Communications Manager

Job Description

Job Title: Communications Manager

Grade: TBA

Incumbent Reports to: CEO

Department: Communications

Location: Lusaka

Context of the Role

Zambian Financial Sector Limited (FSD Zambia) is a Zambian organization working closely with key players throughout the economy to ensure that all Zambians are financially healthy, particularly the most excluded and underserved. We help rural families, women, youth, low income people, and other households in Zambia to understand and access a wide range of sustainable, comparable and affordable financial services. To expand financial inclusion, we collaborate with both public and private sector institutions to make financial markets work better. FSD Zambia enhances trust between clients and suppliers of financial services by helping to increase their understanding, expand innovation, and lower costs. In this way all women, men, girls and boys can learn about, choose, and use a wide range of financial services according to their needs. FSD Zambia enjoys the active support of financing partners UKAid, Swdish Sida and Rural Finance Expansion Programme (RUFEP).
Maximizing the impact of our activities requires a strong emphasis on communication to financial service providers and support services, policymakers and other key stakeholders.

Job Purpose
This is a key communications position created to assist FSD Zambia in managing, operating and enhancing a highly effective communications function. The Communications Manager reports to the CEO. The Communications Manager works with expert staff to implement a strategic communications strategy for interventions in all focal areas, supports management in effective internal and external communications and manages all the FSD Zambia Digital communications platforms.

Key Competencies
Experience in media relations and working with journalists
Understands local media landscape and has significant contacts
Ability to identify, target and build win-win relationships with relevant media to reach key stakeholders
Leverages existing relationships with media to proactively garner accurate and timely media coverage and interest
Experience in developing media training

Events Management
Coordinates implementation of successful internal and external events
Manages all aspects of events including theme, guest and media invites, booking venues, branding of event and all other logistics

Writing and communication skills
Writes and communicates succinctly and clearly both internally and externally on various print media
Excellent orator
Ability to draft press releases, reports and other documents for internal and external communications
Close attention to detail

Ability to coordinate stakeholders
Coordinating work with external stakeholders in Financial Literacy Week and World Savings Day working groups
Working with technical and operations teams to support capacity building in the production of materials and events
Able to accurately identify and manage various contractors in the production of materials and events

Content development
Video and audio production and direction
Contribute to development of written publications including, but not limited to, research papers, articles and publications
Strong working knowledge of the English language
Close attention to detail

Ability to support technical team to provide content for print channels/media
Innovations in use of communications tools and methods
Support technical team in the production of print content for technical teams
Creativity and strategy in choosing the most appropriate method

Minimum Qualifications and Experience:

Minimum Qualification
MBA/MSc/MA in Mass Communications/Social Sciences/Media Relations/Communications for Development or equivalent with 5 years’ professional experience;
First Degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies;

Years of Experience
5 years’ professional experience

Professional Registration Body
N/A

Skills
Demonstrated creativity and innovation in communications;
Excellent speaking and writing skills;
Excellent communication skills;
Listening skills, understanding and interpreting trends;
Analytical abilities;
Good interpersonal skills and team worker;
Ethical and socially responsible;
Strong organizing skills;
Client orientation and accountability;
Excellent presentation skills;
Negotiation skills;
Crisis Management skills;
Research skills;
Knowledge of the institution

Scope of Work
5.1. Team Management
The Communications Manager will provide strategic direction and oversee daily operations within the communications team including; capacity building of partners, brand building and management, media relations, events, dissemination plans, procurement, contracting and daily planning that helps the team meet goals and better support thematic areas.
Responsible for motivating the team and supporting each team member work through various professional challenges;
Ensures team adheres to set timelines and deadlines for delivery;
Leads annual and quarterly planning for the communications unit, including budget and key performance indicators.

5.2. Strategic Communications support
The Communications Manager is responsible for keeping thematic areas strategic in all their communications efforts.
Develop a communications and visibility plan for new interventions for respective thematic areas;
Involve the Knowledge Manager to clarify learning questions and appropriateness for target audience before any information is disseminated;
Identify proactive opportunities to communicate impact of FSD Zambia work through short documentaries, podcasts, high-quality images, blogs, animations, infographics, etc.

5.3. Capacity building of partners
FSD Zambia works with a variety of partners. The Communications Manager will be responsible for supporting partners in improving their communications and visibility capabilities as appropriate on thematic interventions. This will also include (but not limited to) support to FSD Zambia strategic partners such as the Bank of Zambia, Pensions and Insurance Authority, Bankers Association of Zambia and Insurers Association of Zambia as needs arise.
5.4. Brand Management
The Communications Manager is responsible for maintaining and supporting the continued development of FSD Zambia’s credibility and branding:
Provide input to the development of templates for all FSD Zambia publications;
Ensuring all FSD Zambia communications adhere to organizational branding guidelines;
Ensure partner and donor brand guidelines are adhered to.
5.5. Media Liaison
Responsible for overseeing communications to the media, including preparing background information, press kits, press releases and other content initiatives. Cultivates and manages relationships with business editors and journalists nationally, regionally and internationally.
Prepare articles and press releases to media;
Cultivate and enhance collaborative working relationships within the business media community;
Manage the flow of news about the organization to the media;
Gather and disseminate timely information to press and FSD Zambia staff;
Enhance capabilities of the media to report on financial inclusion;
Act as media spokesperson on behalf of the company and address questions on general FSD Zambia work as deemed appropriate;
Plan and oversee press events, including evaluation to improve from learning challenges and successes;
Draft and edit press releases, company literature, and articles for internal and external use.
5.6. Video/Audio production
FSD Zambia does a lot of impactful work that should be shared with key stakeholders on an ongoing basis to generate insights, learnings and help increase resources. The Senior Communications Officer is responsible for producing and packaging materials that communicate impact using various tools i.e. short documentaries, podcasts, infographics, animations, impactful photography, etc.
5.7. Additional activities as appropriate to skill-set in support of FSD Zambia’s programme
The FSD Zambia team needs to be able to adopt a flexible approach. No terms of reference will be able to fully cover what may be needed in the course of work with FSDZ. Since this position is full time and based in the Lusaka office, the Senior Communications Officer may be requested to assist with other tasks, relevant to the apposition as requested by management.

Conduct of the Work
This scope of work covers a broad agenda and will therefore require careful prioritization. In establishing priorities, the emphasis will be on producing outputs that directly help FSD Zambia and others to increase financial inclusion for low-income Zambians. Where there is a need to balance competing demands, precedence will be given to producing results rather than attempting to systematically cover everything within the scope of work. The Senior Communications Officer will be expected to work especially closely with the thematic leads, but s/he will also engage strongly with the entire FSD Zambia team—on both the technical and operational sides of the programme. FSD Zambia is strongly results oriented. We do not simply execute a defined set of activities but must be flexible—this is not the place for someone seeking routine and business as usual.
FSD Zambia has a very flat management structure. Everyone across the FSD Zambia team needs to be able to take the initiative to get things done without being told precisely what to do or how to do it. The responsibility to deliver on objectives starts with the individual member of staff. This does not mean that people operate independently. It is vital to be able to judge when and where to look across the team and to leadership for support, advice, ideas or simple validation of an approach.

Key Relationships

Stakeholder Interactions

Internal Relationships
FSD Zambia CEO;
All FSD Zambia project and operational staff;

External Relationships
The FSD Zambia Board
Donor representatives
Communications Consultants
Media
Strategic and implementing partners.

How to apply