Operations Officer (Strategic Communication)

Job #:	130678
Title:	Operations Officer (Strategic Communication)
Job Stream:	Communications
Location:	To Be Determined
Closing Date:	06/26/2013
Background / General description:
Improving the investment climate in Africa is one of three core priorities of the IFC/World Bank Group strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFC manages the Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group (IC program), which comprise staff based in the hub offices of Nairobi, Dakar and Johannesburg and across the continent, who work with a team of product specialists in Washington, DC and Istanbul. The Investment Climate Advisory Services have supporting Sub-Saharan African countries to design and implement investment climate reform programs nearly a decade, and have scaled up their efforts significantly in recent years.  The programs assists client countries to implement a range of investment climate reforms, including economy-wide reforms of aspects of business regulation, supporting international trade and investment, regional integration as well as addressing obstacles to private sector investment in leading industries, such as agribusiness, infrastructure, tourism and health. The team’s objective is to support African countries’ efforts to create a positive investment climate to increase their competitiveness and private sector investment. As part of that work, IC Africa advises governments, as well as private sector associations, on how to communicate the reforms proposed and made, to ensure that these reforms are actually implemented and made known to all concerned stakeholders. This is called ‘reform communications.’ The Operations Officer will be assigned to the West and East Africa geographic zone and will be based in either Dakar, Senegal, or Nairobi, Kenya  He/She has a dual reporting line to the Regional IC Manager in charge of West and Central Africa and to the Head of Communication for IFC Africa.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The Operations Officer will undertake the following main tasks: • Identify, along with the teams on the ground, the specific communications needs of key stakeholders, including government ministries working on reforms, private sector associations, investment promotion agencies, and/or fora for public/private dialogue; help determine the level/amount of communications support needed, as well as the best positioning for that support (inside the government, inside the IC team, etc). • Assist in the recruitment and training of all IC communications consultants in the region. • Work with the IC teams and the IC communications consultants, in drafting communications strategies for all entities to which the IC communications consultants are providing support. • Mentor and oversee the work of all IC communications consultants in the region;  • In locations where there is no IC communications consultant, take charge of reform communications and ensure that IC work in West and Central Africa is communicated both internally, within the WBG, and externally.  • Collect from all IC teams in the region, with the support of IC communications consultants, stories and data showing the developmental impact of IC work. • Disseminate those stories on all internal and external communications platforms including IFC and World Bank intranets, IC internet, the annual report and the donor annual review. • Create for all IC programs in the region, a series of collaterals that can be distributed to all IC stakeholders, internal as well as external, to explain and promote IC work. • Train IC managers and task team leaders in addressing the media and civil society • Support the IC management team in identifying potential reputational risks and create appropriate communications strategies to diffuse those risks
Selection Criteria:
• Masters degree in communications, journalism, international relations or a related field,  • Minimum of 7 years’ professional communications experience, preferably working in journalism/corporate communications in developing countries • Experience developing and implementing communications plans and strategies • Knowledge of key determinants of the business and financial environment in Africa • Established network with key constituents - the media, business community, civil society, government officials • Excellent interpersonal skills and track record to work as in a team • Analytical and research skills - ability to conduct research and contribute to written reports • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a diverse environment, team player • Proficiency in French • Excellent writing skills/proofing and editing skills • Excellent project management skills • Experience and knowledge of radio, video and print production • Highly proficient in major computer software; including ability to prepare PowerPoint presentations  • Previous experience with World Bank Group reform communications an asset Women are strongly encouraged to apply.