Communications Officer

The Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF) seeks a Communications Officer (CO) to lead the communications of the Foundation and provide “communications thought leadership” across the Foundation’s diverse community of partners.

Reporting to ECF’s Global Policy and Advocacy Director, and working alongside a dynamic team of policy and technical experts, the Communications Officer will lead all communications for the Foundation, including developing an editorial calendar; drafting articles, newsletters, and press releases; creating clear, technically-accurate, and accessible collateral on severe malnutrition; leading speech writing for the Executive Director; managing the development of clear internal communications, including with ECF’s Board of Directors; and other priority activities.

In addition to leading the Foundation’s communications activities, the Communications Officer will have the unique opportunity to support grantee communication projects. In particular, the CO will provide expert support to communications efforts within ECF grants, including support to advocacy partners working to make the case for severe malnutrition as a global development priority and support to technical or research partners who seek assistance in crafting dissemination strategies for their work. The CO will be expected to work confidently and collaboratively with communications and leadership teams at the United Nations, leading international NGOs, universities, government agencies, and beyond.

A successful applicant will help the growing organization effectively plan and manage its communications, requiring a positive, “roll up your sleeves” attitude and a strong track record developing flawless written communications. The CO will be adept at translating nuanced, technical information for a more general audience. Applicants should have a commitment to global development and a “sick-of-business-as-usual” attitude, with an unrelenting desire to advance ambitious and creative ideas and collaborate across diverse stakeholders. A professional who is a skilled self-motivator, who would benefit from flexible work policies, and wants to have a meaningful impact on global health will thrive. This position is based in Washington, DC.

Responsibilities

Develop and Execute a Foundation Communications Strategy

● In collaboration with ECF’s Policy and Advocacy Director, and working across the Foundation team, develop and implement an effective written communications strategy and editorial calendar based on a masterful understanding of our target audience.

● Write, edit, and distribute content, including publications, press releases, website content, annual reports, speeches, and other marketing material that communicates ECF's activities.

● Develop visual presentation materials – e.g. powerpoints, handouts, etc – to support engagement with external partners. Where appropriate and necessary, liaise directly with design consultants to ensure visually appealing and accurate designed materials.

● Working with other members of the ECF team, and in support of the Executive Director, develop regular, clear communications to ECF’s Board of Directors.

● Copy-edit externally-facing documents, as required.

 ● Support an on-going process to develop a new website for the Foundation, including through leading on the drafting of web copy and user testing of the new site. Lead on the on-going maintenance of the ECF website.

● Seek opportunities to enhance the reputation of the Foundation, and coordinate publicity for events as required.

● Maintain records of media coverage and collate analytics and metrics.

● Respond to media inquiries, arrange interviews, and, where appropriate, act as a spokesperson for the organization.

● Research, on-board, and maintain a CRM system for the Foundation.

Support Grantee Communications Campaigns and Other Efforts

• Work closely with ECF grantees to support communications campaigns and other communications efforts, where appropriate. Engage with communications staff and leadership teams at a range of partner organizations to collaborate on shared communications priorities.

• Provide expert strategy support to major grantee efforts. For example, provide thought leadership in the development of ECF-supported campaigns, to help develop strong, compelling communications efforts related to severe malnutrition. Advise on strategy development and dissemination strategies of partner efforts.

• Working with the Global Policy & Advocacy Director and Senior Program Officer for Advocacy, develop and manage grants and contracts focused on communications campaigns and advocacy collateral in support of ECF’s 2020-2025 strategy.

Required Qualifications, Skills & Attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, or other relevant field;

• Minimum of 2-5 years' relevant experience in a communications role. Past experience on written communications is essential, including in drafting blogs, op-eds, and speeches;

• Confidence in maintaining the ECF website. Please note that the Foundation does not currently have social media presence;

• Ability to effectively work with design consultants to ensure high quality collateral;

• High level of interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of US and internationally-based partners and staff;

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;

• Capacity to work both independently and as a member of a team;

• Ability to effectively prioritize, set expectations, and manage up;

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects and to meet deadlines;

• Ability to coordinate activities with supervisors, colleagues and consultants; and,

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, content management systems, and social media platforms.

Desired Skills & Attributes:

• Attentive to detail

• Adept logistician

• Excellent writer

• Composed negotiator

• Socially perceptive

• Self-Starter

• Intellectually curious

• Highly collaborative

• Strategic Thinker and Advocate

• Risk Manager

• Compassionate

Salary commensurate with experience. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter along with a short writing sample to: hiring@eleanorcrookfoundation.org.

Note: Please share a 1-2 page writing sample that demonstrates an ability to succinctly and compellingly describe a complex issue for a more general audience. This could be a blog, op- ed, or a speech excerpt.