Communications Specialist - Nathan Associates

Project Background

The Feed the Future Ghana Trade and Investment (GTI) Activity was initiated December 1, 2021 and will run for 5 years.  The activity will work closely with public and private sector stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for Ghana’s economic growth by

(1) facilitating growth in export-oriented trade;

(2) improving and developing product standards;

(3) catalyzing investments in private enterprises related to high-value commercial crops;

(4) promoting job creation, particularly among women and youth;

(5) promoting economic diversification; and

(6) increasing foreign exchange revenues from high-value export crops. GTI will facilitate investing in firms that trade goods across borders, spur innovation, and build the capacity of the entire trade sector.

Purpose:

The Communications Specialist will report to the Communications Manager and work closely with technical staff and administrative staff. S/he will support the creation of all communications reports and other deliverables, including the provision of on-demand communications support to the activity’s public and private sector partners.

The GTIs communications team will be expected to creatively utilize different types of media to increase the public awareness of project activities, including but not limited to videos, web shorts, podcasts, radio messages, interactive media, social media, and fliers. Additionally, the Communications Specialist will support the development and implementation of the Communications and Outreach Plan to ensure strategic visibility of all project activities and outputs; effectively communicate project impact to project stakeholders and beneficiaries; and guide project development and reporting on activities that are impactful, representative, and highly visible.

The Communications Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Supports the design and implementation of a Communications and Media Plan, targeting project donors, stakeholders, partners, and beneficiaries.
• Provide on-demand communications, knowledge sharing, media engagement, and institutional partnership support to the GTI’s public and private sector stakeholders.
• Build and maintain a mutually beneficial working relationship between GTI and its public and private sector stakeholders.
• Provide high-quality writing and editorial services for various reports throughout the life of the project, including activity reports, bi-weekly reports, quarterly reports, and annual reports.
• Support GTI’s technical team to develop success stories and explore opportunities for potential program highlights.  
• Create and maintain a digital presence for the project including social media posts, a stakeholder email database, content-rich visual assets, and video clips.
• Develop feature stories, articles, press releases, speeches, briefers, infographics, and profile pieces to raise the of the project.
• Support GTI’s media engagement effort to trumpet the achievement of the project, identify opportunities, and pitch stories as needed
• Coordinate GTI’s email marketing platform, including content and stakeholder contact lists.
• Capture, edit and store visual assets in a multimedia bank.
• Support the planning, coordination, and execution of events, including, co-creation events, stakeholder engagements, training, workshops, etc.
• Collect copies of outreach or press reporting for quarterly performance reporting.
• Other duties as assigned by the GTI’s management team.

Required Skills or Experience

Qualifications:

• At least five (5) years of experience in Communications, preferably in the field of development.
• At least a bachelor’s degree (communications/marketing/journalism, international relations, international development, or related fields).
• Comprehensive communications experience in local and international spheres, including experience on USAID-funded projects.
• Demonstrated English writing and editing skills, including the ability to package information for delivery, are required.
• Experience building and implementing communications strategy and providing communications advising services to activity and client teams.
• Familiarity with USAID branding and marking standards is preferable.
• Familiarity with web and graphic designing software, including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.
• A record of superior performance in a deadline-driven environment is desirable.
• Legally authorized to work in Ghana.
• Native English speaking and writing ability.