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Chemonics International Inc,,Director of Communications Jobs in Rwanda

Othuke Andrew Akpeli8 years ago6 years ago08 mins

-CLOSE:12/05/2017

Director of Communications

Chemonics International Inc.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Title: Director of
Communications

Project: Rwanda Soma Umenye

Project Summary

Soma Umenye is a five-year
USAID-funded activity that aims to improve reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda for
at least 1 million children in public and government-aided schools in Rwanda.
Covering all 30 districts of Rwanda and working in close collaboration with the
Rwanda Education Boad (REB) and the Rwandan Ministry of Education (MINEDUC),
Soma Umenye will contribute to Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP)
and the Government of Rwanda’s national development priority of ensuring that
Rwandan primary-grade students acquire the fundamental competency of literacy
so that they can succeed in future schooling and, later, in the modern
workplace.

Project Goals

Soma Umenye aims to achieve the
following two goals.

To
improve reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda for at least 1 million children
(unique direct beneficiaries) in public and government-aided schools in
Rwanda by the end of P3; and

To
ensure that at least 70 percent of P1-P3 students are able to read
grade-level text with fluency and comprehension.

To achieve the above goals, it
requires close collaboration with all education stakeholders under the
technical leadership of MINEDUC and REB.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The Communications Director will lead
the project’s robust communications and media campaigns, and will serve as the
external-facing member of Soma Umenye’s communications team, regularly liaising
with Rwandan news and media outlets. Additional detail on specific tasks can be
found in the below section. Specifically, the Communications Director will:

Operate
multiple media and communications platforms, coordinating the project’s
approach with several media outlets and obtaining support from all
necessary partners and stakeholders.

Work
closely with the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) staff to
gather evidence of success, document success stories, and create linkages
with local press and electronic media to broaden the media outreach for
the project.

If
needed, work with Soma Umenye partners and stakeholders to design,
implement, and manage reading campaigns.

Work
closely with USAID’s Development Outreach and Communications (DOC)
specialists to ensure the project’s alignment with USAID/Rwanda’s
communication efforts (and branding and marking guidelines).

Train
local professional staff, including subcontractor staff, in public
outreach and strategic communications methodologies and processes, and
USAID branding guidelines.

As
needed, advise technical team in effective use of video technology and SMS
(text messaging) to demonstrate and reinforce teaching techniques that
engage young readers.

Draft
and maintain appropriate communication templates, and ensure that the
project and all technical staff abide by USAID branding and marking
requirements.

Supervise
the production of press releases, one-pagers, fact sheets, and other
write-ups (ensuring USAID approval as appropriate).

Coordinate
input from government and implementing partners and subcontractors for the
development and realization of communications activities.

Work
closely with the chief of party to assist in the development of reports
and deliverables.

Establish
guidelines for project reporting, media outreach (e.g., rules of
engagement for project staff/subcontractors, authorized spokespersons, key
messages, and most effective media channels); work with the chief of party
to develop and obtain USAID approval for products and messages.

Help
plan and oversee project events such as workshops and conferences when
required (ensuring appropriate USAID approvals are secured); liaising with
other project staff as needed.

Follow
and document all media coverage related to the project.

Other
duties as assigned by the chief of party.

Job Qualifications

8-10
years of public awareness and communications experience including planning
and implementing strategic communications, public outreach, and/or social
behavior change campaigns.

Experience
with USAID branding and marking guidelines is required.

Knowledge
of local press and electronic media, and strong relationships with media
agencies and journalists.

Graphic
design experience is required.

Experience
working with international development sector organizations and/or donor
agencies is preferred.

Successful
experience designing and implementing public outreach campaigns.

Excellent
writing and editing skills in English and Kinyarwanda is required.

Master’s
degree in communications or similar relevant field is preferred. A combination
of a bachelor’s degree and the required number of years’ work experience
may substitute for a Master’s degree.