Communications Manager

Organization – Adeso: African Development Solutions, adesoafrica.org

Position – Communications Manager

Reporting To – Director of Programs and Operations

Working Closely With – Senior Leadership, Communications Team and Program Teams

Location – Remote (+/- 2 hours from East Africa Time)

Duration – 1 year

Starting Date – Immediately

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Adeso is a vibrant African-based development and humanitarian organization. At Adeso, we work with African communities that are on the path toward realizing their full potential by working inside these communities to create environments in which Africans can thrive. We work to prevent and overcome situations that adversely affect community well-being by: reinvigorating the economy, developing skills for life and work, providing humanitarian aid, and influencing policy. For the past 30 years, we have strengthened rural livelihoods through environmental awareness, training, technology transfer, and innovative humanitarian projects in pursuit of a peaceful, self-reliant, and greener future.

Currently, Adeso has programs in Somalia. In addition, Adeso has proven itself to be one of the foremost leaders in the ongoing global effort to decolonize the humanitarian and development aid system. Adeso currently leads coalitions to re-imagine aid to shift power, resources, and decision making toward Global South communities where they will ultimately be the most effective, enduring and transformative. Adeso is a great place to work that is currently experiencing managed rapid growth. We have great benefits, a great team, and we pride ourselves on our opportunities for personal growth and development.

POSITION SUMMARY

This is a pivotal time for Adeso, as we continue to provide direct programming in Somalia, we are becoming more strategic with our advocacy and influencing efforts at the global level. Adeso needs strategic communications support as we endeavor to build a wider global presence. The successful candidate will have a drive for systems change and doing aid differently as well as an understanding of how to authentically tell the stories for our direct programming in Somalia.

SPECIFIC SCOPE OF WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Overhauling Adeso website content: Working with the Communications team to review and overhaul Adeso website content to make content more concise and engaging to a wide range of audiences.

Storytelling: Adeso is a complex and multifaceted organization doing big things within our direct programming in Somalia, but also at the global level in Systems Change work, doing Advocacy and Influencing as well as creating real solutions to the real barriers to providing more direct funds from donors directly to local organizations in the Global South. Degan Ali is Adeso’s Executive Director, and a thought leader in the Decolonizing Aid movement. We need to refine these stories and increase Adeso’s and Degan’s followers on all Social Media platforms.

Overall Communications Strategy Development: This means helping us come up with calendar, content and strategy for our new Website, Social Media, Email Messages, Marketing/Fundraising Ideas, Collateral (such as Annual Report), etc.

• Lead the production of Adeso’s Annual Report
• Growing social media followers for Adeso
• Assist with content creation for Adeso’s new website
• Message Development: A thorough look into all the projects and thematic areas that Adeso works in and help us tell our story from all avenues and to different audiences and stakeholders
• Edit and create content for all of the programs and projects that Adeso is currently working on
• Create a content calendar for our team to use on social media
• Help the team develop fundraising ideas through website, social media and email listservs.

Access to major media outlets: We feel that there is a major gap in the general public’s knowledge on how broken the current aid system is.

• Help publish articles in major media outlets
• Positioning Adeso’s Executive Director as a thought leader and getting her interviewed in major media outlets with quotes and mentions of her and Adeso
• Get access to be interviewed on a range of podcasts
• We see Adeso and Degan Ali, in particular, as a fundamental voice in myriad target audiences ranging from philanthropy, international development, aid, decolonization, locally led development, African leaders, Climate Justice, Racial Equity, and more. Help Adeso to reach a more general audience, in both North America as well as Europe**.**

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in journalism, public relations, communications, marketing, advertising.
• Experience dealing with media outlets an added advantage.
• Proven track record of published works.
• Experience living and/or working in the Horn of Africa.
• A willingness to travel to Puntland, Somalia.
• Experience working remotely and coordinating activities across multiples time zones.
• Background in support-related field such as communications, PR, social media with the ability to interact with people online and understand how online trust works.
• Extremely strong written communication skills and ability to communicate ideas and concepts digitally. Ability to create content and work with others to create content.
• Comfortable using a wide range of digital platforms (email, slack, Twitter, WhatsApp, Zoom, WordPress) and experience with a range of online community platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn).
• Flexible and adaptable with a high level of empathy and the ability to connect with people at all levels of the organization.
• Knowledge of the Somali language is a plus.