Global Communications Coordinator (Washington, DC)

• Location: Washington, DC
• Deadline to Apply: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
• Start Date and Duration: Immediate; with a commitment of 2 years minimum

About Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

IPA is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C. and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture.

About Evidence Action

Evidence Action assumes management and growth responsibility for two programs currently making a difference in the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia:

• The Deworm the World Initiative actively supports the scale-up of school-based deworming programs worldwide to improve children’s health, education, and long-term development. Free of intestinal worms, these children can concentrate better and get more out of schooling.  We partner with governments to support their work as part of our strategy for financial sustainability and in order to ensure integration with other health and education initiatives. We have helped treat over 43 million children across 27 countries since 2009 and currently have field teams in Kenya and India.
• Dispensers for Safe Water is an entrepreneurial program scaling the chlorine dispenser system – a proven innovation that dramatically expands access to water treatment at an extremely low cost. This year the program will reach over one million people in Africa providing safe drinking water to vulnerable populations.

IPA has played in important role incubating the Deworm the World Initiative and the Dispensers for Safe Water program. Now the management, strategic planning, and future work are transitioning to Evidence Action. We are looking for a dynamic, engaged team member to be responsible for fundraising and communications activities.

Position Summary:

A motivated individual who is passionate about promoting Evidence Action and its programs through written communication and partner engagement. The role will have a special focus on the Deworm the World Initiative, with the aim of growing engagement amongst governments, multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organizations, corporations, foundations, media and the general public. The Global Communications Coordinator will be responsible for organization-wide fundraising and communications activities, including writing materials and developing strategies to raise additional visibility and funds, as well the Evidence Action brand development. The Global Communications Coordinator will also support partner relations and program development. This role will report to Director of Strategic Initiatives and work closely with senior management and field teams.

Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Donor Relations

• Help develop and execute expanded fundraising strategy to identify potential private, corporate and individual funders.
• Develop funding proposals and donor reports, working closely with senior management, field and grant/finance teams.
• Create and maintain donor outreach and proposal tracking database.

Communications and Outreach

• Manage Evidence Action brand and marketing collateral development, inclusive of the development of an Evidence Action website, in conjunction with design consultant and Director of Strategic Initiatives.
• Develop and execute a communications outreach strategy.
• Pursue opportunities to highlight Evidence Action work, including newspaper or magazine articles, radio or television stories, blogs and op-eds and other outlets.
• Create contextualized communications materials, including briefs, presentations and annual reports.
• Manage the Evidence Action and relevant partner organizations’ school-based deworming websites, including regular content updates and periodic updates in functionality and style.
• Manage and write online and social media outreach to maintain a consistent online presence for DtWI through blog posts, Facebook and Twitter.

Partner Relations

• Support the management of relationships with key partners, including governments, multilateral organizations, foundations and corporate and individual donors.
• Help senior management seek out and build relationships with new partners.
• Respond to inquiries from donors, practitioners and other stakeholders, and track contacts, including partners and donors.

Program Support and Development

• Write program and field reports; edit reports and help develop report-writing capacity of field teams.
• Support development of program materials, including training manuals, communications and awareness materials, and other resources.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with minimum 5 years work experience, including direct experience in fundraising and/or communications. Advanced degree preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills including polished writing ability with capacity to adapt tone to various audiences.
• Clear thinker, who can translate program complexities into well-organized materials and can identify and effectively communicate the most salient information.
• Passion for Evidence Action’s mission and ability to engage stakeholders by acting as an ambassador.
• Ability to manage multiple competing deadlines and priorities with minimal supervision.
• Strong attention to detail and proven organizational skills.
• High level of computer literacy including MS Office Suite; familiarity with MS Publisher or other design software desired. Knowledge of website design and Drupal content management system preferred.

Required Attitude:

• Dedicated to Evidence Action’s mission and an environment that is evidence-driven, innovative and oriented to deliver the highest quality work.
• Highly self-motivated and willing to be involved in all levels of work, with a “do what it takes” attitude.
• Eager to be part of a fast-paced, growing program and nimble team with a start-up atmosphere.
• Sense of humor.

Application Instructions:

Please follow the application instructions below.  Any applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be considered. Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. 

1. Send an email to jobs@poverty-action.org and cc jobs-dtw@poverty-action.org, following these instructions:

• In the subject line: Copy the following position line:100972IPAUSA, Global Communications Coordinator
• Attachments: Please attach Only your CV and cover letter
• In the email body:  Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name. 

Please do not include any text besides your name in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application

2. Fill out our EEO-1 Voluntary Self Identification Form.

IPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer.

All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the Global Communications Coordinator.  The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org.