Communities Programme Manager at Code for Africa

About the Role:

• The successful candidate will join CfA’s Communities team which spearheads CfA’s ecosystem/network building and management. You will serve as the champion for all CfA’s Communities’ networks and lead the CfA’s Communities team. You will drive engagement and accelerate the growth of CfA’s networks of changemakers across the continent by organising offline and online community-related projects and other activities, including training and events. You should feel comfortable working with a specialised audience of investigators, journalists, and civil society organisations. You will also play a key managerial role, be given a breadth of responsibility, and work with multiple teams across Africa. You will, from time to time, coordinate with CfA’s business development team and the Knowledge Senior Programme Manager to initiate, expand, and maintain relationships with CfA’s institutional partners across Africa and support grant writing and applications.
• Successful candidates will assist in conceptualising and producing data-driven journalism projects, leveraging CfA toolkits and resources as appropriate. In addition, the role will include mentoring journalists, providing input on story plans, helping shape digital design/packaging for projects, and assisting with the publication/syndication of CfA’s content with media partners. You will also manage the Communities’ projects, such as providing fellowship opportunities to our networks’ members and ensuring that fellowship deliverables and deadlines are met. 

Responsibilities: 

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of all online and offline Communities initiatives activities, including meetups, online workshops or forums, conferences or events, etc.
• Lead the expansion and development of new Communities initiatives that are aligned with our product roadmap to effectively grow our network’s user base.
• Oversee and support a distributed team of Communities coordinators who work on clearly defined initiatives or projects across Africa.
• Oversee the engagement and relationship of the Communities coordinators with their particular community on a regular basis via multiple chosen communication mediums.
• Design and oversee the day-to-day implementation of projects/partners, based on their work plans and CfA strategic objectives or expectations.
• Oversee and manage multiple project deliverables to ensure adherence to agreed quality benchmarks and budgets, by facilitating regular progress reviews at appropriate milestones for stakeholders, and by proactively problem-solving where expectations are not met.
• Explore and evaluate new partnerships and initiatives that can significantly increase CfA’s Communities footprint in Africa. 
• Keep track of the impact stories sparked by the Communities’ initiatives and share insights with internal teams to improve community approaches and engagements.
• Maintain and foster a database of community influencers, high-impact leaders to partner with on events and content.
• Lead the coordination of the syndication/publication of CfA content with media partners, with the support of the Communities coordinators.

Required:

• At least 7 years of experience working in a programme and project management role, with at least 3 years of that experience involving community management and engagement, preferably at development organisations (NGOs/CSO/non-profit), technology/media networks, or high-growth startups.
• Proven experience managing fast-moving, complex, multi-stakeholder communications projects within the NGO/CSO/non-profit, media, or tech/startup sectors.
• Proven experience in designing and organising international events/conferences/webinars, offline and online.
• Demonstrable leadership skills honed from experience in building and growing an effective remote or distributed team of ambitious multicultural and multilingual domain experts.
• Experience in forming and managing partnerships, particularly with media institutions, international organisations, or relevant technology players, as well as other private and non-profit stakeholders in the civic technology and media ecosystem.
• Meticulous attention to detail, with the ability to work congenially in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. This includes being an organisational whiz who is able to prioritise multiple simultaneous tasks, while at the same time having the people skills needed to engage diplomatically and collaborate effectively with colleagues under tight deadlines.
• Understanding of donor funding and reporting requirements.
• A high level of analytical skills and the ability to use initiative, apply creativity, and develop innovative solutions to problems.
• Digital-first workplace skill-sets, including proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Workplace (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.), Slack (or equivalents such as Teams, etc), and project management tools like Trello (or equivalents such as AirTable, etc.)
• Strong research and writing skills and the ability to write in a non-academic, accessible, and engaging manner.
• Strong administrative skills and precision in handling budgets and contracts
• Empathetic communication and listening skills, plus top-notch cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Be a true team player, enjoying working with a highly collaborative team.

Preferred:

• Relentless resourcefulness, ownership mindset, and a proven record of single-handedly building from the ground up and translating projects from the idea stage to launch.
• Experience promoting impactful relationships through community programs and ability to moderate, manage and engage within community forums.
• Experience in producing toolkits and public awareness materials in various formats like articles, reports, curricula, podcasts, blogs, etc.
• Sound understanding of issues related to the intersection of gender, tech, data, investigation, and journalism.
• Deep understanding of the technology and media ecosystem in Africa. Passion for media, data storytelling, and technology. An interest in civic technology and digital journalism.
• Foundational AI literacy.

Language Requirements:

• Languages: English
• Preferred but not required: Arabic, French, Swahili, or other major African languages.