Director of Strategic Communications and External Engagement job at Lively Minds

Summary
Date Posted: Friday, March 07 2025, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
About the Role
The Director of Communications and External Engagement will lead Lively Minds’ communications, stakeholder and marketing strategy, ensuring the organisation’s brand, voice, and messaging are clear, consistent, and compelling. The role will focus on developing our strategic positioning and stakeholder engagement to support fundraising, advocacy, and programme expansion. Additionally, this role will be responsible for managing and developing high-quality content creation and building capability in our small communications and stakeholder team whilst optimising the use of key channels to elevate Lively Minds’ influence and visibility.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Communications
• Develop and execute a high-impact brand positioning and communications strategy aligned with our advocacy, fundraising, and programme goals.
• Strengthen our brand identity, ensuring consistent messaging across all platforms, and ensure we leverage all opportunities (including conferences and events) to showcase our brand and engage others in a meaningful way.
• Craft and lead storytelling initiatives that communicate Lively Minds’ impact with clarity and urgency to a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Secure speaking engagements and media opportunities to position Lively Minds as a thought leader in the Global ECD space.
• Manage reputation strategy, ensuring proactive risk mitigation and measuring our impact (where possible).

Content Creation and Oversight
• Produce high-quality materials, including reports, press releases, case studies, and web content, with a focus on storytelling.
• Oversee the development and optimisation of fundraising collateral, ensuring alignment with brand strategy.
• Translate complex data and research into accessible, simple and engaging content for diverse audiences.
• Ensure internal communications reinforce a unified organisational voice.
• Fundraising Communications, External Engagement, and relationship management
• Partner with the CEO to create compelling donor communications and impact reports.
• Collaborate with funders and government partners (existing and new) to enhance Lively Minds’ visibility and impact.
• Create and manage our partnership strategies with government (and other partners),
• Manage the team to create relationship management strategies that are impactful and mutually beneficial, and ensure that we are proactively members of forums and networks
• Manage and coach the team to engage in high-profile forums, conferences, and networks to expand Lively Minds’ influence and ensure that we follow up to deliver impact
• Ensure that Lively Mind cultivates relationships with funders, policymakers, and sector leaders to strengthen our reputation.
• Lead strategic media outreach, securing high-profile coverage to increase brand recognition.

Brand Building and Digital Presence
• Develop and implement a digital marketing strategy to grow engagement, particularly on LinkedIn and other key platforms.
• Steward Lively Minds’ brand voice, ensuring authentic and compelling messaging.
• Oversee website and online content strategy to drive engagement and strategic alignment.
• Create and implement brand guidelines to maintain consistency across internal and external communications.

Media & Public Relations
• Build and maintain relationships with media, journalists, and key stakeholders.
• Secure high-impact media coverage to amplify Lively Minds’ mission.
• Draft press releases, opinion pieces, and media briefings to support thought leadership.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building
• Lead, mentor, and develop the capability of the team to deliver quality outcomes
• Strengthen communications capacity across the organisation, empowering teams to effectively tell Lively Minds’ story to all stakeholders
• Ensure alignment between in-country and global communications efforts, adapting messaging while maintaining consistency.

Key Qualifications
• 10+ years of experience in strategic communications, content development, and brand management, preferably in international development, social enterprise, or NGOs.
• Proven ability to create impactful strategies to deliver fundraising, advocacy, and programme growth.
• Strong leadership skills to manage and a proven ability to “get the best out” of others.
• Ability to manage both at a detailed and strategic level to ensure we deliver quality outcomes in a timely fashion, whilst looking ahead at future opportunities.
• Strong content creation skills, including storytelling, report writing, and multimedia production.
• Expertise in stakeholder engagement, government relations, donor relationship management, communications, and advocacy.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly.
• Experience managing digital communications and optimising key channels for visibility and engagement.
• Ability to make decisions in a dynamic and changing environment and “bring others with you”.
• Experience working in Africa or a deep understanding of the development landscape.

Preferred Experience
• Experience in a fast-paced, scaling organisation
• Understanding of behaviour change communications and impact storytelling.
• Familiarity with ECD, education, or global health policy and practice.


Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

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