Overview
IMPACT is seeking a dynamic, strategic Global Communications Manager/Director to lead the organization’s brand, voice, and communications strategy, expanding its reach and influence among key stakeholders. As a member of the leadership team, they oversee 1 direct report, work with 5 in-country communications officers across Africa, and manage external vendors and consultants. They are responsible for shaping IMPACT’s organizational voice and advancing its communications priorities within available resources.
The successful candidate is both a strategic leader and a hands-on practitioner: comfortable advising senior leaders, coaching team members, and delivering communications products directly. They bring creativity, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach to strengthening IMPACT’s visibility, reputation, and engagement.
The role involves frequent collaboration across West and East Africa time zones, and the successful candidate must read, write, and speak proficiently in both English and French.
Key Responsibilities
Global Communications Leadership
- Lead the Global Communications Team in developing and implementing IMPACT’s Global Communications Strategy, annual workplan, and budget, overseeing the editorial calendar and prioritizing initiatives aligned with organizational objectives and resources.
- Provide leadership across all communications functions — brand management, marketing, media relations, digital communications, publications, and content development — to produce compelling, audience-focused communications that showcase IMPACT’s expertise and impact.
- Strengthen IMPACT's brand positioning and visibility across global, regional, and national audiences, including affiliated service offerings such as Bloom by IMPACT.
- Safeguard coherence between IMPACT's public positioning and messaging from affiliated entities, ensuring consistent, aligned communications across the organization.
Country & Project Communications Leadership
- Provide strategic direction to in-country Communications Officers in the development and implementation of project and country-level communications strategies, workplans, and budgets aligned with organizational priorities.
- Build in-country communications capacity, mentoring officers so they can independently produce and approve routine materials; currently hold direct approval authority, delegating sign-off as capacity grows and reserving direct review for high-visibility or high-risk materials.
- Ensure coherent messaging, storytelling, and visual identity across regions and projects.
- Coordinate across global and country teams to balance competing priorities and maximize communications opportunities.
Strategic Leadership
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the Executive Director and leadership team on communications strategy, stakeholder engagement, reputation management, and organizational positioning.
- Identify opportunities to elevate IMPACT’s profile through thought leadership, policy engagement, media outreach, and strategic partnerships, informed by emerging trends and stakeholder expectations.
- Lead crisis communications planning and provide strategic counsel during issues that may affect IMPACT's reputation or operations.
- Contribute as an active member of the leadership team, supporting organizational planning, change management, and cross-functional initiatives.
People Leadership and Organizational Capacity
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing communications team, establishing clear goals, performance expectations, and professional development opportunities.
- Build organization-wide communications capacity through training, tools, guidance, and best practices.
- Promote strong collaboration across teams including communications, policy, research, program and M&E, to support organizational objectives.
- Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in communications practices, storytelling, and team culture.
Qualifications and Skills required
Qualifications, Expertise and Essential Skills:
- Master’s degree or equivalent in communications, journalism, international development, or a related social science, with 7+ years of progressive communications experience, including 3–5 years of people management, preferably within an international non-profit.
- Proven track record developing and implementing communications strategies and leveraging storytelling to increase organizational visibility, engagement, and impact.
- Extensive experience across communications disciplines and channels (media relations, digital communications, advocacy, marketing, research communications, behaviour change), translating complex technical issues into compelling products for diverse audiences.
- Experience leading brand management and organizational positioning, including navigating sensitive issues and crisis communications; experience in politically sensitive, fragile, or conflict-affected contexts is an asset.
- Demonstrated experience serving as a strategic communications advisor to senior leadership, balancing organizational priorities, reputational considerations, and stakeholder expectations.
- Experience leading and mentoring geographically dispersed teams, and managing communications resources including budgeting, work planning, and vendor recruitment.
- Strong understanding of the communications opportunities and challenges facing international organizations operating in complex and rapidly evolving environments.
- Experience communicating findings from investigative research or reports, including navigating sensitivities around evidence, attribution, and reputational or legal risk.
Desirable
- Experience drawing on Monitoring & Evaluation data and learning cycles to strengthen communications for external audiences; familiarity with IMPACT’s focus areas in natural resource management and human rights-based approaches, particularly in conflict-affected contexts; and experience working with or within the private sector, including social enterprise or similar purpose-driven models.
Skills:
- Excellent written and verbal skills in English and French.
- Strong editorial judgement and ability to translate technical information into compelling communications products for diverse audiences.
- Exceptional stakeholder engagement, relationship-building, and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams, functions, and levels of leadership.
- Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, changing environment.
- Sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy in managing sensitive information and reputational risks, with the ability to work effectively across cultures and dispersed teams.
- Strong understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical storytelling principles in communications.
