Communication Officer at Gap Recruitment Services Limited

Job Purpose: 

The holder of this position will work in the Women in Trade project to create, coordinate, and execute communication plans to increase public awareness, and is also the SHA-KE communications focal person, and is responsible for overseeing the communications efforts of SHA, including public relations and marketing. She/He will work closely with various country teams to maintain a thorough understanding of business dynamics and project offerings, as well as identifying the most important information to communicate. You are expected to monitor trends and stay abreast of related developments within the project to ensure the timeliness of the content produced. Success in this role will be determined by implementing effective communication strategies to drive project success and SHA -KE business growth, including effectively communicating with media personnel in a manner that upholds SHAs brand image.

NOTE: The completion of recruitment for this position and the start date is subject to successful contracting by the donor.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with SHA-KE management to develop and implement an effective communications strategy based on SHA-KE target audience.
• Support the project team to conduct a needs assessment on the Women in Trade project. This will include a situation analysis to identify needs and a media content analysis. The inputs require desk research, a perception survey, and in-depth interviews and focus groups discussions. Outputs include an analysis of the findings of the needs assessment, a SWOT analysis and implications for the findings on the communications strategy.
• Develop and deliver the WIT projects 2-year communications strategy with clear audience definitions, context, objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), key media to communicate and effective messengers. This should cover aspects like branding, media engagement and the digital aspect in appropriate forums etc
• Identify and develop WIT communication strategies and a messaging framework for each of the targeted audiences.
• Carry out a risk analysis based on the projects risk management framework and develop a crisis response communication plan to manage any reputational risks for the project and all the partners involved.
• Provide a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the communications function of the WIT project.
• Develop a 2-year workplan with clear deliverables and milestones, indicators and tools for the implementation of the country communication strategy.
• Develop and maintain various communication channels and materials within the SHA-KE projects.
• Ensures website contents remain relevant by continuously linking with SHA head office for updates.
• Maintain records of media coverage and collate analytics and metrics
• Create interactive social media contents and campaigns for the Women in Trade Project and SHA-KE interventions.
• Produce needed content and script for educational and marketing videos.
• Creates timely reports for all communication campaigns.
• Develop and maintain working relationships with journalists in multiple types of media outlets in Kenya and a media database.
• Maintain proper communications and linkages with head office communications team.
• Write, edit and distribute various types of content, including material for a website, press releases, marketing material and other types of content that take the message to the public.

Key Relationships:

Internal:

• The Country Director
• Head of Finance
• SHA HO communications technical team
• Head of Programmes
• Project managers
• Project Officers
• Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor

External:

• Project SMEs
• County and National Governments (Trade and Agriculture)

Other Stakeholders including Semi-State Agencies (KEBS, Global GAP, research institutions, financial institutions, Consultants, and donors.

Qualification, Knowledge and Experience Required:

• Bachelors degree in communications, journalism, or related field.
• Minimum 2-3 years of writing and editorial experience.
• Outstanding written and oral communications skills.
• Proficient in MS Office and various social media applications.
• Knowledge in social media strategies and best industry practices.
• Creative, innovative, and detail oriented.
• Having Graphic design skills is a plus.
• Knowledge of desktop publishing software (InDesign/Photoshop)
• Good time management and organizational skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, content management systems, and social media platforms