Communications Lead at The Sahara Centre

About the Job

• The Sahara Centre invites applications, nominations, and expressions of interest for the position of a full-time Communications Lead, with the appointment to be effective on a date to be confirmed with the successful candidate.
• Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communications Lead holds the standard for how The Sahara Centre communicates, owning editorial and content judgment across the website, newsletter, and social channels.
• This role drafts and creates content directly, and supervises additional content or communications staff as the team expands.

Role Overview

• The Communications Lead exists to give The Sahara Centre a consistent, credible public voice.
• This role sets the agenda for what gets communicated and in what form, holds the editorial standard across every channel the Centre publishes on, and is hands-on in drafting and creating that content directly.
• As the team expands, this role also supervises whoever joins to support content production, so the Centre’s communications function can scale without losing editorial consistency.

Key Responsibilities
Content Strategy Implementation:

• Implements the direction and agenda for TSC communications across the website, and other channels.
• Determines which programme and research activity gets distilled into content and in what form.
• Maintains the content calendar and sequencing across channels.

Content Creation and Production:

• Drafts and creates content directly across the Centre’s channels.
• Coordinates with graphic designer on visual asset production.
• Supervises and directs any additional content or communications staff, as the team expands.
• Maintains TSC’s editorial voice, brand, and formatting standards across all published content.
• Routes content requiring institutional sign off to the appropriate reviewer before publication.

Reporting:

• Tracks engagement and reach across channels and reports on performance against the content calendar.
• Coordinates delivery timelines with the Centre Coordinator.

 Required Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or a related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum four years of experience in a communications or content strategy role.
• Hands-on experience drafting and producing content directly.
• Experience producing content for a research, policy, or development sector organization preferred.
• Experience directing the work of a junior team member or trainee, or readiness to do so as the team expands.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of editorial planning and content calendar management.
• Experience providing written and visual storytelling for a policy and research audience.
• Deep understanding of how channels work across website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and newsletters, with the ability to provide detailed content design direction in line with the brand guide. The successful candidate will be required to provide evidence of this understanding and ability.
• Able to use Canva excellently; skill in video and audio editing will be advantageous.
• Able to exercise independent editorial judgment within a defined brand voice.
• Able to coordinate production timelines across multiple contributors.

Working Environment:

• Office based at the Centre in Lagos on a full-time basis.

Application Process
Application should include the following:

• A letter of interest
• Salary expectations
• Curriculum vita.