Gatsby Africa, Communications Manager

The Communications Manager will play a critical role in shaping and delivering Gatsby Africa’s (GA) internal and external communications in a clear, consistent, and compelling way across a wide range of stakeholders and channels. Based in Nairobi and reporting to the Communications Director, the role works closely with GA’s Senior Management Team (SMT), sector programme teams, and cross-cutting functions which together operate much like an in-house agency serving GA’s seven sector-focused portfolios.

This is a hands-on, delivery-focused role. The role holder will act as a trusted project and account manager for the teams they support taking their priorities and turning them into clear communications plans, content and campaigns while also contributing to GA’s digital presence, including its website and social media channels, with LinkedIn as the priority platform alongside a watching brief on emerging channels such as TikTok and Threads.

This is a delivery role that sits within GA’s central Communications team, requiring an individual who can balance strong writing and content craft with disciplined project management, operate effectively across sectors and geographies, and bring credibility both internally with programme teams and externally with GA’s stakeholders.

The following are the key roles and responsibilities of the Communications Manager:

Internal Communications

·       Contributing, with support from the Communications Director, to an annual internal communications plan aligned with GA’s overall communications strategy.

·       Ensuring organisational initiatives are communicated to staff clearly and consistently across GA’s internal channels.

·       Engaging with GA’s external research partner on the Annual Staff Survey and supporting the Senior Management Team in following up on findings and reporting back to staff.

·       Working with programme teams to distil technical information and package it for internal communications channels.

·       Creating internal communications materials that engage and inspire staff, including content built around GA’s values and approach for example staff interviews, Workplace posts, newsletters, blogs and case studies.

·       Coordinating senior management updates (video and audio) and all-staff townhalls.

·       Supporting teams in preparing and producing presentations, and supporting presenters to enable knowledge-sharing across the organisation.

·       Keeping content on internal platforms current, and supporting staff to create and share materials that facilitate learning.

External and Digital Communications

·       Owning and continuously improving GA’s website, ensuring content is current, engaging, audience-focused and aligned to organisational priorities and brand standards.

·       Leading GA’s social media presence particularly LinkedIn while exploring and advising on other relevant platforms (for example TikTok and Threads) to grow engagement with GA’s stakeholders.

·       Developing and maintaining a forward-looking content calendar aligned to organisational priorities, campaigns and programme milestones.

·       Producing and curating high-quality content across formats, including social posts, blogs, case studies, newsletters, presentations, videos, podcasts, infographics and thought leadership pieces.

·       Translating complex programme and research content into compelling, accessible storytelling for diverse audiences.

·       Monitoring, analysing and reporting on website, social and media performance, using analytics and media monitoring to continuously improve impact and engagement.

·       Optimising content and channels using data-driven insight and SEO best practice.

·       Managing the GA Annual Performance Report process, distilling input from programme teams into a document that brings GA’s impact to life for external audiences.

·       Providing communications support to GA and partner institutions on sharing learning and fundraising efforts.

Multimedia and Creative Content

·       Supporting the creation of multimedia content, including short-form video, podcasts, photography and infographics.

·       Coordinating and managing relationships with external creative suppliers designers, photographers, videographers, developers and agencies including procurement.

·       Supporting the production of high-quality communications materials for events, launches and campaigns.

Project and Stakeholder Management

·       Acting as day-to-day account manager for assigned programme teams: taking their needs, turning them into scoped communications projects, and delivering against a shared workplan (GA uses Monday.com to manage communications traffic and briefings).

·       Taking ownership of specific communications projects end to end, coordinating input and making recommendations for future action.

·       Carrying out research and preparing reports on communications topics to inform senior management decision-making.

·       Managing multiple concurrent projects and priorities in a small, fast-moving team  including pitching in on ad hoc or operational tasks such as event logistics and travel bookings as needed.

Supporting the Communications Function

·       Supporting the Communications Director in the ongoing development and refinement of GA’s communications strategy.

·       Providing communications support for organisational change management and crisis communications as needed.

·       Tracking and measuring the performance of all communications activity and producing impact reports for the Senior Management Team.

·       Editing and proofreading key internal and external materials, ensuring consistent formatting and a professional standard throughout.

·       Maintaining a forward-looking calendar of communications activities across the team.

Experience & Education

·       Around 5 to 10 years’ relevant experience in communications, marketing, or a related field this is not an entry-level role.

·       Experience gained in a communications or marketing agency, or in a large, complex or high-profile organisation, is strongly preferred.

·       Demonstrated experience managing digital channels, including website content management (WordPress or similar) and social media, particularly LinkedIn.

·       Experience developing and delivering integrated communications activities and campaigns across multiple channels and audiences.

·       Experience supporting senior leaders with strategic communications, messaging and stakeholder engagement.

·       Familiarity with media and social monitoring, measurement and analytics to evidence communications impact.

·       Practical understanding of how AI tools can support communications work for example drafting, research and content production with enthusiasm to keep learning in this space.

·       Comfortable with content creation and basic multimedia coordination (video, podcasts, graphics); hands-on production experience is a strong advantage.

·       Experience working in Africa within a private sector, public sector or international development context is desirable.

·       Degree-level education or equivalent professional experience, with an exceptional standard of written and spoken English.

Personal Attributes

·       Deep commitment to Gatsby Africa’s mission and values, with an understanding of East African development contexts.

·       Energetic, entrepreneurial self-starter who spots opportunities and moves on them rather than waiting to be told.

·       Comfortable working at pace without close supervision; a genuine team player willing to pitch in on smaller or administrative tasks given GA’s small communications team.

·       Confident and resilient, with sound judgement to navigate ambiguity and push back constructively.

·       Passionate about inclusive economic development and motivated by achieving meaningful impact deep sector or technical expertise is not required, as GA’s programme teams hold this knowledge.

·       Curious and adaptable, with a collaborative mindset and a willingness to challenge thinking constructively.

·       High attention to detail and pride in producing polished, professional work.

Competencies

·       Strong project and account-management skills, able to manage multiple concurrent workstreams for different internal “clients”, anticipate interdependencies and consistently deliver to deadline. Experience with project-management tools such as Monday.com is an advantage.

·       A confident, credible relationship-builder who can work as a trusted partner to senior stakeholders and constructively challenge them including proactively suggesting new platforms, formats or approaches.

·       Good working knowledge of digital communications and social media, comfortable managing LinkedIn day to day with a genuine interest in emerging platforms such as TikTok and Threads.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex or technical information into clear, compelling, audience-centred messaging.

·       Skilled at identifying and leveraging opportunities to improve reach, engagement and impact through data-driven insight, new channels and emerging tools including AI.

·       Excellent planning and organisational skills, able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment with a strong bias to action.

·       Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to build rapport quickly across a wide range of stakeholders and backgrounds, and to build consensus and drive continuous improvement.

·       High levels of integrity, discretion, and judgement, maintaining professionalism and confidentiality.