Project Overview and Role
About Partnerships for Forests
You will be working on our Partnerships for Forests programme. The main objective of the programme is to support a set of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and initiatives which demonstrate how the private sector can contribute to a reduction in rates of deforestation, as well as a range of related enabling activities to address the policy environment. Expected results include prevention of deforestation, reforestation of degraded land and leverage of private finance. The programme will also aim to support a transformation to sustainability in markets for commodities that are associated with deforestation, including timber, palm oil, soya, beef, paper and board.

The Communications Associate will be a key member of the West and Central Africa team and will be responsible for the implementation of Partnerships for Forests’ communication and external relations activities in the region. The Officer will also act as Project Officer on selected projects in the portfolio. The position will be based in Accra, Ghana, and will require regular travel.

Responsibilities
Communications responsibilities (60%)

• Oversee and coordinate communications and outreach activities for the programme in the West and Central Africa region, in order to raise awareness of the programme across a wide range of stakeholders and audiences, and promote the participation and engagement in the programme by private sector actors, national governments, and international and local civil society organisations
• Manage the implementation of communications and outreach activities in the West and Central Africa Region, including activities to support the identification of projects to support, activities to review and strengthen the communications activities of partners and grantees, and activities to capture and share learning from the programme in the form of ‘knowledge products’
• Manage the development of communications materials and products to support regional programme activities, including the development of presentations, one page flyers, project summaries etc
• Work closely with the central project team in the UK and the regional team to align regional communications and outreach activities to programme priorities and ensure consistent messaging
• Supply regular social media content relevant to the region to the External Relations central team.
• Organise and participate in events, including online events such as webinars, to highlight the programme and market opportunities
• Travel within the region to support and/or to carry out the implementation of communication and outreach activities
• Participate in relevant management meetings in relation to communication, knowledge management and/or grants management
• Contribute to strategic planning and reporting

Project Officer Responsibilities (40%)

As Project Officer on selected projects (as assigned by the Regional Manager), the Senior Associate will:

• Act as the relationship manager for projects and partnerships in sustainable forestry and landuse that are under consideration for funding or are already receiving support from Partnerships for Forests
• Work with project leads at partner/grantee organizations, as well as internal and external experts, to strengthen concept notes, project proposals and other documentation for review by management teams and DFID
• Oversee the implementation of projects by grantees and subcontractors, in close collaboration with the Grants, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning and Communications teams

Requirements

• Post-graduate qualifications preferable in communications, marketing or branding or a related field
• 7 years’ working experience in communications and outreach in the sustainable forestry, agricultural commodity supply chain , natural resource management, PPPs or similar fields and experience on DFID programmes or other donor initiatives, will be an advantage
• Demonstrated ability to unpack and communicate complex concepts simply with a range of stakeholders in multi-cultural settings
• Demonstrated experience in external relations, multi-stakeholder facilitation and event management
• Ability to facilitate e-communication and web-based technologies for professional purposes
• Graphic design skills and familiarity with document management, content management and web based design would be an advantage
• Highly effective communication and high level of proficiency in written and spoken English and French