Job Description
JOB TITLE: Communications Co-ordinator
REPORTS TO: Programme Manager
STAFF REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: None
LOCATION: Nairobi with regular/frequent travel to the field sites
DURATION & HOURS: Fixed term, full-time, renewable based on performance and
availability of funds.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Communications and Marketing Officer plays a key role in devising and implementing
the communications strategy of the Kenya country office. The officer contributes to the global
communications team and serves as the primary point of contact for the External Relations
team in-country. S/he provides key support to Farm Africa Programmes and the Nairobi
team on strategic communications. He/she also works to identify key audiences, build new
partnerships (including with the media and private sector), and build capacity across the
Farm Africa team in Kenya to communicate effectively.
KEY TASKS AND RESPONIBILITIES
1. Raise the profile of Farm Africa’s work in Kenya to support the Farm Africa
organisational strategy and the Kenya country strategy (40%):
Undertake a comprehensive stakeholder mapping to identify target audiences,
messages, and communication formats in Kenya.
Develop and implement a communications/marketing action plan and media
strategy that profiles the impact of Farm Africa’s work in Kenya.
Build and maintain a Farm Africa external contacts database.
Prepare and produce marketing materials in liaison with the project coordinators and
management staff, including creating key messages for each project and country wide.
Work with project coordinators to develop public relations and communications
activities related to specific project initiatives.
Ensure consistent application of Farm Africa branding and communications guidelines
across all Farm Africa Kenya communications.
Lead new approaches to creating and distributing multimedia content, drafting press
releases, responding to media enquiries, and building dialogue with journalists to
promote Farm Africa’s work.
Assist in the documentation and publicity of key Farm Africa events such as project
field days, workshops, launches, interviews and agricultural shows.
Advise on public materials to be translated into Kiswahili and oversee effective
translation and publication.
Liaise with government, partners, and especially the private sector at county and
national level to ensure appropriate audience outreach and to market Farm Africa
widely.
Design and create innovative promotional materials including reports, factsheets,
graphics, PowerPoint presentations, note cards, flyers, etc.
2. Contribute to organisation-wide Farm Africa communication activities (25%):
Coordinate communication activities with other members of the global communications
team based in London and Addis Ababa.
Work with UK communications to manage the Kenya sections of Farm Africa websit.
Work with project coordinators to develop, implement and maintain online content for
the website, such as blogposts and news stories, and content for social media
platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Support effective internal communications by ensuring appropriate materials are
available for the wider programmes teams.
Assist with donor and consultant reports, including copy editing, formatting, designing
covers and graphics, preparing short summary briefs, etc.
Create and deliver content – stories, photos, video, quotes, and other information
that helps the organization build and nurture relationships with donors and the
general public, globally.
Design, write and edit publications such as newsletters, annual report, brochures,
policy planning reports, etc.
Ensure that all content deliverables comply with branding guidelines, data protection,
safeguarding standards, donors’ visibility requirements and other controls in the
organisation.
3. Assist with global fundraising (20%)
Contribute to the global External Relations team by identifying, collecting and
updating case studies and stories from the field.
Generate compelling marketing collateral to support Farm Africa fundraising
initiatives in country.
Collect high resolution images that demonstrate Farm Africa’s work and successes
and ensure they are accessible across the organisation by uploading them to the
organisation’s photo library.
Assist with promotional field visits by the External Relations team, supporters and
others, covering advance planning with project staff and beneficiaries and as
appropriate, accompanying the field visit.
4. Build the communications capacity of Farm Africa staff in Kenya more broadly
to implement a sustainable communications and marketing strategy (15%)
Help in selecting and rolling out existing or new internal communications tools (in
partnership with Monitoring Evaluation & Learning and IT), and train senior leaders
and staff in effective communications techniques and usage of tools. Support
internal response to crisis situations which affect and the organisation’s reputation.
Develop and deliver training to staff on presentation skills, photography,
promotional writing, strategic messaging etc.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Desirable
Education, qualifications & other knowledge
Degree level qualification in relevant area eg
communications, journalism, public
relations, graphic design or related field.
Experience in photography and capturing
images for promotional purposes
Knowledge and a good command of English
and Kiswahili languages, design and editing
tools eg in Design, Photoshop, PowerPoint,
etc.
Experience
Three years’ related experience in a
communications, media or marketing job
Prior experience with an NGO or private
sector company, ideally with linkages to the
agriculture sector
Skills & abilities
Core communications skills
-Proficiency in written and spoken English
(excellent oral, presentation, writing/editing
and facilitating skills).
-Ability to think strategically and clearly, with
a capacity for creativity and innovation
-Ability to express complex material and/or
messages clearly in words and graphics
across a wide range of media, including
reports, presentations, workshops, and
video
-Interview skills for case study gathering.
IT-related knowledge
-An understanding of key IT applications
related to the job: desktop publishing,
photography, videography and editing skills,
Advanced PowerPoint.
-Proficiency with new media and web
applications – eg Instagram, LinkedIn,
Twitter, Facebook etc.
Delivery focus
-Commitment to quality and results
-Time management and ability to work on
own initiative (Comfortable in managing
deadlines and expectations, and juggling
across multiple projects and priorities)
-An ability to work well independently, within
a team environment
-A willingness to travel to the field, often to
remote locations of Kenya and occasionally
internationally
Building relationships
-Strong interpersonal skills
-Excellent networking skills, building
collaborative relationships, often with new
partners
-Influencing and negotiating skills
-An understanding of the private sector in
Kenya
-Ability to be an ambassador for Farm Africa
-Be prepared to travel to isolated rural areas
-An ability to empathise and communicate
effectively with Farm Africa’s multitude of
clients/partners: poor rural smallholder
farmers, government officials, company
executives, etc.
-An understanding of key rural development
and poverty issues in Kenya is desirable,
although Farm Africa provides
comprehensive induction
Our values
Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm
Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and
developing businesses in rural Africa.
EXPERT: Expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything
Farm Africa does.
GROUNDED: Our teams and partners work closely with local communities, engaging them
in every level of decision-making..
IMPACTFUL: We deliver long-lasting change for farmers, their families and their
environments..
BOLD: We model innovative approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are
failing..