Mercy Corps Advocacy and Communications Manager Job in Nairobi Kenya

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 82 nations.

Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach 9 million people in more than 40 countries.

Over the last five years, more than 90 percent of the agency's resources have been allocated directly to programs that help people in need.

Mercy Corps has recently been awarded a 3-year program under USAID’s Yes Youth Can initiative, covering six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast.

The core of this program is a Youth Innovate for Change Fund (YICF), which will be a youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed financial facility to support local solutions for community economic development as it grows in value.

This program aims to appropriately empower Kenyan youth (15-30yrs) to strengthen their socio-economic and political stakes through youth-led and managed initiatives and institutions.

The YICF will in the first three years provide sustainable financial and skills development assistance to approximately 200,000 youth through a variety of youth-identified social and economic community development projects.

We are currently recruiting for qualified internal and external candidates to fill the following position.

Advocacy and Communications Manager

Nairobi

1 Position

General Position Summary

Working under the direction of the Chief of Party (COP), the Advocacy and Communications Manager is responsible for communicating to the Kenyan society the mission and objectives YICF as well as the benefits and value proposition by the fund to improving youth livelihoods.

The post holder will be responsible for positioning the program (YICF) nationally as one that:

• Delivers practical and real benefits to enterprising Kenyan youth. The YICF’s priority return on investment is sustainable jobs for the youth
• Campaigns for positive change and proactive youth leadership

The position is responsible for creating and leading public awareness and advocacy campaigns in Kenya on issues that are critical to improving livelihoods and creating jobs for youth through the YICF.

The Advocacy and Communications Manager will develop and disseminate YICF key messaging to the Kenyan society, the media, government, NGOs and other key players/stakeholders in the field of youth socio-economic development.

In doing so, the Advocacy and Communications Manager will participate and develop public engagement campaigns involving media, provision of high quality and publicly accessible materials.

Essential Job Functions

• Responsible for all media communications of YICF
• Oversee the development of a web portal for YICF. The portal, to be known as Kenyan Citizen Youth Corps, will be an on-line information portal to virtually connect young Kenyans around the country, including Kenyans living and studying/working in the diaspora.
• Oversee the incubation of a Youth Think Tank to be established under the YICF. The Youth Think Tank will facilitate establishment of a broad-based youth policy that create a more enabling environment for youth enterprises, youth employment and youth civic engagement.
• Understand YICF corporate advocacy priorities. Develop and manage the areas of public awareness and advocacy, media relations, public relations, events, marketing and advertising that engage the Kenyan public.
• Leads the development highly effective communications charter for YICF team
• Creates and executes an innovative and competent long-term strategy and annual action plan for advocacy and communications for YICF, also ensuring adequate coordination with MC Kenya CD and Communications team in Washington DC and New York.
• Produce information materials on YICF addressed to different audiences in Kenya
• Ensures a continuous media coverage for YICF as well as oversight and support to digital media coverage
• Represent YICF to the media, government institutions and other NGOs (whenever appropriate) and develops relationships with key contacts in those groups
• Works closely with fundraising team and portal administrator to ensure full integration of fundraising and communication within YICF and the maximization of donors
• Ensure full communication through mass and reliable networks in order to ensure appropriate public and private sector support of YICF
• Oversee accountability of program results to communities
• Generate periodic analytical reports on emerging trends and developments as well as challenges within the external environment that would have direct or indirect effect on implementation and/or sustainability of YICF
• Develop links in the NGO community, government institutions, media, private sector, civil society and other bodies to generate awareness for YICF
• Communicate top success stories from YICF intervention to the Kenyan society and appropriate global forum

Supervisory Responsibility: N/A

Accountability Reports Directly To: Chief of Party (COP)

Works Directly With: COP, Deputy Chief of Party, Fund Manager, Field Project Officers, Grants Manager, Investment Officers

Knowledge and Experience:

• 3-5 years professional experience working as a competent journalist Or similar experience in a PR or communications department with a reputable institution;
• Degree level or equivalent in communications (and media)
• Experience in developing and implementing communications strategies
• Proven track record of developing media contacts
• New and digital media experience highly desirable
• Proven ability to work with and influence senior decision makers in government, corporations and private sector
• International experience desired

Success Factors

• Proven excellent writing and communication skills
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Familiarity with the media networks in Kenya
• Familiarity with Kenyan civil society and youth networks
• Understanding of the dynamics of the root causes of youth unrest, conflict and under-employment/unemployment
• Good understanding of development issues.
• Proven competency in high tier networking and diplomacy, persuasive nature and public speaking
• Ability to understand and articulate the mission and objectives of a program or organization
• Maturity of judgment, resilience and personal presence
• Good time management and personal organization skills
• Commitment to the aim of YICF to serve the under-served Kenyan youth

Organizational Learning

As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter, a four (4) pager detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a current or/and previous supervisor) to hr@ke.mercycorps.org on or before August 9, 2011 4.00 p.m.

Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject the position that she/he is applying for i.e. “Application for the Position of Advocacy and Communication Manager”.

Applications without a subject heading will be disqualified.

Please do not attach any certificates.

Only qualified short-listed candidates will be contacted

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