Societal Communications Head
Purpose
The new role of Societal Communications Headwill lead the SmartStart
network’s efforts using social influence to collect people’s efforts and change
behaviours and mindsets:
·to build and inspire a country-wide movement(wider than SmartStart) to establish early learning as a societal priority
·to leverage the power of the SmartStart brand to accelerate network growth and
wider progress towards early learning for all focused on those most
excluded
The role is a member of the Hub Exco and reports to the Chief Ecosystem and Partnerships Officer.
We are looking for a curious, creative, driven individual
with extensive communications, behaviour change, marketing and outreach experience
and a successful track record of managing teams.
Key
Responsibilities
·Guide
coherent, clear, informative, engaging and influential communications to SmartStart’s national network of practitioners, parents, and frontline staff
·Stimulate
and influence multi-way communications within and across the network in service of SmartStart’s
purpose and strategy
·Drive
the development of communications campaigns that move people themselves to influence
and “convert” others to take action for the societal cause of quality early
learning for all
oLead the targeting and
creation ofappropriate communications that stimulates and reinforces changes in behaviour
oEngage role-players with overlapping
and/or complementary interests, e.g. basic education, gender justice and employment and
micro-(social-)enterprise and social justice
·Build a popular South African movement for early
learning as a societal cause
oCollaborate with partners to create popular demand (economic
& political) for and expectations of quality, affordable early
learning for all
oWidely share the progress made towards, and benefits of, quality early learning for all
·Co-develop and communicate
orelevant popular
education content on topics including care about and concern for children’s interest; the benefits and importance of early learning for all; key practices
for quality early learning; as well as inclusive education, gender justice, and social justice
othe SmartStart network, programme, and micro-social-enterprise
opportunity and the brand as a guarantee of quality, affordable early
learning programmes
·Lead internal-organisational communications across the network of SmartStart
partner NGOs and within the network Hub organisation
·Co-develop
and conduct appropriate SmartStart network and wider social research to
yield insights for segmenting, differentiating, and/or targeting communications
·Develop appropriate approaches to monitor,
investigate and understand the intended and unintended effects of
communications and respond appropriately
·Strategically explore opportunities and partnerships
across a few (southern) African countries
Requirements
Qualifications
and Experience
·Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a related discipline
·At least 8 years’ relevant
& diverse communications experience in complex organisational-systemic
contexts, ideally in early childhood development, education, or public
health
·At least 4 years in senior role(s)
successfully leading functionsandmanaging teams
·At least four years in
senior management roles(s)
·Successful track record of driving effective social behaviour-change communications campaigns
oExperience tracking & analysing the
intended and unintended effects of communications and responding
appropriately
Knowledge
and Skills
·Demonstrated track record using communications,
brand, andsocial network influence as well as other relevant
dynamics and approaches to transform social norms and so behaviours
·Clear
evidence of curiosity and appetite for feedback
·Appetite
to work in uncertainty and change, without recipes
·Ability to see the big
picture and work effectively amid complexity
·Familiarity with
and curiosity about
oSocietal scale
oSystems doing-and-thinking
oDesign thinking & iterative designing
oDriving to
succeed
·Excellent
at building quality, trusting relationships
·Commitment to SmartStart’s purpose and social
justice internationally
·Advantageous:
Fluency in one or more African languages
Child Safeguarding Policy
Applicants must adhere to the SmartStart Child
Safeguarding Policy, which has been developed in accordance with the
International Standards for Child Safeguarding, which provides a benchmark for
organisations working with children. Under this Policy, SmartStart will not employ anyone
whose name is on the National Child Protection Register or who has been
convicted of a criminal offence involving a child.
