Organization Overview

Tostan’s mission is to empower communities to develop and achieve their vision for the future and inspire large-scale movements leading to dignity for all. Tostan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal and operating in five West African countries.

Tostan’s flagship model, the three-year Community Empowerment Program (CEP), has already reached thousands of communities in both West and East Africa since 1991. Impacts that change lives are in areas such as education, health, economic empowerment, governance and the environment; Tostan has been particularly proud to play a significant role in the large-scale empowerment of women and girls and the community-led abandonment of harmful practices such as female genital cutting and child marriage.

Tostan is building upon its 32-year legacy to support community well-being in new and greater ways. In early 2023 Tostan will launch its Strategy to 2030: In partnership for community well-being. Developed in collaboration with partner communities, local &amp, national government, and supporters from around the globe, this strategy will support breakthroughs in community well-being by engaging new clusters of communities, deepening connections and resources at local level, and catalyzing the broader ecosystem of actors that support communities. Partnerships are at the heart of realizing this potential.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Chief Partnerships Officer (CPO) and working closely within the Partnerships team, the Head of Communications is responsible for developing and implementing the communications vision and strategy for Tostan. The role of the Head of Communications will be to set the tone for messaging and portray Tostan’s values. S/he will manage a team based in Senegal and in the UK/US and will be responsible for all external and internal communications, including public relations, communications capacity building and training, and global advocacy.

Key Responsibilities

• Communicate Tostan’s work to global audiences, inspiring engagement and action, and raising the profile of Tostan’s community partners and their successes;
• Create and manage a comprehensive communications strategy (including digital) that supports the organization’s strategic objectives;
• Coordinate with the CPO to develop and implement strategies to build and strengthen the organization’s brand in the digital space;
• Develop and manage public relations and media relations strategies for Tostan that positions the organization as a global leader in community-driven development and other areas. Proactively seek, and ensure management of, high-level international speaking opportunities for CEO and other senior positions;
• Build upon and work collaboratively with Tostan’s network of communications partners at the national and international level;
• Work to foster community engagement by identifying key stakeholders and new support networks for Tostan; coordinate with staff to develop community engagement opportunities via interactive media platforms and events;
• Serve as the communications expert within Tostan, consistently bringing an understanding of communications trends, best practices and technologies and how these might be best used to achieve communications objectives;
• Advise senior management, project leaders and other key staff on developing communications strategies to improve the effectiveness and recognition of their work;
• Build communications capacity of national teams in countries where Tostan implements its programs;
• Evolve effective communications strategies with Tostan’s sister organizations in other countries;
• Create and implement strategies for internal communications and act as an internal champion to ensure that every staff member is an ambassador of Tostan;
• Work with the Resource Development teams to create and drive engagement campaigns to increase the supporter base and awareness of Tostan’s work;
• Create and deliver on-brand collateral to support the different teams within Tostan (including at HQ and national coordination level);
• Contribute to strategic planning and scale planning processes, while supporting, as needed, high-level processes (with the Board, Executive, Finance and Operations teams);
• Lead and mentor a team of 4 full time staff as well as volunteers/consultants. Work with individual team members to support their professional development goals and be and advocate for the communications team and best practice communications.

Key Qualifications

Skills, Education, and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s degree, or similar advanced degree in relevant discipline preferred;
• More than ten years of communications experience including three years at a senior level;
• Experience working in a development context and/or social sector organization;
• Excellent project, team and budget management skills;
• Adept in forming and maintaining external partnerships and networks to promote the Tostan brand;
• Professional experience using and leading others on key communications technology tools such as web-based project and content management systems, social media tools as well as search engine optimization.

Characteristics

• Ability to build relationships and work effectively within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment;
• Expertise using and overseeing the production of websites, online communities, videos, webinars, infographics and other multimedia web content;
• Excellent analytical, written and verbal communication and presentation skills; ability to quickly distill complex concepts into interesting and digestible pieces;
• Passionate belief in and commitment to Tostan’s mission to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights;
• Deep commitment to and first-hand experience with participatory communities, organizations, or education;
• Skilful at communicating and bridging understanding to support strategic priorities and fulfill Tostan’s mission and vision;
• Ability to work in a collaborative, co-creative team, bringing value to the team’s outcomes;
• Diplomatic, thoughtful and patient;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and challenging environment.

Languages

• High levels of English;
• French as a minimum;
• Other languages that Tostan works in would be an advantage – especially Wolof or Portuguese.

Direct Line Supervisor:

Chief Partnerships Officer

Location

Tostan’s International HQ in Thies, Senegal

How to apply

Send your resume, cover letter, and scans of your diploma and certificate of education and training by email to [email protected].

Please send an email with ” Head of communications “ quoted in the subject line. We will accept applications until January 23rd, 2023. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Tostan is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applications in accordance with legal standards and without regard to race, religion, age, gender, origin or disability.