RIN Project Communication Consultant

Overview of the Role:

The RIN Project Communication Consultant position is a unique opportunity to play a foundational role in a social enterprise that is building a vibrant RLI ecosystem in Africa. Reporting to RIN’s CEO, the Project Communication Consultant will hold primary responsibility for day-to-day communications activities of Refugee Lens Investing in the Greater Horn of Africa Phase II project funded by the Hilton Foundation. The ideal candidate for this position is a creative thinker with brand, marketing, and communications experience and a deep understanding of the social impact space. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong ability to seek input from and collaborate across teams; develop and execute innovative and effective communications campaigns; and, create short and long-term communications strategies that further and accelerate the broad adoption of RLI and RIN’s growth. The candidate will also possess project management skills, a passion for storytelling, and a broad understanding of communications platforms and tools.

The Project Communications Consultant reports directly to RIN’s CEO and offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a transformative project with far-reaching social and economic implications.

The initial consultancy term is for 7 months, with the potential to dedicate up to 20 hours per week, and travel to project regions might be involved.

About the Project:

The RIN Project Communication Consultant will play a pivotal role in advancing the Refugee Lens Investing (RLI) ecosystem in Africa. This initiative, funded by the Hilton Foundation, aims to explore how catalytic capital can advance self-reliance for refugees and host community members in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. In the current phase of this project (“Phase II”), RIN will build upon previously completed market analysis, business model formation, and ecosystem development started in Phase I, and deploy technical assistance to large companies that enables them to identify and engage forcibly displaced people (FDP) and their hosts intentionally to help build sustainable livelihoods.

About the Refugee Investment Network:

The Refugee Investment Network (RIN) is the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration. Accordingly, RIN works to bridge the gap between an increasing number of investors interested in refugee lens investing (RLI) and a dynamic ecosystem of refugee-supporting enterprises. RIN is thus a specialized investment intermediary with a mission to shift the political and social dialogue about the value of refugees and help to unlock investment opportunities that create new jobs that measurably improve self-reliance for both refugees and their host communities. By doing so, RIN helps to build more cohesive, resilient, and sustainable economies and communities.

Project-Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Update and implement the Phase II communications strategy;
• Coordinate preparation and implementation of communication campaigns and activities in relation with the project communication strategy;
• Lead preparation and reporting of upcoming events with RIN partners; IGAD Secretariat, Amahoro Coalition and the East Africa Venture Capital Association;
• Take part in planning and coordination of media outreach for RIN’s events of the project and the RIN Representation in Africa;
• Collaborate in identification, preparation, and dissemination of written or visual content and materials in relation to project activities, including blog posts, success stories, learning documents, brochures, news articles, press releases, talking points, briefing notes, key messages, newsletters, opinion pieces and other communication outputs, ensuring consistency, accuracy and meeting the needs of target audiences;
• Develop and maintain close contacts with project partners, government officials, donors, civil society and private sector for implementation of the communications strategy, organization of roundtable tables, focus group discussions, press conferences, briefing sessions and interviews;
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of communication efforts through regular reports, update and maintenance of relevant databases (photo, video, news archives, media, etc.).

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

Digital Media & Analytics

• Develop and implement social media strategy for RIN on LinkedIn & Twitter;
• Create simple visuals for digital content campaigns;
• Track engagement analytics on digital platforms;
• Develop and manage email newsletters;
• Manage RIN website on WordPress.

Project Management

• Lead scoping and procurement for creative projects including web development and graphic design;
• Manage timelines and deliverables for projects;
• Support the expansion of creative partner networks to new regions.

Thought Leadership & Publications

• Work with RIN team to develop thought leadership strategies across digital platforms to tell the story of RIN and displaced people;
• Prepare (draft, edit, design, etc.), publish original research pieces.

Required Qualifications and Qualities:

RIN is looking for candidates with a demonstrated interest, understanding and passion for its mission, and the following qualifications and qualities:

Required Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience;
• 5 years of applicable work experience in branding, marketing, and communications; preference for agency experience;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including impeccable English grammar and editing skills and the ability to translate complicated issues into clear/concise prose;
• Experience working in a client-facing role that required strong facilitation and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge of, and experience in, global development or social impact space;
• Superb time and project management skills, attention to detail, excellence in prioritization;
• Comfort with basic graphic design and a good “design eye”;
• Experience designing and driving multi-media marketing campaigns with a deep understanding of digital marketing analytics;
• Fluency in Microsoft Office suite, MailChimp, Google Analytics, and WordPress; familiarity with Squarespace, Canva, and Adobe Suite; effective use of social media.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated capacity to communicate, coordinate and deliver in an East African context;
• Lived experience as a displaced person would be a valuable asset for this role; persons who have experienced forced displacement are highly encouraged to apply. RIN also has a strong preference for citizens or residents of one of the project’s three refugee hosting countries: Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia

Why Join RIN as Communications Consultant:

• Culture: genuine friendships, no politics – direct and candid, where the best ideas win (regardless of seniority);
• Impact: design and build initiatives that aim to address unsolved and unmet social issues, impacting thousands, and in outstanding cases, millions;
• Growth: work with top leaders of well-known foundations and NGOs and work with a team that will challenge and support you to develop;
• Compensation: top tier for social sector NGOs and comparable to leading foundations / private sector professional services firms (commensurate to experience level).

Why RIN:

RIN is at the forefront of impact investing and blended finance dedicated to addressing global forced migration. As a Communications Consultant, you will be part of a pioneering initiative that drives positive change, fosters collaboration among investors, enterprises, and communities, and creates lasting solutions for displaced populations.

RIN encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds and is an equal opportunity employer.