Back Communications Specialist, Restore Local project, Greater Rift Valley Landscape

This position is remote based in WRI Kenya preferably in Nakuru County or Kenya's Great Rift Valley. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

About the Program:

WRI’s Restoration Initiative informs, enables, and invests in people who restore degraded land, converting them to socially, economically, and environmentally productive lands. WRI’s restoration work in Africa supports the goals of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, AFR100, where with other partners; we have identified more than 700 million hectares of cleared and degraded forest and agricultural lands suitable for restoration across Africa. Since 2023, WRI has been supporting landscape-focused restoration in Africa. Done well, landscape-scale restoration can revitalize African landscapes, while enhancing human well-being through food, energy, and water systems, which conserve, restore, and sustain the continent’s rich natural heritage while generating evidence for scaling within and across landscapes. In WRI Africa, restoration is anchored within the Vital Landscapes Pillar that aims at revitalizing and protecting landscapes for people and planet. The Vital Landscapes Pillar aims to build the resilience of our natural ecosystems to sustainably provide vital ecosystems services such as food, water, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation.

Job Highlight:

Reporting to the Communication Manager, you will work with the Restore Local Project in WRI Africa’s Vital Landscapes Pillar to support the design and implementation of communications and engagement strategies, media relations, and events. You will curate communications products to elevate people-centered stories and messages for various channels, such as websites, social media, blogs, and publications.

You will also work closely with Restore Local Project staff and partners in the Greater Rift Valley to develop communication products and messaging to promote project activities, create awareness, share lessons learned and increase the overall visibility of project activities. You will collaborate with other communications professionals across the institute on joint efforts to promote WRI’s mission and values.

What will you do:

Communications and Engagement (60%):

• Develop and implement a communications and engagement plan for the Restore Local project in the Greater Rift Valley landscape
• Coordinate and support the development of audience-specific knowledge products
• Coordinate and support the development of effective outreach material including high-quality presentations, publications, newsletters, blogs, photographs, videos, testimonials, webinars, social media, etc.
• Ensure that the project website is updated
• Facilitate communication between partners and the public through dissemination of research and data, publications, media outreach, and digital communications

  Media Relations (20%):

  • Draft press releases and coordinate the release of media advisories to promote research
  • Coordinate project media relations including identifying opportunities for media coverage, responding to media requests, and arranging interviews as appropriate
  • Maintain a list of media coverage of the Restore Local projects in the Greater Rift Valley
  • Maintain a list of media contacts with the Greater Rift Valley Restore Local project scope

    Events (10%):

    • Coordinate the production of webinars with relevant program teams
    • Coordinate communication support for program events, including social promotion and coverage, photography, media outreach, production of communication products, and post-event communication reports
    • Contribute to WRI Africa’s list of events to ensure effective and efficient coordination of communication support

      Institutional communications(10%):

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      • Contribute to WRI Africa’s communication initiatives such as compiling content for international days, blogs, the release of flagship reports, and newsletters

        What will you need:

        • Education: You have a completed Bachelor’s degree in mass communication, journalism, or social sciences preferred or an additional 4 years of related work experience
        • Experience: You have 6+ years of full-time relevant work experience in a similar role preferably with international development organizations, knowledge institutions, or media
        • Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills
        • Ability to proactively identify opportunities for communication activities
        • Experience storytelling and writing human-interest stories
        • Experience designing and organizing events
        • Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in teams and encourage knowledge sharing to achieve organizational goals and preferred experience of working in coalitions and other collaborative partnership models
        • Willingness and ability to travel within the region and internationally
        • Experience working with national and pan-African organizations and with international institutions; experience working on climate, water, cities, forests, or other development topics
        • Languages: You have verbal and written proficiency in English
        • Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization

          Potential Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

          How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter by the date of 13 December 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

          What we offer:

          • A competitive salary
          • Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
          • The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
          • A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
          • The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
          • Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
          • Generous leave days that increase with tenure

            About Us:

            Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

            The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

            Our mission and values:

            WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.