Senior Communications Manager

bumb’INGOMSO is a multi-faceted HIV Prevention project which aims to half the incidence of HIV in adolescent girls and young women aged – in the Buffalo City Metro Municipality. This is an initiative of the National Department of Health, funded by the German KFW Development bank and co-funded by the DG Murray Trust. Bumb’INGOMSO’s objectives are to : create a positive change in risky behaviour; promote accessible health services for young people; respond effectively to gender-based violence; enable access to economic opportunities for young people; focus on high-risk groups and shape equal gender norms among –-year-old girls and boys. Position : Senior Communications Manager Reports to : Project Director Direct Reports : Communications Manager Position responsibilities The Communications Lead will lead the bumb’INGOMSO communications team. Working with the Project Director, the COO she / he will foster relationships with, and advocate for the project with a range of government and non-government community stakeholders, by packaging the project’s objectives, activities, and reporting data into communicable outputs for National, Provincial, and distinct forums and audiences. This is a position for a dynamic, motivated, and committed Communications Lead who wants to lead in the fine tuning and implementation of the overall BI communications Strategy. Communications has a critical role in building the bumb’INGOMSO Leadership Network as well as engaging our stakeholders and the wider South African society. Key responsibilities Develop and implement communications strategy. Take the lead in designing a communication strategy. Identify key advocacy priorities and align these to the strategic plan. Identify key opportunities in the short and long-term to position and promote communication or information outputs. Build, manage and execute a communications plan using relevant platforms. Stakeholder engagement and management Ensure an accurate up-to-date database is available for all project stakeholders. Develop effective partnerships characterised by trust, commitment, empowerment, and accountability with : Implementing Partners A diverse range of government stakeholders including at a political level, national, provincial and district level as well as school networks. Civil Societies and Municipalities The BI communications strategy should be developed and executed collaboratively with stakeholders. The strategy should amplify government’s role in the respective programmes – recognizing their role as a key lever of scale. Advocate to programme stakeholders, in a manner that facilitates a productive operating environment for these programmes, and a demand-driven expansion of the project. Create active platforms for engagement and opportunities to surface learnings, encourage knowledge sharing, and demonstrate support for the project. Proactively engage stakeholders to track current project developments. Research and analysis In collaboration with the BI M&E Manager, research, analyse and synthesize program material, activities, reporting and evaluation data into communications outputs for distinct audiences. Actively track current research and developments in the Health and Educational spheres. Content development and advocacy Take the lead in synthesizing and packaging programme activities, learnings and outcomes into communicable and compelling communications products for distinct forums and audiences. These communications products may range from addressing policy and structural reforms. Manage the creation, commissioning and distribution of communications products or collateral associated with the communications strategy, including : Website development and content Press releases, op-eds, blogs, and articles Publications or engagement materials Multimedia communications Social media content and strategy implementation Communications liaison Take the lead in organising stakeholder or media engagements including : Arrange all media contacts, press briefings, and interviews; Liaise with relevant media, coordinate appropriate spokespeople for appropriate forums, and occasions Provide talking points and other materials as needed for senior staff Act as project spokesperson in a limited range of forums Monitoring and reporting Monitor the volume and nature of media coverage on the project. Monitor related themes of the project and be responsive to promote these themes within the communities. Monitor and report on sentiment change adoption and advocacy evidenced in the behavior of programme partners (i.e. language, choice of forums or volume of positive advocacy) Competencies Five years of practical experience in similar communications roles, including the crafting of a communications strategy, content and collateral Demonstrated practical experience with the analysis and synthesising of data and ideas into an insightful and compelling narrative – in various formats including text, video, audio and graphics – (using external contractors where necessary). Previous experience and success liaising with external stakeholders, in a non-profit or business-development setting The ability to synthesise : An entrepreneurial approach to problems in the face of complexity Attention to detail, completed-ness, the ability to sense-check and critique one’s own work and to deliver work within identified timeframes Excellent lateral management – successfully engaging others in empathetic, positive and productive working relationships, prioritising ‘the human factor’ in all project endeavours. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Additional South African languages would be advantageous Experience with Content Management Systems (viz. Wordpress). Experience with CRM applications would be advantageous To Apply Please send a 1-page motivation, and a brief CV to , with the position you are applying on the subject line. For the Communications Lead position, please send an example of a previous communications product. Closing date March 3 Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 2 weeks of the closing date. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. #J-18808-Ljbffr