Head of Communications

Benefits

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Who We Are! 🌍 Africa has the world's youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more young people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world's youngest continent. Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today's economy by: Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and Delivering livelihood boot camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women. To date, more than 500,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa. Educate! is a team of over 300 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations, and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures , Livelihood Impact Fund , Jack Dorsey's #startsmall , CIFF and Echidna Giving . Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award , and has been highlighted by the World Bank's S4YE's Impact Portfolio , an Al Jazeera documentary , BBC , The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator . In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work. Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year. Good to note: To Our Awesome Applicants! 🚀💫 We know that incredible candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don't meet every requirement. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply! We're looking for passionate individuals who believe in our mission and can bring unique perspectives to our team-not just those who check every box. We value diversity and strongly encourage women and individuals from all backgrounds to apply. Position Overview We are looking for a dynamic communications leader who is equal parts strategist, operator, and editor-in-chief - someone who can advance a high-performing communications function while keeping the team's energy focused on the work that drives the greatest revenue and impact across channels. You will lead communications strategy, team development and operational systems, ensuring everything produced aligns with the funders, networks, and media that matter most. You'll immerse yourself in Educate!'s model and evidence base, translating complexity into narratives that are credible, compelling, and fundable. This role will report directly to Educate!'s Global Director of Development. While fundraising is at the heart, you'll also hold ownership of brand, messaging, and internal communications - and play a role in defining how we streamline and scope important work over time. You'll act as an "editor-and-chief" - working with the team to surface youth stories, data highlights, and insights worth telling; building and owning relationships with media and thought leadership networks; and creating content aligned with how evidence-driven funders think. You are a clear, incisive communicator with a track record of end-to-end ownership across media channels, content, and thought leadership. You hold the editorial bar, coach the team to meet it, and build the infrastructure to enable it; supporting a lean team punch above its weight. This role offers the chance to shape not only Educate!'s voice, but the wider conversation itself - ensuring that the experiences of African youth, and the evidence behind what drives livelihoods outcomes, influence the decisions of funders, policymakers, and sector leaders worldwide. What You'll Do🌟 Lead and develop the communications function Manage and develop the full communications function and serve as an exceptional manager to a team of 3-4 people, setting priorities, coaching team members and maintaining a high editorial standard. Build and manage external agency and freelancer relationships with clear briefs and performance expectations. Build the systems, workflows, and operational rhythms that keep the function running - building infrastructure that lets a lean team produce consistently excellent work. Define the communications function's role and priorities within a fast-growing organisation. Drive the communications strategy - and drive revenue Develop and lead an integrated communications strategy aligned to Educate!'s fundraising priorities across four priority revenue segments. Prioritise high-leverage com

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