Director of Strategic Communications

Crisis Group is hiring for a senior role to promote and position the organisation as a preeminent conflict prevention and mitigation organisation. You will develop and implement clear, innovative and effective annual communications strategies that not only promote Crisis Group’s analysis and policy ideas across the areas we work but also, crucially, enhance brand awareness, raise the global profile of Crisis Group’s mission and case for support and build a global community around it.

You provide leadership, direction and oversight to the global communications department. Together with your team, you are key contributors to the impact of Crisis Group by developing its presence on international news media as well as social media, in public forums, online events, podcasts, and digital communications channels. You report to the Chief of External Affairs, and work closely with the President & CEO and Crisis Group leadership.

Key responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Chief of External Affairs, develop and implement a proactive, forward-looking integrated strategic communications strategy that promotes International Crisis Group’s brand and reputation, enhances its visibility and raises awareness of our mission, methodology and impact;
• Develop the communication department’s goals and metrics to drive, track and measure progress;
• Play a leading role in designing and executing short-term, high-impact marketing and advocacy campaigns that promote our recommendations, thought leadership and support our fundraising and recruitment goals;
• Develop and execute a “positioning strategy” with compelling and persuasive key messages about Crisis Group’s position as the top nonprofit organisation dedicated to saving lives by preventing, mitigating and ending deadly conflict;
• Improve Crisis Group’s agile response to media or social media moments that relate to our mandate, especially tied to conflict emergencies and key advocacy opportunities;
• Keep abreast of communication and marketing trends, and identify opportunities to continually improve our techniques and tools that influence our supporters, volunteers, and advocacy targets;
• Identify and strengthen effective communication methods and vehicles to close gaps in messaging and broaden message delivery to new and existing constituents;
• Oversee the development, editorial direction, design and production of high-quality, effective, electronic, web digital and print communications that support the communications strategy;
• To accomplish the objectives of the communications department, hire, mentor, lead, and evaluate a team of staff, while promoting a healthy working environment;
• Make recommendations for new avenues of study/experimentation by the Communications team.

Requirements include:

• 10-15 years of relevant communications related work experience, including in developing and implementing communications strategies for a global audience and a relevant bachelor’s degree or MA;
• Proven expertise in identifying opportunities for and constructing high-impact campaigns on topics of global relevance;
• At least five years of experience supervising and leading a team;
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills; English required, French desirable;
• Strong networks or ability to build them with editorial boards of major media outlets;
• Ability to think creatively and collaboratively about all elements of communications work;
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”;
• High energy, maturity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both the strategic and tactical levels;
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills with a self-aware and analytic approach;
• Strong interpersonal, management and leadership skills with the ability to integrate international and remote teams;
• Broad project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once.