Associate Director, Communications (Parental Leave Cover) - 10 months

Location: Remote from any of these countries: Kenya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States (east coast time zone).

Salary: US $12,500 per month.

This is a fixed-term, full-time remote position, exempt from overtime requirements in the U.S.

Who We Are

Co-Impact brings together local changemakers and philanthropists from around the world to make health, education, and economic systems stronger and more inclusive – creating impact that lasts. Our commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s leadership is central to this goal. By focusing on systems, we work at the scale of the problem - dismantling the root causes of inequality that disadvantage hundreds of millions of women, girls and marginalized communities. Spanning four continents, our team identifies partners that will create lasting progress when supported with the resources to work at scale. Pooling funding allows us to provide large, flexible grants and strategic support to locally-rooted partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America who know their systems best. Our partners' initiatives will benefit more than 600 million people and we can go even further together. We aim to deploy over $1 billion by 2030 and achieve a world where everyone can lead fulfilling lives. For more information, please visit www.co-impact.org  and take a look at our Handbook.

Where You Fit

Co-Impact seeks an Associate Director, Communications (parental cover) on a fixed term 10 month contract who can lead our Communications function. This role sits within the Executive Office and reports to the Founder and CEO of Co-Impact. The ideal candidate is a well-rounded communications professional with a background in philanthropy or global development, with a solid understanding of donor audiences and their priorities. The candidate would be accountable for delivering against an existing communications strategy and managing a communications team of two. The Associate Director will be supported by vendors in the delivery of this strategy, including a PR agency, graphic designers, and freelance writers.

The Role

Core responsibilities will include:

• Thought leadership and content creation: Work collaboratively across Co-Impact, its partners, and agencies to identify key opportunities for strategically positioning the brand and create compelling content. In preparation for this, you would be responsible for messaging, talking points, blogs, and opinion pieces.
• Special event support: Working across Co-Impact, identify the issues, the criteria, and the targets for external participation where opinion makers, funders, and partners are present.
• Funder/program communications: Serve as the primary editor and author of a suite of day-to-day products and publications that predominantly support the CEO and the philanthropic and program arms of the Co-impact in line with the communications strategy.
• Targeted media relations: Working with external vendors, developing key media relationships and partnerships that are key to Co-Impact’s mission. Create the necessary talking points, opinions, pieces, media releases, and blog posts to support these efforts.
• Internal communications: Support a culture of understanding around communications and the mission of Co-Impact. Play an active role in the Internal Communications working group and support on internal communications advice and content.
• Staff management: Create a cohesive communications team, inspiring loyalty, and dedication to Co-Impact’s mission. Serve as both a leader and a mentor, assuring opportunities for learning and growth.
• Vendor supervision: Oversee the work of vendors to ensure they are executing against work plans and delivering against the communications strategy at a high level.
• Budget tracking and analysis: Lead on tracking against the annual communications budget and adjust based on needs, including ensuring we are receiving value for money and being cost-efficient..  Develop the necessary metrics to prove ROI.
• Other projects as necessary.

Undergirding all responsibilities is the drive to capture and communicate the people, the stories that animate Co-Impact’s mission, and the work of its funders and partners.  

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Preference will be given to candidates with a passion and understanding of the role of communications in furthering Co-Impact’s global mission around system’s change, particularly around gender issues.

The ideal candidate is a consummate communications professional – graced with diplomacy, creativity, and the ability to lead a small team to great work.  We are looking for a highly organized, self-starter who can juggle multiple projects while keeping an eye on the larger goals of Co-Impact.

Most valued skills:  Proven experience in a communication and/or external affairs function, a demonstrated interest in the development and/or the philanthropic sector, and impeccable writing and project management skills.

More specifically, candidates must possess the following:

• 8+ years of proven expertise in communications, with a preference for those with experience in international development and/or philanthropic communications. We also invite those with transferable communications skills in other sectors to apply.
• Experience in a managerial role. Most welcome will be those who have excelled in an entrepreneurial environment, where good judgment around priorities and thoughtful, superb execution are valued. A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a small staff and various key initiatives concurrently.
• Highly collaborative style; a natural connectors and relationship builder both internally and externally. Must possess intercultural knowledge, global experience, and appreciation, with the ability to interact and communicate effectively within a complex, global organization. We have a strong preference for candidates with experience working and/or living in the Global South and interacting with people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to develop ideas and information and transform them into exciting and useful messages targeted to the right audiences through in and offline channels.
• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills. Someone who understands the interplay of communications tools and knows how to craft compelling content that sways opinions and actions.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to make the right judgments to deliver superior communications products on time and within budget. 
• Strong moral compass: personal ethics and integrity must be impeccable.
• Knowledge of the gender and global development sectors.
• Fluency in English, with fluency in a second language preferred.
• A university graduate - having a degree in a relevant field, with a preference for journalism and or communications.
• Global flexibility: Given the global nature of the organization working across time zones, a willingness to be flexible with working hours, work remotely, and periodically undertake international travel.

Benefits

Co-Impact’s compensation philosophy is guided by the following three principles:

• Equity and Fairness: Our approach to compensation and benefits are designed to ensure that our global team is treated equitably regardless of location and without regard to gender, race, or nationality.
• Transparency: We want Co-Impact’s employees to understand our salary structure and to feel confident that they are paid equitably, and potential job applicants to have an understanding of how the role for which they are applying will be compensated.
• Accountability: As stewards of the philanthropic resources entrusted to us so that we can support our program partners, we are accountable to our donors and our board, to our staff, and to the general public.

In accordance with that philosophy, we include the salary for each position in our job postings. To ensure equity within the organization and for all candidates, we do not negotiate salary or benefits. The salary for this role is US $12,500 per month, plus a generous benefits package including a significant allowance for paid time off, paid in local currency depending on the country of hire. 

Application Details

Please apply online HERE by submitting a resume and a one-page cover letter by Friday, 12th July 2024, 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. In your cover letter, please confirm that you are authorized to live and work in any of the countries open for this role (Kenya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or United States). The start date for this role is on or before 2nd September 2024. Due to our small team size, we regret that we can only respond to applicants selected for an interview. We also regret that we are unable to participate in informational calls prior to interviews. Thank you for your understanding.