Consistent flow of relevant and high-quality content that provides insights into the interventions, outcomes and impact of EGF programs
• Support the development of and develop case studies, thought leadership pieces and blogs from programmatic staff, grantees, and other relevant stakeholders for publication as guided.
• Supporting Events - Organize and manage communication aspects of events, workshops, and conferences related to EGF work through providing communication support to ensure the success of events and their alignment with broader strategic goals as per Africa Recovery & Resilience Plan (ARRP) strategy.
• Develop and maintain an annual events calendar for the programmes, ensuring the communications team is kept up to date on upcoming events and can plan accordingly.
• Timely communication on key events and dates, with relevant briefs and call to action
• Timely EGF announcements and news articles on key developments as relevant
• Advocacy and partner Engagement - Support the implementation of advocacy strategies for partner engagement as per EGF 8 principles
• EGF collateral and content complies with company standards and style guides
• Innovation
• Regulatory & Compliance – Strict compliance to statutory & regulatory norms, Acts e.g. Data Protection, Privacy etc.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, participation
• Providing feedback to the community and receiving feedback from the community and hearing their voices

Qualifications

Academic & Professional Qualifications & Skills:

• A bachelor’s degree in communication or related field
• Master’s degree in communication, Development, Public Relations, Journalism, Business
• Outstanding written and oral communications skills
• Excellent partnership & networking skills
• Proficient in MS Office and various social media applications
• Knowledge in social media strategies and best industry practices
• Creative, innovative, and detail-oriented
• Graphic design skills present a strong plus
• Innovative
• Excellent work ethic and commitment to results
• Decision-making and problem-solving skills

 Relevant Experience 

• At least 7 years’ experience in communications, journalism, public relations, media, journalism or other relevant communications experience.
• Professional certifications from professional communication organizations e.g. Public Relations, sustainability, social impact etc. presents and added advantage
• Minimum 5 years of writing experience
• Excellent writing and storytelling skills, with the ability to produce high-quality content for various platforms, including web, social media, and print.
• Ability to engage high level partners as well as communities with limited experience
• Ability to multitask and prioritize projects
• Proven attention to detail
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management competency, interpersonal & experience, with strong leadership skills.
• Distinguished hands-on execution skills.

Other Desired Competencies:

• Commitment to customer and results: innovative, customer focused, energetic and goal driven.  Has a solution-oriented approach to their work
• Sector savvy: Has good general understanding of the development sector and the socio-economic landscape of the East/ Central Africa region (Equity Group countries of operation)
• Stakeholders, Teams and Communication: Good mapping of key stakeholders with high level of personal skills to prepare formal, persuasive presentations for varying groups
• Committed team player: S/he shares Equity Group Foundation values, mission, and vision. S/he consistently displays integrity, models behavior, develops people, and builds teams. This individual deals effectively with demanding situations