Communications Specialist

Organization: Chemonics
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 15 Nov 2019

JOB TITLE: Communication Specialist

JOB SUMMARY:

The Communication Specialist is responsible for furthering the objectives of the USAID Afya Ugavi Activity through strategic internal and external communication and knowledge management activities. The specialist is expected to create and maintain positive relationships between Afya Ugavi clients and the public. This will be done through the development of quality reports and communication content for dissemination to USAID, stakeholders (including the government relevant line ministries and counties) and other channels promoting greater understanding of the Activity’s work among these targeted audiences.

REPORTING: This position reports to the Chief of Party.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Communication Specialist will be responsible for executing the following tasks in coordination with the Chief of Party, Activity leadership, technical leads, and other stakeholders:

· Lead the review and implementation of Afya Ugavi’s communications strategy and knowledge management to meet the needs of the client, satisfy contractual deliverables, and achieve Activity goals and objectives.

· Create and maintain positive relationships between Afya Ugavi clients and the public.

· Ensure production of high-quality, story-led content for communication and outreach.

· Provide writing/editorial assistance and coordination support for all written contractual deliverables and other communications and knowledge management products generated by the Activity. This includes quarterly updates for the knowledge management component for inclusion in formal reports, quarterly activity and any other ad hoc reports as required by the Activity leadership and/or the client.

· Compile and collate relevant data and information from Activity staff, stakeholders, and other implementing partners for reports, presentations, technical briefs, case studies, posters, abstracts and other communications and knowledge sharing products; support and build capacity of technical leads to develop these products as needed.

· Provide technical guidance and training on branding and marking requirements for Afya Ugavi activities and products, such as presentations, printed works, signage, and posters.

· Work with Afya Ugavi technical team leads to maintain a repository of knowledge management content that includes print, photography, and electronic databases accessible to staff and update them regularly.

· Provide and maintain multiple user platforms for effective knowledge management that involves communities of practice, facilitation of brown bag sessions, conference calls, and/or face to face meetings with an aim to cross-pollinate knowledge among Activity staff and staff across GHSC-PSM as well as other stakeholders/partners

· Communicate and liaise with implementing partner organizations to document and disseminate their contributions to Afya Ugavi activities.

· Strategically plan and implement new and innovative methods to disseminate Afya Ugavi accomplishments which may include, but not limited to written, video, or web-based outlets, utilizing a content marketing approach that targets the right content to the right audience at the right time.

· Liaise and attend meetings/networking events on knowledge management with implementing partners, GHSC-PSM, the Ministry of Health, or other stakeholders and partners.

· Stay informed of all major issues in Kenya’s health sector and of Afya Ugavi’s strategies and methods, programs and activities, results and achievements, and best practices, lessons learned, and success stories so that project communications and outreach is grounded in facts, rich in technical depth, and broad and diverse to reach a wide variety of audiences.

· Work closely with the Activity home office on campaigns, annual reports, and other USAID/GHSC-PSM communications activities and major deliverables. Provide new and/or updated content for Chemonics’ and other acceptable websites, newsletters, and social media.

· Consistently follow USAID regulations and Chemonics policies and quality management best practices.

· Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

· A degree in communications, bachelor's degree in public relations, social sciences, international development, or related field required, with a postgraduate degree in public health, development, statistics, or related field highly desired.

· Minimum five to seven years of experience in communications and knowledge management, including experience writing and producing reports, creating knowledge management strategies, and/or other technical knowledge management and communications products/strategies for a donor-funded project.

· Experience working on knowledge management and/or communications for USAID or other international donors preferred.

· Excellent communication skills (oral and written), analytic skills, and strong interpersonal skills required.

· Demonstrated experience in field activities documentation, photography, interviewing techniques, and writing/reporting required.

· Ability to analyze data/information and write story-driven content about complex technical subjects related to health and/or supply chain that engages target audiences and enhances the Activity’s image, with minimal supervision.

· Ability to connect individual communications activities or products to higher-level strategies and goals.

· Ability of capturing content for dissemination through various social media outlets monthly and as success stories quarterly throughout the year. This may require periodic travel throughout Kenya to document and photograph Afya Ugavi activities.

· Ability to work under deadline pressure with diverse teams spread across multiple geographic areas (including international) and manage production schedules.

· Working knowledge and administration of popular social media outlets (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, Instagram, YouTube)

· Proficiency in MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Adobe Photoshop required; working knowledge of other software to create and edit graphics (such as Adobe Creative Suite) highly desired.

Level of Effort and Location

This long-term position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with intermittent local travel

Supervision

The Communication Specialist will report to the Chief of Party.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by sending their updated CV and cover letter to afyaugavirecruitment@ghsc-psm.org by November 15, 2019.