The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the world's leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Our award-winning research for development (R4D) addresses the development needs of tropical countries. We work with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. We are a nonprofit organization founded in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported by several countries. Our mission is to enhance food security and improve livelihoods in Africa through research for development (R4D). We use the R4D model in setting a research course that addresses major development problems in Africa rather than simply contributing to scientific knowledge. It has proven to be an effective mechanism for agricultural research development. We and our partners have delivered about 70% of the international research impact in sun-Saharan Africa in the last three decades.
Job Description
- The Head of Communication and Knowledge Management (HoC) leads a unified, data-driven function that shapes organizational visibility and understanding across Africa and globally.
- The role integrates corporate communication, knowledge translation, digital outreach, advocacy, and crisis communication to support institutional impact and resource mobilization.
- The HoC is responsible for designing and executing communication strategies at corporate, programmatic, and country levels, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and donor requirements.
- Key duties include overseeing content planning, production, and dissemination; strengthening stakeholder trust across governments, donors, partners, private sector, civil society, media, and the public; and managing capacity building, governance, measurement, and risk within the communication portfolio.
Main Responsibilities
The tasks of the Head of Communication and Knowledge Management will include:
Strategy & Leadership:
- Develop and execute a 3-year integrated communication strategy aligned to the institutional/corporate strategy, SDGs, AU Agenda 2063, and donor priorities.
- Lead annual communication planning, objectives, and key results (OKRs) /KPIs for corporate, programmatic, and country and regional-level communication.
- Advise the DG/Director for Strategic Planning and senior leadership on reputation, issues management, and stakeholder positioning.
- Build a high-performing team, including regional focal points and embedded program communicators.
Brand & Message Stewardship:
- Oversee the brand architecture, messaging framework, and tone of voice (organization, programs, country offices, and initiatives).
- Maintain brand guidelines, visual identity, and digital asset management (DAM) for photos, video, and templates.
- Oversee multilingual adaptation (e.g., English/French/Portuguese/Swahili) and accessibility standards.
Media, PR & Issues Management:
- Lead proactive media relations, including Africa wide and international outlets.
- Coordinate media training and talking points for leaders and scientists.
- Manage reputation issues and crises.
Research Communication & Knowledge Translation:
- Translate R&D outputs into policy briefs, technical notes, data stories, infographics, and explainer videos.
- Establish editorial calendars and peer-review/quality assurance workflows with scientists and M&E teams.
- Drive open access, FAIR data, and repository visibility, coordinate outreach for journal publications E. Digital & Web Content
- Coordinate the web and intranet roadmap (information architecture, UX, SEO, analytics, content governance).
- Lead social media strategy across priority platforms; implement listening, community management, and safety.
- Run email/newsletters, marketing automation/CRM, and campaign landing.
- Enforce content security, privacy compliance (e.g., GDPR/NDPR), and consent for media.
Stakeholder & Donor Communication:
- Partner with Resource Mobilization team to develop cases for support, donor reports, and success stories.
- Ensure donor branding and visibility compliance (e.g., FCDO, USAID, EU, AfDB, Gates Foundation, regional governments).
- Design tailored communication packages for country governments, RECs (ECOWAS, EAC, SADC, COMESA), and city/province authorities.
Internal Communication & Culture:
- Organize and manage internal channels (town halls, intranet, staff newsletters, communities of practice).
- Support change communication for institutional initiatives.
Events, Campaigns & Thought Leadership:
- Oversee Africa wide and global events: flagship conferences, science weeks, field or farmers days, exhibitions, webinars.
- Produce executive speeches, op-eds, and thought leadership series aligned to strategic themes.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL):
- Set up a comms MEL framework with baselines and quarterly reviews.
- Establish dashboards for channel performance, media share of voice, web analytics, engagement quality, and policy/uptake evidence.
Governance, Ethics & Compliance:
- Safeguard policies for dignity, child protection, and do-no-harm storytelling.
- Ensure compliance with intellectual property, image rights, data privacy, and research ethics.
- Manage procurement, vendor frameworks, and annual comms budget.
Collaboration:
Internal Collaboration:
- Work closely with senior leadership to align communication priorities with strategic objectives.
- Collaborate with research, programs, country offices, resource mobilization, and monitoring & evaluation teams to ensure coherent communication flows.
- Support internal communication to enhance staff engagement and organizational cohesion.
External Collaboration:
- Engage proactively with media, donors, partners, and stakeholders to amplify the organization’s work.
- Coordinate with global and regional communication networks and partners for joint campaigns and initiatives.
- Represent the organization in external platforms, events, and strategic partnerships.
Core Competencies:
- Strategic thinking and systems design
- Influencing and stakeholder engagement at senior levels
- Editorial judgment and storytelling
- Data literacy and ROI orientation
- Team leadership, mentoring, and vendor management
- Cultural intelligence and inclusivity
- Resilience under pressure; sound risk judgment
Requirements
Educational Qualifications and Experience:
- Master’s Degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Policy, International Development, or related field; or Bachelor’s plus substantial leadership experience.
- 10–15+ years in integrated communication with 5+ years leading multi-country teams.
- Proven public affairs/media experience across Africa; crisis and issues management expertise.
- Demonstrated success translating scientific/technical research for policy and practitioner audiences.
- Strong command of digital ecosystems (web CMS/SharePoint/WordPress, analytics, SEO, social, CRM/marketing automation, digital asset management (DAM, Adobe CC).
- Excellent writing/editing; multicultural fluency is an advantage.
Salary and Work Condition
- The contract will be for a period of three years, with the possibility of renewal contingent upon the availability of funds and the candidate's performance.
- IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.
Method of Application
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