Solidaridad West Africa (SWA) is a not-for-profit organisation that supports the sustainable development of production systems in West Africa. We play a catalytic role by partnering with private sector companies and other stakeholders to foster the development of socially responsible, ecologically sound and profitable supply chains. Our activities in West Africa are focused on cocoa, gold, oil palm, cotton, soy and other commodities.

As one of the Regional Expertise Centres (REC) within Solidaridad’s international network, we are part of a growing global organization advocating and supporting sustainable and responsible production and trade. SWA focuses on stimulating sustainable supply chains through introduction of innovations in good practices, robust infrastructure, sustainable landscapes management and enabling policy.

The Solidaridad regional office is based in Accra, Ghana and currently has programmes and operations in Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria.

Job Description

Job purpose
The Communications Officer will strategically position Solidaridad in Ghana to deliver its mandate by leading the planning, design and implementation of internal and external communications around programmes and projects. The position reports directly to the Ghana Country Representative (CR) and functionally to the Head of Communications.

Major Responsibilities

• Develops and implements a comprehensive communication and visibility plan for the Ghana Country Programme in line with the Regional Communications Strategy.
• Develops and implements annual communications work plans for the country programme and contributes to the Regional Annual Communications Work Plan.
• Facilitates the compliance to the Solidaridad brand guide within the context of the Ghana country programme
• Provides visibility for the country programme and leads the exhibition of Solidaridad’s work at relevant public spaces and platforms.
• Develops and maintain close working relations with media outlets, identify media moments and opportunities for Solidaridad and generates press releases and media advisories.
• Develops regular news articles and relevant stories on programmes/projects activities and key events for dissemination on the Solidaridad website and social media platforms.
• Facilitates the production of relevant multimedia products such as videos and photographs for documentation and dissemination on relevant platforms including social media.
• Packages programme/project results and success stories in easily digestible formats and disseminates to relevant national and regional audiences.
• Develops a system for organizing, archiving and retrieving multimedia and communication materials.
• Provides relevant communication training to staff

Required Skills or Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies, Public Relations or Journalism. Additional studies or a short course in the sustainable development sector will be an advantage.
• At least 5 years of work experience in corporate or project communications, media practice and advocacy.
• Good knowledge and experience in handling camera, design software and web-based management systems
• Strong social media presence (at least LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter)
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Experience in media relations
• Knowledge of sustainable development
• Experience in the usage of computers, office software packages and social media platforms