Senior Director of Strategic Communications

The Senior Director of Strategic Communications will design and then execute a strategy to enable AWF to lead the global conversation around our mission. We wish to lead, not simply participate. Thus, this position will be primarily outward facing, aggressively pitching stories and creating opportunities for AWF to be heard. 

With decades of experience and a solid funding base, AWF has developed a track record among stakeholders for creativity, execution, and results. Our leadership includes the best qualified people, and our board of trustees is extraordinary. Despite all this, we are relatively unknown in the various markets where we work and raise money. Solid program delivery is no longer enough. We will ultimately fail in our mission if we cannot garner the attention of media, donors, and policy-makers.?

Responsibilities

Establish AWF as the leading voice for African conservation:

• Craft and implement media, communications, and public relations strategies to ensure that AWF becomes a constant and well-regarded voice for wildlife, wild lands, conservation, and sustainability as major development decisions are made about the future of Africa. 
• Create opportunities to raise awareness about AWF in the conservation and international development communities by publicizing the release of technical papers, staff participation in major regional and international forums, workshop participation and sponsorship, etc. 
• Aggressively pursue opportunities to increase AWF’s visibility among external audiences, with a strong focus on media.
• Target editorial and interview opportunities throughout the year for AWF’s leadership and staff experts to promote the organization’s programs and positions on key issues. Develop and maintain relationships with global media contacts, news outlets, and other organizations that report on issues relevant to AWF’s mission, goals, and programs.

??Promote AWF as a source of African conservation experts:

• Create a public relations strategy to cultivate and maintain meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences, including the media, donors, government, and other key influencers. 
• Work with AWF’s newly appointed President to develop his/her personal brand as the embodiment of AWF and, more broadly, as a ‘conservation celebrity.’
• Create opportunities for the President and AWF’s CEO to speak with the press and in public so as to command attention for AWF and its work.
• Actively assert AWF and its expert staff as key contributors in stories, interviews, and other media channels. Work with staff to articulate simple, compelling AWF policy positions, including overall vision statements for the co-existence of wildlife and modern development in Africa. 
• Ensure that staff across the organization are aware of AWF’s positions on key issues and that staff likely to be in contact with project partners, the media, and other stakeholders are prepared to articulate those positions.

Evolve and manage AWF's brand identity:

• Develop and implement an integrated communications plan to advance AWF’s brand identity, broaden awareness of its programs and priorities, and exponentially increase the organization’s visibility across key stakeholder audiences. 
• Serve as thought partner for AWF’s senior leadership on communications-related aspects of AWF’s organizational strategy. 
• Provide messages, brand discipline, and guidance to ensure that AWF is portrayed consistently and compellingly by programmatic partners, in media outlets, and in all materials originating from AWF. 
• Work in partnership with the philanthropy, marketing, and partner relations teams to develop, review, and refresh messaging in fundraising and communications campaigns. 
• Working with AWF’s marketing team, ensure the existence of AWF branding guidelines as well as accurate and informative maps, infographics, press releases, and other materials that convey AWF’s positions effectively and quickly.

?Key Metrics

• Number of interviews with AWF staff.
• Number of editorials, guest blog posts, and other articles by AWF staff in external outlets.
• Quality of media placements and accuracy/advancement of messages.
• Number of external requests for AWF position statements and staff interviews from media contacts.
• Number and visibility level of meetings and events attended by key AWF staff.

?Qualifications

The Senior Director of Strategic Communications must be extremely well connected in media circles, comfortable interacting with high profile individuals, and able to collaborate with teams across the organization to streamline AWF’s brand identity. The candidate must be outgoing and sociable, and willing to be on-the-job as necessary to ensure that AWF is a part of the news cycle. Other qualifications include:

• A bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, communications, marketing or related field, and at least 15 years’ relevant experience. 
• Deep understanding of the operations, perceptions, and priorities of the various media outlets with extensive pre-existing relationships with journalists, editorial, and production staff. 
• Poise, presence, polish, and confidence in representing AWF at the highest levels, including heads of state, heads of pan-African and international organizations, and the top media officials.
• Proven ability to effectively train these executive communication skills into others. 
• Exemplary writing, editing, and proofreading skills necessary for a variety of related activities including speeches and presentations, press releases and media advisories, and other official communications and inter-agency/organization correspondence. 
• Resourceful and persistent (bordering on aggressive) personality, ready to actively and passionately promote AWF, its positions, and staff. 
• A global perspective with a focus on Africa earned through a career filled with international challenges. 
• Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment in the representation of AWF and its staff. 
• Knowledge of French and/or other relevant languages a distinct and preferred advantage. 
• A proven track record of working with an international organization to enhance both name and brand recognition.