Strategic Communications and Knowledge Manager, Food Basket Activity at Mercy Corps

The Position

Mercy Corps is seeking candidates for a Strategic Communications and Knowledge Manager (SCKM) which will support the implementation of the anticipated five-year USAID/Feed the Future-funded Food Basket Activity. The Food Basket Activity will increase the productivity and competitiveness of selected value chains (rice, maize, and horticulture) and market systems in targeted areas of Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Plateau states of Nigeria.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in the development of a communications and knowledge management strategy and operationally plan and oversee the implementation of the communications and knowledge management plan.
• Establish and strengthen program systems and team and partner capacity to achieve knowledge management and communication objectives.
• Effectively identify and use program evidence to represent program learning in strategic communications and collaborate with MEL staff to identify and address evidence needs.  
• Strengthen collaboration and cross-learning within the Activity team and within Mercy Corps Nigeria, as well as with local partners, private sector, government counterparts, and other programs/organizations to contribute to the knowledge sharing and community of practice.
• Lead the development of and author program reports and updates including overseeing quarterly donor reports. 
• Proactively identify stories and communications to share Activity results with various audiences.
• Manage and share relevant Activity reports and publications.
• Lead or actively contribute to the organization of external events and fora focused on enhancing program visibility, cross-partner collaboration, and peer learning. 
• Play a central role in program facilitating a culture of collaboration, learning, and adaptation within the Activity Team and Mercy Corps Nigeria through documenting and sharing Activity learning.
• Manage internal document storage, adhering to Mercy Corps’ policies and data security standards.
• Collect and disseminate learnings from the Activity internally and externally.
• Train, mentor, and build the capacity of others on the Activity team in communications and knowledge management practices.

Supervisory Responsibility

• TBD
• Accountability
• Reports Directly To: COP, Food Basket Activity
• Works Directly With The Activity Team

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/S degree in communication, public relations, development studies, or relevant field, master’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive work experience in communications and knowledge management for donor-funded development programs.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and public speaking skills in English are required.
• Ability to summarize and simplify complex information and communicate it to targeted groups.
• Graphic design, photo editing, and video editing experience strongly preferred. [NG1]
• Experience in agriculture or economic development donor-funded programming preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in training and capacity building across diverse teams and partners.
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills.
• Previous experience in Nigeria or similar contexts is essential.
• Familiarity with USAID is required.