Strategic Communications Specialist - DAI

DAI is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governments, and instability.

Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines—crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change.

Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

Job Description

• Position: Policy LINK – Strategic Communications Specialist
• Location: Accra, Ghana
• Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy LINK
• Status: Long Term Project Staff (1-year Fixed Term Contract subject to renewal for duration of Ghana program activity, which is anticipated 5 years starting on/around October 15, 2021)
• Start Date: May 1, 2022 
• Supervisor: Ghana Country Lead

Project Background

The Feed the Future Policy LINK project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes. 

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale in order to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision making, collaborative problem solving, and adaptive learning.

Policy LINK in Ghana

USAID/Policy LINK Ghana is a five-year activity with the overall objective of fostering behavior change that strengthens the capacity and ability of Ghanaian stakeholders to participate in a more transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based agriculture and food security policy process that leads to improved food and nutrition outcomes and broad-based economic growth. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition towards a policy development paradigm driven by multiple stakeholders. 

This approach to policymaking will strengthen the capacities of Ghana’s main agricultural policy system actors and institutions, and support them to engage stakeholders traditionally excluded from decision-making, including academia, financial institutions, the judiciary, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector representatives from the national, regional, and local levels. 

This approach is underpinned by Policy LINK’s overarching theory of change focused on increasing human and social capital, engaging policy system actors in collaborative processes, and developing mechanisms for collaborative governance and dynamic learning systems and platforms to sustain collective action.

S/he will coordinate closely with the Policy LINK Ghana senior management team (Country Lead, Ag & Food Security Lead, Climate Change Lead, Programs Lead, MEL & KM Lead, and Finance & Operations Manager), Nairobi-based project-wide Technical Programs and Policy Director, and other Policy LINK colleagues in Kenya, South Sudan, and elsewhere to ensure that program activities are designed and delivered at a high quality in compliance with Policy LINK, DAI, and USAID standards. 

Position Objectives

The Strategic Communications Specialist will work closely with the FTF Ghana Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity (Policy Activity) management to ensure internal and external awareness of Activity purpose and activities, and to enhance the effectiveness, scaling, and results of the Activity. 

Since learning and knowledge management are foundational components of the Policy Activity, the Strategic Communications Specialist will be responsible for providing thought leadership and bringing innovative thinking in communications to enhance design and implementation of individual buy-in activities, program-wide initiatives and overall reporting.

The Strategic Communications Specialist will also play a critical role on the Policy LINK cross-cutting Communications team, reinforcing a unified brand for the global program, liaising with communications colleagues in other parts of the world to share best practice and ensure compliance with the program’s USAID-approved branding and marking plan, and participating in meetings of Policy LINK’s global communications network.  

S/he will continually reinforce LINK’s core purpose and principles and ensure all decision-making is rooted in the purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.” 

Responsibilities

The Strategic Communications Specialist will manage all areas of Policy Activity communications, internally and externally, with support from the Country Lead as well as the global Policy LINK communications team.

S/he will oversee roll-out and development of the Policy Activity communications strategy with support from the Country Lead and ensure it stays updated to reflect learnings and knowledge generated through stakeholder engagements. S/he will work with senior leadership and individual activity teams to ensure that communications is used strategically for impact, emphasizing the creation and sustainable use of networking and learning mechanisms driven by the Policy Activity’s stakeholders and partners.

S/he will train and orient all Policy Activity staff about the activity’s communications strategy and support and encourage active participation in implementing it.  S/he will ensure that the activity teams generate pertinent, value-added information based on data, lessons learned, and best practices that support Policy LINK’s overall learning agenda. 

S/he will prepare communications products for the Policy Activity as a whole and for individual activities based on this information and disseminate these products regularly to USAID and stakeholders. S/he will work with the Policy Activity and Policy LINK teams to manage, store, and share relevant activity and stakeholder resources and directly circulate resources as appropriate. 

The Strategic Communications Specialist will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following detailed tasks: 

• Be a thought leader – ensure communications has a role on all Activity and Policy LINK activity teams; contribute to program design, suggest resources, and ensure that communications strategies and vehicles are integrated into Policy Activity implementation as appropriate. 
• With support from senior leadership, lead coordination and production of the Policy Activity reporting functions, ensuring strong participation from technical and other team members.  
• Build the capacity of the Policy Activity team and other staff to develop content from implementation activities; support staff with communications products templates and reporting guidelines, as needed.

• Write, integrate, edit, finalize and disseminate Policy Activity communications products, including but not limited to, blogs, success stories, press releases, and inputs to regular reporting requirements, including the Policy LINK semi-annual report.
• Contribute to systems and guidance for regular, ongoing capture of Policy Activity achievements and learning that combine M&E results/data that are useful for both USAID audiences and Policy Activity counterparts. Coordinate the production and dissemination of activity-specific updates on a rolling basis throughout the life of the Policy Activity.
• In collaboration with the MEL & KM Lead, provide thought leadership to activity design and implementation to strengthen the use of KM platforms, tools, and approaches on Policy Activity teams and on Policy LINK-wide initiatives.  
• In collaboration with the MEL & KM Lead, ensure Policy LINK KM platforms and other external platforms are updated and populated with key Policy LINK learning materials, according to the Policy LINK Communications strategy.
• Support the development and implementation of the Policy Activity and Policy LINK learning agendas to ensure that learning and knowledge products are designed and disseminated effectively to key Policy Activity audiences.
• Provide support in organizing periodic learning events, including developing pre-event and post-event materials as needed. Major tasks may include but not be limited to preparing and analyzing surveys, developing event presentations, drafting event scene-setters, facilitating event sessions, and drafting post-event learning reports.
• Review materials generated for Policy Activity-supported activities and events: edit (through management of contracted editors), organize, brand, produce required marketing materials, publish, and disseminate.
• Develop, approve, and update promotional materials; ensure program events and successes are appropriately promoted through local media, distribution to USAID, and posted on appropriate websites. 
• Create and maintain content for Policy Activity page on Policy LINK website and social media pages in coordination with the Policy LINK Communications team and USAID. 
• Actively liaise and collaborate with relevant partners and stakeholders, including other USAID and other donor projects, private-sector firms, learning institutions, civil society organizations, and others.
• Represent the Policy Activity among outside partners and clients; manage media relations and interface directly with the media when such direct interaction is cleared by USAID. 

S/he will also contribute actively to recruitment efforts throughout the contracted period of performance by serving on agreed-upon interview panels, according to Policy LINK’s recruitment policy and process. Responsibilities of interview panel members may include, but not be limited to:

• Contributing to position shortlists
• Developing or editing interview questions
• Serving as a “panel lead” for certain recruitment efforts
• Conducting oral reference checks

Required Skills or Experience

Local Ghanaian candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Additional qualifications:

• Minimum 6 years of experience in a high profile, demanding communications role, including: 
• Management of long-term, strategic communication activities;
• Design communications, press and marketing strategies; 
• Oversight and design of multi-media platforms, including content development, for a combination of video, print and social media inputs;
• Demonstrated experience designing and distributing marketing products;
• Demonstrated experience organizing, managing and liaising with external organizations and press.
• Proven networking skills with broad spectrum of contacts with diverse target groups related to prior work experience;
• Outstanding communications skills, including writing in English and Akan;
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including:
• High level of self-initiative and creativity;
• Able to work effectively on a team;
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of data and inputs from multiple sources into cohesive, strategic messages and products; 
• Proficiency with graphic design software and skilled in designing and producing basic layouts and graphics.

Qualified FEMALE candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.