AVP, Global Communications

POSTING: AVP Global Communications-Public Affairs

LOCATION: UK or Kenya

REPORTS TO: VP, Public Affairs

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: Up to 50% local and international travel

POSTING DEADLINE: This position will close at 9:00am EDT, Monday, November 21

SALARY: If based in the UK, anticipated starting base annual gross salary range is £117,000-130,000. If based in Kenya, anticipated starting base annual gross salary range is $135,000-$149,000

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The END Fund is the world’s leading collaborative philanthropic investment vehicle dedicated to controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases – including intestinal worms, river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis – that affect over 1.7 billion people globally. The END Fund’s vision is to ensure people can live healthy and prosperous lives free of the risk of NTDs and has set out to accomplish this by:

– Mobilizing and investing resources for maximum impact,

– Advocating for innovative, integrated and cost-effective NTD programs; and

– Facilitating philanthropic and private sector engagement to end these diseases.

By engaging a community of activist-philanthropists and taking a systems approach, the END Fund works in collaboration with governments, local and international NGOs, pharmaceutical companies, and academic partners on the global campaign to control and eliminate the most prevalent NTDs by 2030.

Since our founding in 2012 through 2021, with our partners, the END Fund has provided over 1.2 billion treatments for NTDs worth more than $1.5 billion. In 2021 alone, we reached more than 118.2 million people with more than 193.7 million NTD treatments. The END Fund works globally in 25 countries, with a primary emphasis in Africa.

You can learn more about the END Fund here.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Associate Vice President, Global Communications will work closely with the Vice President, Public Affairs to design, then oversee the strategy and execution of an expanded communications, marketing, and outreach plan. They will also lead efforts to develop and implement thought leadership content and strategy used globally in order to support the positioning of the END Fund, reflect our breadth of capabilities, and create a receptive audience for our fundraising and programs teams to engage with. They will also oversee and participate directly in a newly elevated events-based strategy to continue to strengthen the END Fund brand and fulfil its natural role as a convener of various stakeholders across the NTD ecosystem. A natural team player, the Associate Vice President, Global Communications will enjoy working collaboratively with the END Fund’s fundraising, programs, and advocacy colleagues and will work closely with the CEO and members of the Senior Leadership Team to facilitate their effective involvement in achieving the new strategy.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES

Brand Ambassadorship

-Serve as one of the primary stewards of the END Fund brand including:

-Acting as a primary spokesperson for the END Fund alongside its Senior Leadership and –Board of Directors, regularly representing the organization at events (as emcee, speaker, and panelist) and at high level strategic meetings

-Enhancing meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences to advance the END Fund’s position with relevant constituents

-Ensuring consistent language and brand voice across all external-facing materials and products

-Ensure the END Fund is telling its story in an authentic and compelling way that focuses on people.

-Act as the main communications point of contact for donors which includes:

-Reporting on communications activities in fulfilment of grant requirements

-Creating strategies to show donors how their investments are being used

-Identify significant media and public policy issues that can be leveraged to support the END Fund’s work, and create and implement plans to leverage them

-Manage crisis communications for the organization and serve as executive editor for the organization’s public content

Global Communications Strategy

-Develop, refine, and execute an integrated strategic communications and marketing plan which includes corporate brand stewardship, media relations, partnership campaigns, and digital and traditional marketing. Ensure communications and marketing activities reinforce and assist the END Fund’s mission and that best practices are followed. In concert with the Public Affairs team, use data to inform activities.

-Lead the END Fund’s thought leadership strategy including the full use of the organization’s “leadership voice” and the various staff and Board members it comprises. This requires close collaboration with varied internal and external leaders to create and disseminate content locally, regionally, and internationally in support of the abovementioned overarching communications strategy.

-Closely collaborate with Investor Relations team colleagues in order to synchronize team activities in support of our fundraising goals. Develop a high-functioning mechanism whereby the public affairs team can act as a more effective service provider to our fundraising workstreams, and feedback those contributions through donor reporting processes accordingly.

-Drive the development of a targeted media strategy that directly bolsters fundraising efforts by elevating the brand and influence of the END Fund in the eyes of donors through strategic channels and by leveraging existing and new campaigns (e.g. Giving Tuesday, end of year giving, adventure fundraising, and events).

Events and Strategic Partnerships

-Work closely with the Vice President of Public Affairs and other members of Senior Leadership to develop proactive and strategic event-based communication strategies, acting as a primary liaison with global strategic partners including donors and governments around the creation of high profile events.

-Oversee strategic communications partnerships with other entities who can promote our values, facilitate our communication goals, and introduce us to new and influential audiences.

-Participate in partnership campaigns to encourage inclusion of NTD and private philanthropy messaging at high-level events and on influential platforms.

-Work with implementing partners and ministries of health to help build communications capacity, enabling better storytelling and communication back to the donors about their investments

Team Management

-Manage and mentor a high-performing team of staff and vendors that will support strategy and execute against key work streams in marketing, digital, media engagement, storytelling, and other functions. Ensure quality and consistency across all external materials by setting clear expectations and deadlines, providing needed resources for project completion, monitoring progress, and serving as a coach and mentor to the team.

-Oversee and manage a global communications budget that appropriately amplifies the overarching work and impact of the organization and is comprised in part by a series of grant- or fund-specific sub-budgets.

-Champion the ongoing improvement of the END Fund’s position on issues related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring they consistently inform our language, actions, and organizational culture.

QUALIFICATIONS

• • Minimum 15 years of experience in strategic communications, with demonstrable experience in and a strong passion for public sector or health related campaigns
    – Minimum 7 years of public ambassadorship
    – Demonstrable experience designing and executing public-facing and private events with fundraising and brand-building outcomes
    – Demonstrable experience developing and executing targeted media strategies with fundraising outcomes
    – Graduate degree in strategic communications, marketing, media, or a relevant discipline
    – Strong collaborative team-work experience, including experience playing a leadership role in a large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiative Exemplary communication skills, both verbal and written, in English required, French preferred
    – Ability to translate technical material and distill programmatic learnings for both technical and non-technical audiences; experience reporting to philanthropic or bilateral donors preferred
    – Proactive communicator and collaborator who enjoys working in a dynamic, evolving, cross-cultural, globally distributed team
    – Passionate about philanthropy and public health, with a global mindset and perspective
    – Proficient knowledge in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Google products (Drive, Mail, Calendar); comfortable working virtually on a globally dispersed team
    – Work authorization in either UK or Kenya required
    – Willingness and ability to travel up to 50%

OUR PHILOSOPHY AND BENEFITS

The END Fund is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. It is our policy and intent that all qualified persons be given full and equal opportunities for employment, training, promotions, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment.

The END Fund offers a competitive compensation package intended to motivate employees to perform at the highest level by acquiring superior skills and competencies. Our philosophy is shaped by the following guidelines: 1) understandable, 2) fair and defensible, 3) competitive, and 4) flexible.

The END Fund is at an exciting stage of organizational growth and we are rapidly expanding our global footprint in order to bring on the most talented team members to help advance our mission. Currently, the majority of our team is based in the United States. We maintain physical headquarters in New York City, and other team members work from their homes across the US, Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

To ensure all compensation and benefits package offers are fair, defensible and competitive, the END Fund relies on external benchmarking data that is both role and country-specific. In the United States, we have a comprehensive salary structure that covers all roles, departments and functions; in other countries, benchmarking data is secured on an as-needed basis to inform offer packages. An offer will be informed by country-specific market data.

Our benefits packages are also informed by local contexts to ensure appropriateness and competitiveness within specific markets. Regardless of location, all END Fund team members receive cell phone and WiFi connectivity support, flexible work arrangements, a healthy annual professional development allowance, and more. In the United States, the END Fund offers 100% employer-paid health and life insurance benefits and twelve weeks fully paid family care leave; similar benefits will vary modestly by country of residency.