Senior Communications Officer, BDEV at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/21/080
Location: Abidjan, Cote d' Ivoire
Grade: PL5
Position N°: 50090784

The Complex

• The Board of Directors provides oversight and strategic direction to the African Development Bank Group. It is composed of Executive Directors who are representatives of the African Development Bank member countries.

Specifically the Board is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, and carries out the following functions:

• Determine the general structure of the Bank’s services;
• Dpprove the financing policy and take decisions concerning loans, guarantees, equity investments and fund loans by the Bank;
• Determine the interest rates of loans and guarantee commissions;
• Approve the Bank’s operations program and administrative budget;
• Prepare the work of the Board of Governors; and
• Submit accounts and annual reports, as well as the administrative budgets for the approval of the Board of Governors.
• The Board does its work through a series of permanent Committees that review and discuss policy and program documents and make appropriate recommendations to the whole Board. The Independent Development Evaluation Department (BDEV); Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (BCRM); Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board (BSAB); and the Administrative Tribunal (BATR) report to the Board.

The Hiring Department:

• The overarching mission of the African Development Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation (BDEV) is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank in its regional member countries through independent and influential evaluations, oversight over self-evaluation processes and products, and proactive engagement in evaluation partnerships and knowledge-sharing activities.
• The core mandate of BDEV is to conduct independent evaluation studies, provide relevant lessons, develop and harmonize standards and practices, support evaluation capacity development together with partner agencies and attest to the validity of both processes and the results of African Development Bank’s self-evaluation activities. BDEV also collaborates and exchanges information with bilateral and multilateral development agencies’ evaluation departments and undertakes joint evaluation of co-financed projects and programs.
• BDEV has three divisions: BDEV1, BDEV2 and BDEV3. BDEV1 and BDEV2 divisions focus on undertaking evaluations. BDEV3, the Knowledge Management, Outreach, and Capacity Development Division, is responsible for knowledge management, dissemination and outreach activities around IDEV evaluations, and for supporting the development of evaluation capacities both in the Bank and in its Regional Member Countries.

The Position

• The Senior Communications Officer contributes to the communication of the work of the department, in particular its evaluations, by preparing and disseminating various products.
• The objective of the Senior Communications Officer is to contribute to the delivery of the division work program by preparing various communications materials pertaining to IDEV’s work, in particular its evaluations; disseminating IDEV knowledge and communication products; and supporting events led by IDEV.3. The incumbent provides guidance to junior consultants and the division team assistant as necessary.

Duties and Responsibilities
The key duties and responsibilities of the Senior Communications Officer are to:
Corporate Communications:

• Plan and lead internal and external communication efforts to strengthen awareness of evaluation activities and knowledge and raise the profile and visibility of IDEV and of evaluation in general.
• Co-develop and implement an internal and external knowledge management and communications strategy and action plan for IDEV, aiming at both the internal Bank audience as well as the external audience/general public.
• Produce and disseminate various communications materials on IDEV’s work, including stories and news, articles, outreach and publicity materials, briefings, press/media kits, media advisories, press releases, statements, speeches, fact-sheets, videos, podcasts, animations, and write ups about events and outcomes of IDEV, its partners, and the Bank’s client countries, for a variety of channels including the intranet and Internet websites, blogs, e-news, media and other communication channels, in accordance with AfDB guidelines.
• Participate in the planning of physical and virtual knowledge sharing events, webinars, seminars, trainings, conferences etc. to ensure appropriate communications before, during, and after the event.
• Plan and implement communication campaigns.
• Support IDEV in enhancing internal capacity for communication, knowledge sharing and outreach.
• Raise internal awareness of communications approaches and best practices.
• Identify areas of reputational risk and develop approaches to minimize them.
• Propose new activities to be included in the IDEV three-year work program.
• Report on achieved activities during the year to be taken into account in the IDEV Annual Report.

Evaluation-Specific Communications:

• In collaboration with IDEV knowledge management and evaluation task managers, undertake communications activities, including social media, to disseminate evaluation results and key messages to various target audiences.
• Participate in the planning and implementation of a stakeholder engagement strategy and dissemination plan for each IDEV evaluation, to ensure appropriate communication about the evaluation.
• Prepare a range of communication products summarizing findings, lessons and recommendations from IDEV evaluations, including stories, news, articles, briefings, factsheets, infographics, audio-visual productions, and other materials for the website, e-news, intranet, social media, etc.
• Ensure that the products meet high quality standards and that their content responds to the knowledge needs of various audiences: Bank operations staff and management, authorities and beneficiaries in Regional Member Countries, development partners, researchers/academia, the media, etc.
• Disseminate IDEV knowledge and communication products to the identified target audiences through the most appropriate channels, including print and electronic publication and distribution, direct mailings, displays at events, the IDEV website, social media, etc.

Branding and Style:

• In collaboration with IDEV knowledge management and evaluation task managers, ensure coherent and consistent branding and style of IDEV products, including evaluation reports, knowledge and communications products and promotional materials.
• Assist colleagues with review of documents and other materials to ensure that IDEV guidelines are adhered to.
• Liaise with other IDEV staff to assist with their communication needs as appropriate.

Communication Tools and Processes:

• Ensure the continued development and maintenance of IDEV communication and dissemination channels.
• Manage the IDEV website, electronic newsletters and mass mailings.
• Enhance and manage IDEV’s social media presence (Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.), and develop strategies for engaging with evaluation and other audiences through social media.
• Keep up to date on new social media tools and best practices, identify new opportunities for achieving IDEV objectives, and initiate the development of new and innovative communication and advocacy products.
• Develop relationships and collaborate with other Bank departments, external stakeholders and clients to ensure the widest possible dissemination of IDEV knowledge and communication products.
• Develop relationships with evaluation departments of other organizations to exchange best practices.
• Perform other duties as required.

Selection Criteria

• Holds at least a Masters’ degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Social Sciences, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years’ professional experience in communicating on international development (for example in international NGOs, bilateral or multilateral development organisations, International Financial Institutions, or governments).
• Experience with knowledge management and communicating knowledge products
• Experience working on conception, design, packaging and dissemination of knowledge products to a variety of audiences and understanding of channels of dissemination.
• Experience in various forms of communications production and marketing, such as publications, Internet communication strategies, blogging, and (online) campaigning.
• Strong writing skills evidenced by writing samples/portfolio
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to take initiative and be creative and innovative
• Flexibility, integrity, professionalism
• Hands-on, problem solving
• Ability to work under pressure
• Respect for diversity, strong team player
• Ability to maintain overview with strong attention to detail
• Knowledge of the Bank’s and IDEV’s mandate, strategic priorities, policies and operations
• Ability to plan and manage projects, to guide project teams and to provide expert advice to project teams
• Knowledge of methodologies, implementation, developments and trends in communication
• Ability to capture and communicate key messages succinctly as well as to turn complex information into clear, easy to understand messages
• Ability to package and present information according to the needs of the audience
• Excellent research, writing, communication and reporting skills
• An expert wordsmith and storyteller that can showcase IDEV’s products in a compelling way
• Good analytical, negotiation and advocacy skills.
• Desktop publishing skills like Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop. Understanding of simple HMTL structures and familiarity with html emails is an added advantage.
• Experience using different communication channels, including social media, and dissemination approaches
• Experience in writing press releases, media advisories and writing for a journalistic audience in general.
• Ability to identify opportunities and build strong relationships with clients and partners
• Ability to communicate effectively (in writing and orally) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other. Proficiency in both languages is desirable.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, and Power Point) and web content management systems (eg. Drupal, Typo3, Wordpress).