Reporting to the President & CEO, the Global Director of Communications will have strategic and communications-related responsibilities that extend across the organisation. The GDC will: lead m2m Departments, Units, and affiliates (UK and US) on communications and public relations activities; serve on the Senior Management Team; and liaison, as needed, with m2m’s Boards of Directors (South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States) to keep them abreast of key communications-related issues.
Principle Objectives
- Unify m2m’s global communications strategy across the organisation and its entities
- Provide leadership in positioning, promoting and enhancing m2m’s brand and reputation
- Position m2m as a global implementer of innovative, evidence-based reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) programmes
- Advance the organisation’s position with relevant constituents and build broader awareness of and donor support for the organisation.
- Communications Strategy, Vision, and Leadership
- Develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to advance m2m’s brand identity, broaden awareness of its programmes and priorities, and increase the visibility of its programmes across key stakeholder audiences
- Develop a highly effective, cross-entity Communications Team aligned to m2m strategy, including workforce planning and teambuilding
- Create marketing/public relations strategy that will allow m2m to cultivate and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences, including the media and key influencers
- Identify challenges and emerging issues faced by the organisation. Work with staff to recognise internal and external communications opportunities and solutions, and define and execute appropriate strategies to support them
- Develop and serve as the key point-person for m2m’s Crisis Communications Plan
- Serve as communications counselor and coach to m2m leadership
- Create platforms to plan, capture and share knowledge, and discuss industry best practice and problem solving within the Department
- Assist with ad hoc projects, as needed
Communications and Marketing
- Develop and manage the Communications Department Work Plan
- Oversee the day-to-day activities of communications functions including budgeting, planning, and staff development
- Oversee development of collateral marketing materials and digital communications
- Develop, maintain and monitor organisational branding and marking policy
- Monitor key programmatic and outcomes/impact developments, and coordinate dissemination to key stakeholders across communications platforms
- Develop communications support for m2m country programmes, including marketing materials/plans for countries, and stronger in-country public speaking and presentation skills
- Work closely with Operations and Resource Mobilization units to coordinate key communications-related site visits
- Provide public-facing m2m staff and current and new board members with key tools necessary to communicate effectively and act as m2m spokespersons
Media Relations and Advocacy
- Develop and oversee media outreach standard operating procedures, media lists, and proactive media outreach, development, and engagement in Africa, Europe, and US
- Manage Head Office-related media requests; collaborate and monitor African, European, and US media requests and activities
- Oversee all media activities in South Africa
- Coordinate organisational global advocacy activities with the President & CEO and relevant members of the Senior Management Team
- Develop an advocacy strategic plan and advocacy-specific messaging integrating m2m’s role and positioning within a global context
- Manage and coordinate Africa advocacy activities, and liaison with Europe and US on advocacy activities within their respective geographies
- Manage the overall Communications budget, as well as resources for Advocacy projects/programmes
Team Development/Management
- Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality
- Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach on a consistent basis
- Champion Peer Mentor Model and spokeswomen to ensure the voices of core m2m beneficiaries (women living with HIV/AIDS) are engaged in m2m programmes and strategy, communications, advocacy, and campaigns
- Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish priorities, and conduct annual performance appraisals
Job Requirements *
Qualifications and experience required
- Minimum BS/BA degree with at least 10 years of experience and a track record in communications, brand management, corporate product marketing, and/or public health and development;
- Masters in Communications or Public Relations preferred.
- Experience in an “in-house” leadership role within a complex (number and variety of constituents or customers) nonprofit organization or commercial agency, and covering areas such as website content, newsletters, crisis communications, and donor communications
Competencies
- Passion and drive to fulfill m2m’s Vision & Mission
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent public speaking skills
- Creativity and ability to innovate or “think outside of the box” is critical
- Strong attention to detail, and administrative, planning, analytical, organizational, and reporting skills are essential functions of this position; ability to manage and liaison across multi-time zones and geographic areas is critical
- Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff required
- Ability transform knowledge into exciting and useful messages and disseminate it to targeted audiences through the best distribution channels is critical
- Highly collaborative style; extensive experience in developing and implementing communications strategies
- A strong track record as a manager who thrives on leading a variety of key, concurrent initiatives
- Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”
- High energy, maturity, and strong leadership skills, with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both strategic and tactical levels
- Commitment to working collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters.
- Self-starter, able to work independently, and entrepreneurial; enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives
- Analytic and decisive decision maker with the ability to prioritize and communicate key objectives and tactics necessary to achieve organisational goals
- Excellent working knowledge of MS Office (especially Word and Excel)
- Fluency in written and verbal English required.
HOW TO APPLY:
· Interested applicants should apply for this position via https://www.m2m.org/careers/ by 7 August 2016.
