Strategic Communications Manager

Amref Health Africa is a leading international health development organization established in 1957. It focuses on improving health in Africa through sustainable health solutions and humanitarian and social development initiatives.

This role involves leading the communications function for Amref Health Africa in Kenya, focusing on protecting and enhancing the organization's reputation among government, county, community, partner, and donor audiences. The manager will translate this trust into influence to support Amref's advocacy, program, partnership, and resource mobilization priorities. Key responsibilities include developing and implementing the country's communications strategy, advising senior leadership on positioning and stakeholder engagement, and ensuring alignment with Amref's global strategy and brand. The position emphasizes achieving measurable outcomes and requires a hands-on approach to producing flagship communication products.

1. Lead the development, implementation, monitoring, and review of Amref Kenya’s communications strategy and project-level communication plans, ensuring alignment with country and global priorities.
2. Provide strategic advice to the Country Director and Senior Management Team on organizational positioning, stakeholder engagement, emerging opportunities, and reputational risks.
3. Translate organizational and program priorities into clear messages and campaigns tailored for specific audiences.
4. Prepare quarterly reports for the board's Resource Mobilisation, Partnerships and Communications Committee and execute assigned actions.
5. Cultivate and maintain relationships with media professionals across national, county, community, Kiswahili, and vernacular outlets.
6. Pitch stories, opinion articles, expert commentary, and research findings, coordinating interviews, briefings, and field visits, and serving as the primary media contact.
7. Empower Ministry, county, and Amref spokespeople, along with community messengers, to communicate effectively with their respective audiences.
8. Monitor media coverage for accuracy, positioning, and sentiment, providing regular intelligence to leadership.
9. Maintain crisis communications readiness and lead responses to reputational issues in coordination with the Country Director and Group communications.
10. Conduct social listening for health misinformation affecting priority programs and support rapid, evidence-based responses, collaborating with the Ministry of Health and WHO’s Africa Infodemic Response Alliance.
11. Support the Ministry of Health and county governments in communications for joint engagements, launches, and milestones, positioning the government as the lead partner.
12. Coordinate Amref Kenya’s communications contributions to national platforms like health summits and technical working groups, preparing materials for engagements with government principals.
13. Coordinate a thought leadership agenda to position Amref Kenya’s technical experts as credible voices on priority health issues, primarily for domestic audiences.
14. Facilitate media interviews, opinion pieces, keynote speeches, podcasts, and policy platforms for the Country Director and subject-matter experts, drafting or editing relevant materials.
15. Lead communications for Amref Kenya’s advocacy and policy priorities, including policy briefs, position statements, and key national policy moments.
16. Maintain a pipeline of impact stories, human-interest stories, innovations, and research findings with program teams, producing annual reports, newsletters, factsheets, and advocacy materials.
17. Implement participatory storytelling approaches where communities help shape and approve narratives about them, ensuring informed consent, dignity, and fair representation.
18. Collaborate with the Impact, Data & Insights function to transform program evidence into accurate, data-driven stories of measurable change.
19. Enhance program teams’ communications capacity through training, tools, and templates.
20. Oversee Amref Kenya’s digital presence, including the website, social media, and digital campaigns, using analytics and audience insights.
21. Develop direct audience reach through email newsletters, WhatsApp broadcasts, and community lists, focusing on genuine engagement.
22. Apply AI tools responsibly, adhering to Group policy and professional guidance, ensuring disclosure, verifying accuracy, and avoiding misleading synthetic content.
23. Lead donor visibility planning to ensure all funded projects meet branding, marking, and acknowledgement requirements.
24. Produce funder-facing products like capability statements, project profiles, and impact summaries with the Business Development & Partnerships function, coordinating communications for donor visits.
25. Act as the custodian of Amref’s brand in Kenya, ensuring quality of key products and compliance with ethical storytelling, consent, safeguarding, data protection, copyright, and image-use requirements.
26. Adapt and implement communications policies and standards from Amref’s global communications function, sharing country lessons for improvement.
27. Keep staff informed and engaged through internal communications, supporting leadership communications and organizational announcements.
28. Develop staff, technical experts, and community health workers as credible messengers for Amref’s work through guidance and practice.
29. Supervise, coach, and develop communications staff, setting performance expectations and work plans.
30. Manage the communications budget, assets, external agencies, and service providers in line with organizational policies.

1. Master’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, Development Communications, or a related discipline with at least 8 years of progressive communications experience; OR a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Public Relations, Journalism, or a relevant discipline with at least 10 years of progressive communications experience.
2. Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive communications experience, including at least three years in a managerial or leadership role.
3. Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing communications strategies and measuring their outcomes.
4. Strong track record in media relations, thought leadership, digital communications, executive communications, and reputation management, with experience in county, community, or vernacular media being an advantage.
5. Experience in public health or international development is desirable.
6. Exceptional writing and editing skills.
7. Proficiency in strategic storytelling, digital communications, and analytics.
8. Ability to build owned audiences (email and WhatsApp).
9. Experience with media measurement aligned to the AMEC framework.
10. Skills in crisis and misinformation response.
11. Competence in brand management.
12. Ability to use AI tools responsibly.
13. Strategic thinking capabilities.
14. Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
15. Proven people leadership abilities.
16. High political and cultural sensitivity.
17. Sound judgment in complex environments.
18. Strong collaboration skills.
19. Demonstrated ability to advise and influence senior leadership.