For 50 years, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has been working overseas to ensure that women, men and young people in some of the world’s most neglected areas have access to the health care they need to control their bodies and their futures. Planned Parenthood Global, the international division of PPFA, believes that all women should have access to reproductive health care, no matter where they live. By partnering with local advocates, medical service providers, media organizations and youth leaders, PP Global is committed to building sustainable networks and organizations, and we strive to find innovative ways to deliver critical services and fight for more inclusive laws and policies.**
Planned Parenthood Global seeks a strategic and proactive communicator to be the Senior Program Officer, Africa Regional Communications**.** This job reports to the Africa Regional Director.
Purpose: The Senior Program Officer, Africa Regional Communications will be responsible for designing and overseeing the overall communications and media strategy for Planned Parenthood Global’s work in Africa and elevating PP Global’s regional visibility. This includes raising the profile of PP Global’s work and its impact in Africa, drafting strategic messaging for African regional staff and initiatives, providing strategic counsel to African partners seeking to inform public discourse on sexual and reproductive health and rights, managing regional opportunistic and rapid response communications, and donor engagement. This position will work closely with the Regional Director, Africa, to position PP Global strategically within the region and with key stakeholders, including media, partners and funders.
Delivery:
Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Design and lead regional communications strategy to elevate and advance PP Global’s mission to grow the locally led, globally connected movement for CAC and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- Seek proactive opportunities to highlight PP Global’s work to build the brand, shape donor perceptions, and pre-position PP Global for bidding on high-priority opportunities
- Facilitate a high-degree of collaboration in designing communications strategies and cross-national learning on how best to reach and influence key audiences.
- Play a key role in identifying, planning, managing and coordinating PP Global response to funding opportunities within the Africa region and will work closely with the Africa Regional Director and Country Offices to help develop and manage relationships with donors.
Working closely with focus countries and HQ-based technical staff to prepare and submit funding proposals. This includes ensuring proposal quality, responsiveness, and compliance with donor and PP Global requirements, shaping compelling stories and case studies to illustrate PP Global’s impact, and building the capacity of country office staff to mobilize resources and report to donors.
Cultivate media -including social media- opportunities to advance SRHR issues and elevate the work of our organization and partners.
Identify and create content for PP Global digital properties, media engagement and other communications vehicles.
Manage PP Global African content on PPFA’s website.
Raise the profile of PP Global’s work in Africa through events, programs, materials creation and social media engagement.
Collaborate with allied organizations on content creation to advance shared priorities on SRHR.
Provide communications technical support to PP Global’s African partners, including advocacy, increasing public support for SRHR in PP Global focus countries, articulating a regional strategy and combating stigma and other efforts to undermine reproductive freedom.
Engagement:
This position will:
- Represent Planned Parenthood Global to media, allied stakeholders, governments, and donors.
- Cultivate deep and lasting relationships with a variety of internal and external partners from international and regional leaders to country support staff.
- Engage and support senior leadership, including Interim Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Global, in regional opportunities.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): (education, experience, credentials and behaviors needed for this job)
● 8-10 years of experience in strategic communications, preferably with experience in sexual and reproductive health or related issues.
● English and French fluency required, both written and verbal.
● Excellent writing skills in English and French for a broad range of audiences, including media and social media engagement
● Expertise in African media landscape and proven ability to cultivate strong and lasting relationships with media and other key stakeholders.
● Experience in crafting case studies and drafting donor reports highly desirable.
● Demonstrated ability to drive regional media engagement around complex issues.
● Experience adapting complex, sensitive messages to diverse regional audiences required.
● High degree of fluency in communications strategies and understanding of cultural contexts to inform public discourse, increase public support for SRHR, combat stigma and other tactics to undermine reproductive rights and access.
● Excellent project management skills and a commitment to facilitation and collaboration.
● Ability to quickly triage competing interests such that those which are most important are given the direct attention of the team. The knowledge to determine problems and challenges that can be resolved independently and the ability to make it so.
● A team player with exceptional interpersonal, communication skills along with tact and diplomacy to mediate conflicts, as well as the ability to respond to regional needs.
● Gravitas paired with professional integrity to effectively represent and promote Planned Parenthood Global at the highest levels.
● Proactive, self-starter, strong interpersonal skills. Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
● A sense of urgency necessary to drive change within an organization paired with the patience to understand that not all demands are equal. Detail-oriented with excellent project management skills, including the ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines, often in a fast-paced environment.
● Knowledge of diverse groups, working with a multicultural workforce, and sensitivity and appreciation to cultural differences is required.
Education: Advanced Degree in communications, social science or related field. Strong background in sexual and reproductive health and rights issues – or advancing similarly complex rights issues – strongly preferred.
TRAVEL : Ability and willingness to travel (approximately 20%)
How to apply:
Interested candidates who meet the above criteria should send their application letter, CV and salary expectation as one document to aro.recruit@ppfa.org with**, Senior Program Officer, Communication, Africa Region** as the subject, not later than May 26, 2021. Candidates to clearly demonstrate what makes them stand out, based on this job requirements. This position will be based in Dakar, Senegal
Planned Parenthood Federation of America participates in the E-Verify program. Planned Parenthood Federation of America is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Planned Parenthood is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation. PP Global does not charge job applicants any fee during the entire recruitment process.