Senior Communications Officer, Impact Partnerships

Marketing & Mobilization

Marketing & Mobilization (M&M) is a diverse team that is tasked with building the IRC’s global profile and brand, supporting the growth of private revenue from deeper donor engagement and partnerships, and influencing our target audiences. The team is responsible for all of IRC’s brand, communications, creative and content and digital engagement efforts.

Job Overview/Job Summary

The Global Programs & Partnerships communications team, is part of the Marketing & Mobilization (M&M) department. The team works to showcase our programmatic and technical excellence, as well as support and highlight IRC’s partnerships with the private and philanthropic sectors and high value donors. Working in collaboration across IRC teams with interdependent objectives and strategies, the team leads communication that spotlights philanthropic partnerships and programmatic impact.

As a key member of the M&M team, the Senior Global Communications, Impact Partnerships role will develop and lead communication strategies that deliver global visibility around impact partnerships like PlayMatters, Re:Build and Ahlan Simsim.

Working closely with M&M colleagues, the global partnership services, philanthropy and high value teams, the role will further support the communications needs within an existing portfolio of foundation partners, working to spotlight impact and scale. The position will also help drive forward coordinated communications campaigns around key moments like World Refugee Day or International Women’s Day. The post-holder will play a key role in developing the strategies for and coordinating the delivery of select integrated campaigns.

Major Responsibilities

• Develop and implement communications strategies for highlighting our innovative partnerships like PlayMatters, Re:Build and Ahlan Simsim.
• Coordinate and support communications staff within key partnerships (PlayMatters, Re:Build) to deliver on donor and program visibility requirements and resources.
• Deliver strategic advice, media stories, communications activities as well handle any potential reputation risks for select partnerships.
• Identify and champion communications opportunities internally and externally for existing and potential partners.
• Develop business-to-consumer messaging, craft simple and compelling narratives based on complex themes and ensure internal dissemination and awareness.
• Own relationships with key communications staff in partner organizations, and work with them to find opportunities as well as handle expectations and the delivery agreed outputs.
• Collaborate with internal partnership relationship focal points to identify potential profile-raising opportunities within broader partnership conversations.
• Contribute to proposals to potential partners, including providing creative ideas, strategic advice, tactical approaches and plans for measurement and evaluation.
• Work with colleagues in M&M, as well as across Fundraising, Policy & Advocacy, and other IRC teams to plan integrated campaigns around key moments like World Refugee Day or End of Year campaigns.

Job requirements

• Genuine excitement about the notion of bringing our amazing stories to new audiences.
• 6+ years in Consumer and/or Brand communications in the NGO or Cause-Marketing sectors
• Private sector experience or agency preferred.
• A creative problem solver who’s able to navigate complexity and ambiguity to get to the heart of and cultivate a great story.
• A seasoned media relations professional with relationships with tier-one media, and an ability to form new relationships.
• An experienced generalist who thinks about and drives Communications across channels, e.g., video, digital, social, internal and media.
• A strategist, planner and do-er, i.e., someone who has a proven record of developing creative ideas and campaigns and drive implementation.
• A history of working on profile-raising, dynamic public-private and/or luminary/celebrity campaigns, and a comfort level engaging with and providing counsel.
• Experience of leading projects and collaborating with multiple internal and external partners.
• Superior Communications “hard skills,” e.g., a terrific writer with a demonstrated ability to develop, pitch and secure feature media coverage.

Working Environment:

• Nairobi or London based but working in a hybrid environment with the option of remote work a few days a week. Needs to be available to work occasionally on a EST US time zone.

IRC considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. IRC encourages applications from the communities we serve: women, survivors of violence or displacement, migrants and returnees, refugees, LGBTQ+ population.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.