Communications & Engagement Specialist - WRI Africa

SEE HOW TO APPLY →

This is a fully remote position based in Accra, Ghana. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission.

About The Program

WRI has worked in Africa for over 30 years on forest protection, landscape restoration and more recently, sustainable cities, energy access and climate action. WRI Africa has built a reputation as a trusted partner on the continent. Since 2017, these operations have crystallized under the helm of African leadership and formalized as WRI Africa. Today, WRI Africa is a team of over 160 scientists and experts from across the continent.

Our vision for the continent is to catalyze inclusive transformation so Africa’s people and landscapes flourish.

Aligned with this broader vision, the Restore Local initiative supports locally led restoration efforts – with the Greater Rift Valley of Kenya; the Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin of Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt as its anchor landscapes. Through data-based approaches to planning, implementation and monitoring progress, the program is enhancing livelihoods and climate change resilience, restoring ecosystem services, mitigating climate change and conserving nature.

WRI’s flagship investment program for Restore Local, TerraFund, currently finances, trains, and monitors nearly 200 locally led enterprises, community organizations and nonprofits that restore land across priority landscapes in Africa. While providing grants to nonprofits, TerraFund with its partner Realize Impact also invests debt and equity in small and medium-sized enterprises that support “restorative value chains”.

These champions are supported through the TerraMatch platform, an end-to-end system that hosts open calls for proposals, connects champions with technical assistance, and tracks the progress of funded projects through a standard monitoring, reporting, and verification protocol.

Job Highlight

You will work in collaboration with Restore Local’s staff in Ghana to develop and execute a landscape communication and engagement strategy. You will provide leadership in ensuring visibility of the World Resources Institute and Restore Local activities by WRI and Restoration Champions in consultation with the WRI Africa Communications team in Nairobi.

You will also work closely with the Communications leads in two other anchor landscapes (The Greater Right Valley of Kenya and the Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin of Rwanda, Burundi and DRC) as well as the WRI Restoration program’s communications team and Grants and Finance Specialists. You will spearhead the creation of digital content and coordinate all Restore Local communication activities in the landscape.

What You Will Do

Communications (70%):

• Lead in the development and execution of landscape communication strategy and media engagement plan for the Ghana Cocoa Belt
• Join regular in person or online meetings with the Ghana team as well as restoration and communications teams in Africa, in Europe and in the United States
• Compile and disseminate inspiring stories from across sub-landscapes to showcase the important benefits and outcomes of landscape restoration in the Ghana Cocoa Belt
• Create awareness on the economic benefits of restoration through storytelling
• Monitor and analyse communication metrics to refine strategy
• Oversee the planning, creation, and publication of high-quality, impactful digital content (stories, reports, social media, videos, infographics)
• Work closely with Restoration Champions in the Ghana Cocoa Belt to promote visibility of Restore Local and WRI
• Develop and maintain media partnerships and press relations with the Ghanaian media to sustain momentum in advancing the restoration movement in the Ghana Cocoa Belt landscape
• Contribute to WRI’s institutional communication initiatives such as compiling content for international days, blogs, the release of flagship reports and newsletters.

Engagement (30%):

• Coordinate support for program events, including social promotion and coverage, photography, media outreach, production of communication products, and post-event communication reports
• Spearhead outreach and communications in Ghana, including presenting at internal and external meetings, conferences, workshops, etc
• Collaborate with the Grants and Finance Specialists to coordinate vendor engagements and ensure the smooth procurement of services that support project visibility and stakeholder engagement in the Ghana Cocoa Belt Landscape
• Contribute to WRI Africa’s list of events to ensure effective and efficient coordination of communication support.

What You Will Need

• Education:?You have completed a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, digital media, or related field
• Experience:?You have 3+ years of progressively responsible experience in digital communications, preferably in an international nonprofit or NGO context
• Experience working in multicultural, decentralised teams and across different time zones
• Experience working in the fields of landscape restoration, agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, as well as projects with social equity and gender focus
• Experience communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Familiarity with project management tools such as?Airtable, Workday and Asana
• Basic graphic design and video editing skills (e.g., Canva, Adobe Suite) will be an added advantage
• Languages: You are proficient in spoken and written English
• Requirements: You have an existing right to work in Ghana.

Potential Salary

Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

← View More Communication Jobs

🔥 SIMILAR JOBS YOU MAY LIKE → APPLY