IFDC Job Vacancy For Communication Specialist Consultant

Job Description

Communication Specialist Consultant, EnGRAIS Project, IFDC North and West Africa

• Type of contract: Consultant
• Duration: Six Month Renewable
• Start date: March 2019
• Programs: Feed the Future USAID EnGRAIS / AfricaFertilizer.org
• Location: Accra or Abidjan 
• Number of Positions: 1

Background 

The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is a public international organization that focuses on increasing and sustaining food and agricultural productivity in developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise. 

The Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (EnGRAIS) for West Africa Project is a 5-year, USAID-funded activity with the objective of sustainably increasing regional availability and use of appropriate and affordable fertilizers. 
AfricaFertilizer.org is an initiative led by IFDC, with support from partners such as IFA, AFAP, FAO and IFPRI, aiming at collecting and disseminating fertilizer data, statistics and information from Sub-Saharan Africa

IFDC is seeking to recruit a Communication Specialist Consultant, who will be in charge of ensuring smooth and effective implementation of the Communication Strategies and Plans for the 2 projects above.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief of Party of the Feed the Future EnGRAIS project and the AfricaFertilizer.org coordinator, the successful candidate shall inter-alia perform the following roles and responsibilities:

• Develop projects’ specific communications strategies and plans;
• Develop annual communications plans, work plans and budgets;
• Design and/or manage the creation of innovative communications initiatives that contribute to enhancing EnGRAIS and AfricaFertilizer.org visibility and stature with key target audiences;
• Coordinate and supervise communication activities including media relations, social media, audiovisual productions, outreach and promotion, projects’ web presence, publishing, library and knowledge services; (e-newsletters, videos, infographics, news releases, media kits, media briefings, social media activities; projects’ publications, impact stories; websites where appropriate); 
• Organize promotional events or side-events (including exhibitions, stands, displays) where they contribute to the effective delivery of key messages and contribute demonstrably to projects’ approaches and achievements;
• Build strong professional relations in communication with projects’ partners;
• Ensure public relations and media relations activities which contribute to the projects’ visibility with identified target audiences;
• Monitor and ensure full application of the projects’ brand identities in all communications products, initiatives and projects;
• Oversee and when necessary write/edit the production of key communications products, including the annual reports;
• Manage the implementation of a coherent social media strategy to match target audiences and projects’ needs;
• Develop a robust, analytical framework for evaluating social media and other projects’ communications initiatives and channels.

Required Skills or Experience

The desired candidate for this position should be a qualified professional with strong skills and competences as described below:

• Master’s degree in communication or Public relations or any other relevant field or equivalent experience;
• At least five (5) years of working experience in communication field. Experience/familiarity with IFDC and/or with agriculture and fertilizers will be an advantage;
• Proven experience in developing and implementing corporate communication strategies at national or sub-regional levels;
• Experience in developing and implementing media, advocacy or marketing campaigns including development of the relevant publicity materials;
• Social media knowledge and skills, and ability to manage website content;
• Knowledge and experience in the use of data and analytics to evaluate communications performance
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and in French.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage communication and marketing as critical instruments for achieving organization goals;
• Ability to plan and execute a work program effectively and efficiently;
• Strong mentoring abilities for working with other staff;
• The Candidate should have the following personality traits: outgoing and confident; speaks persuasively; strong team work and interpersonal skills with ability to relate effectively to people at all levels; organized and able to meet tight deadlines; persistent, objective and innovative.