Malawi Communications Associate

About One Acre Fund
Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies 1 million smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. Our 8,000+ team is drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. With operations across six core countries in Africa, we make farmers more prosperous by providing quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers’ homes, and agricultural training to improve harvests. On average, the farmers we serve harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund.

To learn more about our work, take a look at our Why Work Here blog for more information.

About the Role
The communications Associate role is an essential part of One Acre Fund Malawi’s leadership team. You will help build One Acre Fund Malawi’s external reputation through risk management, media relations, production of high-quality content and leadership support in Malawi.
You will lead the communications function within the One Acre Fund Malawi program while creating allies and champions for the program to help accelerate the work and impact of the organization.
You will report directly to the Head of External Communications and have a dotted line relationship with One Acre Fund Malawi Country Director.

Responsibilities
Risk Management

• You will lead mitigation of both external and internal risks in the Malawi program
• You will Produce messaging to support reputational risk mitigation and management during different reputational risks situations facing the Malawi program.

Media monitoring and relations

• You will cultivate both local and national media relationships
• You will host visiting media in the field and act as One Acre Fund Malawi’s primary media spokesperson

Content production

• You will produce professional quality photographs and videos of all ongoing core program field activities to support internal communications, marketing and fundraising work, while adhering to any content release requirements

Social media management

• You will manage the social media pages directly or in collaboration with other teams for example Government Relations, Internal comms (Glassdoor), or digital media.
• You will produce high-quality content for the social media pages weekly

Leadership support

• You will be the lead in-country advisor to the country director on both internal and external communications
• You will represent the country director at important sector meetings within Malawi and brief/advice the country director on any next steps, including recommending any specific interventions to move the work forward.

Project management

• With input from team members, you will develop internal and external comms plans which projects needs 3-6 months in advance; adjust plans based on quarterly step backs with relevant team members
• You will develop comms request tools and ensure their use
• You will coordinate work with any external agencies/firms undertaking different projects on behalf of One Acre Fund Malawi

Career Growth and Development
We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications
Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

5+ years of experience in communication, journalism, broadcast production, public relations or related fields.
Bachelor’s degree in related field
Experience in successful media pitching
Experience in leadership advising

Preferred Start Date
As soon as possible

Job Location
Zomba, Malawi

Benefits
Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Eligibility
This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Malawi

Application Deadline
01 December 2024. Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization’s mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.