Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

At Villgro, we make innovative social enterprises become more impactful. We believe inventions are critical to drive change and create impact at scale. We exist to make inventions get adopted and make communities resilient and improve their livelihoods.

Role Overview

The Communications Lead will oversee and drive Villgro Africa's communications strategy. ensuring consistent, high-quality storytelling across programs, partnerships, and platforms. The role combines strategic communications leadership, internal communications management, content oversight, stakeholder engagement, and team leadership, while identifying creative opportunities to elevate Villgro Africa's brand and amplify the impact of its entrepreneurs and partners.

A key priority for this role will be strengthening internal communications and coordination across teams, ensuring staff are aligned, informed, and able to effectively communicate Villgro Africa's work externally.

The Communications Lead will supervise a small creative team and work closely with program, partnerships, and leadership teams to embed communications across Villgro Africa's activities.

Responsibilities or duties

Communications Strategy & Content

• Lead the development and execution of Villgro Africa's communications strategy across programs, partnerships, and institutional initiatives.
• Oversee production of communications outputs, including blogs, newsletters, interviews, podcasts, case studies, social media, and website content.
• Support internal teams in developing strategic thought leadership pieces and external publications.
• Ensure communications support is incorporated from the beginning of every Villgro Africa funding call or program.
• Identify and develop creative communications opportunities, including multimedia storytelling, campaigns, documentaries, and events.
• Maintain consistency in messaging, branding, and editorial quality across all communications channels.
• Develop and manage Villgro Africa's public relations efforts, including building relationships with journalists and media outlets, identifying opportunities for traditional media coverage, and supporting press outreach, interviews, and media placements that elevate the organization's work and its portfolio companies.

Internal Communications & Coordination

• Develop and implement internal communications processes to improve information flow across teams.
• Ensure staff are well-informed about organizational priorities, programs, partnerships, and key announcements.
• Support teams in communicating program milestones, impact stories, and key updates internally and externally.
• Establish systems for gathering content, updates, and success stories from program and partnerships teams.
• Facilitate coordination between communications and other teams to ensure alignment on messaging, timelines, and deliverables.
• Provide guidance to staff on communicating Villgro Africa's work clearly and consistently.

Team Leadership

• Manage and supervise the communications team, including digital marketers, videographers, photographers, designers, and interns.
• Coordinate content calendars, internal project management systems, production schedules, and workflow across the communications team.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to ensure high-quality creative output.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships

• Support the Partnerships Lead in stakeholder engagement and communications related to partnerships and events.
• Formalize coordination processes with communications teams from partner and client organizations to ensure alignment and effective collaboration.
• Support communications and visibility for partner events, ecosystem engagements, and strategic initiatives.

Business Development

• Contribute to proposal development and partnership opportunities by providing communications strategy and narrative development.
• Identify opportunities to expand Villgro Africa's communications reach and impact through new collaborations, storytelling formats, and platforms.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, International Development, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in communications, preferably in development, innovation, health, or entrepreneurship ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience managing creative teams and coordinating multimedia communications outputs.
• Strong editorial and writing skills with experience producing high-quality external publications.
• Experience managing communications for multi-stakeholder partnerships or programs.
• Experience strengthening internal communications processes within organizations. Familiarity with digital communications platforms, social media strategy, and content production.
• Experience supporting proposal development or partnership communications is an asset.

Key Skills

• Strategic communications planning
• Internal communications and cross-team coordination
• Editorial leadership and storytelling
• Team management and creative direction
• Stakeholder and partnership communications
• Multimedia and digital content strategy
• Project management and collaboration

Experience needed

7+ years of experience in communications, preferably in development, innovation, health, or entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

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• Lead the development and execution of Villgro Africa's communications strategy across programs, partnerships, and institutional initiatives.
• Oversee production of communications outputs, including blogs, newsletters, interviews, podcasts, case studies, social media, and website content.
• Support internal teams in developing strategic thought leadership pieces and external publications.
• Ensure communications support is incorporated from the beginning of every Villgro Africa funding call or program.
• Identify and develop creative communications opportunities, including multimedia storytelling, campaigns, documentaries, and events.
• Maintain consistency in messaging, branding, and editorial quality across all communications channels.
• Develop and manage Villgro Africa's public relations efforts, including building relationships with journalists and media outlets, identifying opportunities for traditional media coverage, and supporting press outreach, interviews, and media placements that elevate the organization's work and its portfolio companies.
• Develop and implement internal communications processes to improve information flow across teams.
• Ensure staff are well-informed about organizational priorities, programs, partnerships, and key announcements.
• Support teams in communicating program milestones, impact stories, and key updates internally and externally.
• Establish systems for gathering content, updates, and success stories from program and partnerships teams.
• Facilitate coordination between communications and other teams to ensure alignment on messaging, timelines, and deliverables.
• Provide guidance to staff on communicating Villgro Africa's work clearly and consistently.
• Manage and supervise the communications team, including digital marketers, videographers, photographers, designers, and interns.
• Coordinate content calendars, internal project management systems, production schedules, and workflow across the communications team.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to ensure high-quality creative output.
• Support the Partnerships Lead in stakeholder engagement and communications related to partnerships and events.
• Formalize coordination processes with communications teams from partner and client organizations to ensure alignment and effective collaboration.
• Support communications and visibility for partner events, ecosystem engagements, and strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to proposal development and partnership opportunities by providing communications strategy and narrative development.
• Identify opportunities to expand Villgro Africa's communications reach and impact through new collaborations, storytelling formats, and platforms.

• Strategic communications planning
• Internal communications and cross-team coordination
• Editorial leadership and storytelling
• Team management and creative direction
• Stakeholder and partnership communications
• Multimedia and digital content strategy
• Project management and collaboration

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, International Development, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in communications, preferably in development, innovation, health, or entrepreneurship ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience managing creative teams and coordinating multimedia communications outputs.
• Strong editorial and writing skills with experience producing high-quality external publications.
• Experience managing communications for multi-stakeholder partnerships or programs.
• Experience strengthening internal communications processes within organizations. Familiarity with digital communications platforms, social media strategy, and content production.
• Experience supporting proposal development or partnership communications is an asset.