External Communications Manager

About ForAfrika:
ForAfrika is an African-rooted, globally connected organisation dedicated to empowering communities across the continent through sustainable development and humanitarian aid. With over 40 years of operational experience, ForAfrika works in environments that vary from emergency relief settings to long-term development, ensuring that every initiative is contextually aligned with the needs of the people it serves. Through a deep love for Africa and unwavering commitment, ForAfrika delivers programmes that transform lives by embracing an integrated approach to development. This includes enhancing education, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, food security and livelihoods, economic empowerment, and more, building environments where all Africans can thrive.

Position Summary

The External Communications Manager is a dynamic and proactive leader, vital to boosting our organisation’s global visibility and aligning our public image with our vision and purpose. In this strategic role, you will be at the forefront of shaping and directing all day-to-day external communications. With a hands-on approach, you will drive content collection and craft compelling narratives that enhance our fundraising and revenue efforts, directly contributing to our growth and impact. This position is perfect for a go-getter who thrives on innovation and is passionate about making a measurable difference in increasing organisational awareness.

Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate for the External Communications Manager will possess:
-Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage diverse teams, including coordinating communications officers in East Africa and Southern Africa.
-Expertise in developing and executing communications strategies tailored to branding, PR, and media engagement.
-A deep understanding of the humanitarian and development sectors.
-Willingness to travel to gather impactful stories and data, demonstrating a commitment to creating evidence-based narratives that support our mission.

Key Responsibilities:
Leadership, Management and Accountability
-Establish clear direction and objectives, providing a compelling vision, and ensuring each team member understands how their role supports the organisation’s broader mission and goals.
-Provide essential resources and support ensuring team members have the resources they need—including training, tools, and personnel support—to perform effectively and grow in their roles.
-Empower through delegation and development delegating responsibilities thoughtfully, allowing team members to take ownership while encouraging their professional growth and advancement.
-Lead with integrity and organisational alignment by modelling behaviours that reflect the organisation’s core values, making decisions and taking actions that prioritise organisational needs and align with core principles.
-Maintain effective communication and reporting by fostering regular, transparent communication to keep expectations clear, provide timely feedback, and ensure accurate reporting of performance metrics and goal progress to support accountability and team effectiveness.

Communications:
-Lead all external communications, including press releases, blogs, social media, and other publications.
-Develop and implement communications strategies for new initiatives, community engagement, campaigns, and partnership announcements.

Media and Public Relations:
-Cultivate and manage relationships with media outlets to ensure positive coverage and grow global brand recognition specifically in Northern America, Europe, UK and Programme Countries within Africa.
-Provide support to the CEO and senior leaders by preparing key messages and talking points for public engagements.

Content Management:
-Oversee the strategic refinement, packaging and utilisation of content collected from the field to enhance our communications and marketing efforts.
-Manage the creation of essential organisational materials such as fact sheets, case studies, and capacity statements to support fundraising and external communications.

Reputation Management:
-Monitor and address potential risks and issues related to the organisation’s reputation.
-Build and maintain the public profiles of organisational leaders and implement communication policies that uphold the organisation’s values and ethical standards.

Standards and Compliance:
-Regularly conduct audits to ensure adherence to communication standards and practices, including social media usage, media interactions, and the portrayal of the organisation through professional images.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
-Minimum 5 years in roles with exposure to humanitarian or development programming.
-Master’s degree in journalism, communications, or related field preferred. However, equivalent experience, motivation, and demonstrated ability are highly regarded.
-Demonstrated expertise in brand management, crisis communication, and media relations, coupled with excellent leadership and team management abilities.
-Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills in English are essential.
-Willingness and ability to travel to programme sites as required.
-Exceptional analytical skills with a strong interest in humanitarian and development issues in Africa.
-Ability to strategically managing complex workloads and anticipate communication needs.
-Proficiency in photography and videography, including competency in content creation tools such as Adobe’s Creative Suite, is highly desirable. Candidates with strong capabilities in visual content creation will have an added advantage.
-Possessing an established media network to leverage is highly advantageous.
-Deep commitment to ForAfrika’s values, with high personal and professional integrity.