The Communications Officer, Rapid Response, Africa will be a key member of the global Strategic Communications team. They will have a passion for proactive management of foundation reputation in earned media, and leading strategic efforts to anticipate, mitigate, and react to reputational risk issues in African markets and contribute to global issue management. They will coordinate with teams across the foundation, including other Communications colleagues in the Africa Regional Office, and with Gates Foundation affiliate organizations, grantees and partners in their approach to earned media engagement.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\tThe position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, and report to the Deputy Director, Strategic Communications,\u00a0and will partner in\u00a0supporting\u00a0on all\u00a0aspects of\u00a0cross-foundation risk management\u00a0efforts\u00a0across programs, advocacy, legal, finance,\u00a0operations\u00a0and\u00a0leadership\u00a0offices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What You\u2019ll Do<\/p>\n
\tIdentify\u00a0and develop issue shaping\u00a0and rapid response\u00a0communications\u00a0plans\u00a0to mitigate potential programmatic and reputational risk across\u00a0African\u00a0markets,\u00a0particularly\u00a0Nigeria, Kenya, South\u00a0Africa,\u00a0Senegal,\u00a0Ethiopia\u00a0and\u00a0Rwanda.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\tWork with program and policy teams\u00a0to\u00a0anticipate\u00a0comms\u00a0risks related to program priorities, policy developments, and key country milestones.\u00a0
\n\tManage\u00a0rapid-response\u00a0communications during breaking news, emergencies, or reputational risks across African markets, delivering\u00a0clear,\u00a0accurate\u00a0messaging\u00a0under tight deadlines\u00a0and in coordination with regional and global\u00a0comms leadership.\u00a0
\n\tMonitor media, social, and political\u00a0developments\u00a0across\u00a0African regions\u00a0to\u00a0anticipate\u00a0issues,\u00a0flag risks\u00a0early,\u00a0identify\u00a0mis\/disinformation,\u00a0and\u00a0inform real-time communications strategies.\u00a0
\n\tDraft and deploy high-quality statements, Q&As, talking points, and reactive content aligned with regional context, cultural nuance, and organizational priorities.\u00a0
\n\tCoordinate closely with\u00a0global and\u00a0regional teams\u00a0and external partners to ensure consistent messaging across countries, languages, and platforms.\u00a0
\n\tSupport crisis preparedness\u00a0by\u00a0maintaining\u00a0response\u00a0playbooks,\u00a0scenario\u00a0planning,\u00a0messaging,\u00a0training\/simulations,\u00a0and\u00a0post-incident analyses to strengthen future rapid-response efforts.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bYour Experience<\/p>\n
\tBachelor\u2019s degree\u00a0in relevant discipline or equivalent professional experience.
\n\t8-10 years of\u00a0senior level experience\u00a0in strategic communications, executive communication, journalism, public affairs, or\u00a0crisis\/rapid-response\u00a0roles,\u00a0in\u00a0African\u00a0contexts.\u00a0
\n\tA track record of developing and executing reputation strategies,\u00a0monitoring risks and managing crises, and advising leadership on risks and opportunities.
\n\tDemonstrated rapid-response experience, producing\u00a0clear,\u00a0accurate\u00a0communications\u00a0under intense time pressure during breaking news or high-risk\u00a0situations.\u00a0Ability\u00a0to manage media inquiries and interact with journalists.
\n\tExceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to distill complex, sensitive issues into concise, credible messaging.\u00a0
\n\tDeep understanding of African political, social, and media landscapes, including regional nuance and cross-country dynamics.\u00a0
\n\tStrong media and digital\u00a0monitoring\u00a0expertise, including social media,\u00a0misinformation\/disinformation,\u00a0and emerging narrative risks.\u00a0
\n\tProven judgment in high-stakes environments, with the ability to assess risk, make sound decisions quickly, and escalate appropriately.<\/p>\n
Apply Through:<\/p>\n
.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_promoted":"","_job_location":"","_application":"http:\/\/.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com","_company_name":"Gates Foundation","_company_website":"http:\/\/N%20\/%20A","_company_tagline":"Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to\u202fcreate impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the ... read moreUnited States, we aim to ensure that everyone\u2014especially those with the fewest resources\u2014has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life.\u202fBased in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board. \u202f","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_filled":0,"_featured":0,"_remote_position":0,"_job_salary":"","_job_salary_currency":"","_job_salary_unit":""},"job_listing_region":[692],"job-categories":[800,693,696],"job-types":[687],"class_list":{"0":"post-93781","1":"job_listing","2":"type-job_listing","3":"status-publish","4":"hentry","5":"job_listing_region-nairobi","7":"job-type-full-time"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings\/93781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/job_listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"job_listing_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_region?post=93781"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-categories?post=93781"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-types?post=93781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}