PROGRAM COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER At International Fund for Animal Welfare

Job Title: Program Communications Manager

Reports To: VP, Communications

Location: Nairobi, KE

Terms: Full Time

Duration: Permanent

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organisations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish.

Position Summary/ Objective

We are looking for a multi-channel communication strategist with a proven record of accomplishment of story mining, creative story telling as well as excellent writing and content creation skills. This position will serve as Communications point-of-contact for all internal and external inquiries (Comms, Development, partners, and media) as it relates to the Wildlife Crime and Community Engagement programs at large. Champion the Program through the overarching Communications goals of brand awareness and fundraising.

The candidate must demonstrate a strong ability to manage partnerships with funding organizations as well as with partners that work with IFAW to implement projects on the ground. The programs communications manager must be able to identify cross-programmatic themes by translating programmatic priorities and insights into communication strategies and brand marketing ideas. This role will collaborate with creative teams, communication and digital officers across the globe to conceptualize, strategize, write and execute global and in-market campaigns and initiatives. Especially close collaboration with the Landscape Conservation Communications lead is essential due to thematic and geographic overlap. He/she will be expected to be a self-motivated problem solver who knows how to get things done and works well under pressure; the ability and passion to navigate diverse, complex, and global subject matters is necessary.

Role and Responsibilities

· As Program Communications lead, responsible for creating, managing and driving results essential to meeting IFAW’s Institutional Strategic Plan, our fiscal year Communications Work Plan, and the individual Program Strategy goals

· Demonstrate inspired leadership of those teammates in Project Communications roles within the Program, and an ability to engage [across Comms, Development and more] as a trusted single point of contact for the most accurate/current Program information in the organization

· Develop a cohesive and profitable communication strategy supporting IFAW’ Wildlife Crime and Community Engagement programs to meet specific brand and business objectives

· Write and execute project communication plans (as part of funding proposals to support projects) in close collaboration with partners and communication team members to bring to life IFAW’s projects across channels in a way that builds credibility and helps strengthen IFAW’s position amongst institutional and government funding bodies

· Prioritizing story mining, creative storytelling and content production from IFAW’s priority regions and projects. Ensuring messaging and positioning reflect IFAW’s values, policies and ethical procedures, such as informed consent, and that sensitive information and vulnerable individuals are protected

· As a brand arbiter, serve as guardian of IFAW’s brand as well as programmatic positioning and tone of voice to ensure cross-channel consistency

· Stay abreast continually shifting cultural, market, digital, and social trends with the ability to apply and communicate them as strategic recommendations to internal stakeholders

· Integrate brand objectives and business needs into cohesive communication plans focused on growing our donor base, building relevance and staying top-of-mind

· Pro-actively position IFAW as a (thought) leader subjects related to wildlife crime and community engagement by developing stakeholder communication strategies to help build and grow key networks

· Evolve the IFAW brand by identifying global and/or regional opportunities for partnerships, influencer relationships, and events

· Confident in hosting and facilitating journalist visits as well as handling media inquiries in a highly professional manner

· Test and drive new story and content tactics to inform and evolve IFAW‘s overall marketing strategy of building IFAW’s brand recognition

· Ensure brand consistency across all marketing channels, both online and offline

· Partner and liaise with internal teams to understand and solve for business and/or market challenges with creative strategies

· Provide mentorship, guidance and support to regional/in-country marketing and communications staff to inspire new thinking and deliver best-in-class results

· Ability and willingness to travel internationally

Qualifications and Education Requirements

· Bachelor’s degree in communications, business, public relations, marketing or other related subject matter preferred; Master’s Degree is a plus

· 7+ years of professional service experience with an emphasis on account management, strategic plan development, budget management and project management

· Excellent story mining, storytelling and writing skills

· Experience in cross channel, digital and integrated marketing

· Ability to multitask; work on several projects with varied needs all at once

· Comfort with brand, media, and performance analytics

· Ability to be a visual storyteller; build decks that flow and tell a clear, concise story

· Strong strategic writing skills – you can distill complexities to any audience

· A knack for presenting compellingly, confidently, and convincingly – and for leading ideation and collaboration sessions with both colleagues and clients

· Experience and confident in hosting journalists and dealing with media requests

· Real passion for new ideas, and innovation

· Record of leading projects, campaigns, and brand experiences with measurable results

· Judge ideas for their distinctiveness, relevance and effectiveness; refine and constructively improve the ideas of others

· Build and deliver well-communicated strategic stories from a variety of inputs and information

· Contribute research, development, and thought leadership within our industry

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities will change from time to time to meet the needs of the department and our company.

At IFAW, we aim to create and foster a workforce that reflects and contributes to the diverse, global community in which we work to improve the lives of both animals and people. We are dedicated to fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion so we actively encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds.