Communications and Marketing Manager

We are looking for an exceptional individual with strong alignment with our philosophy of community-led education with an ability to capture the change being created across our network, and engage existing and new audiences in our work. The individual will hold the ability to work with both staff and our network of over 400 Catalysts to improve their communications skills, thus giving this role an exciting reach of impact.  

The candidate would be hands-on and proactive, able to lead our social media channels directly and create engaging content for our website and newsletter, working with grassroots changemakers in this process. At the same time, you will have a high level of strategic thinking, enabling us to build and strengthen the key relationships needed to amplify our impact. The role requires a strong understanding of education design, and be able to engage audiences with an interest in educational innovation. 

The candidate will manage a small team comprising part-time peer mentors and interns, also working closely with our Creative Manager and Graphic Designer. 

Main duties and responsibilities 

Communications 

• Directly managing our social media (across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X), Website and YouTube.
• Work closely with Catalysts and staff across the network to write compelling stories and website articles.
• Supporting the development of the evolving communications and branding strategy.
• Working with the regional coordinators to ensure strong local Spot communications strategies are developed in line with our policies, overseeing Comms Mondays.
• Proactively engaging the network and staff in supporting our social media and communications strategy.
• Supporting the communications for fundraising campaigns such as the Big Give campaign and 10th anniversary events.
• Write press releases and engage media houses in our work, also looking for Media Champions to endorse our work. 
• Supporting the management of organisational events in Ghana, leading communications at all in-person events, including photography, video and copywriting.
• Ensure compliance with donor-specific branding and marking requirements in all project communications.
• Line managing the Communications Peer Mentor and Communications Intern

Marketing       

• Support with the marketing of our online courses, WhatsApp for Learning approach and other EduSpots Unlocked innovations. 
• Support with the marketing of our corporate partnerships circle, individual giving community, and wider partnerships work. 

Communications and Digital Skills Education 

• Leading the development of a communications curriculum for Catalysts which is integrated within our leadership programmes.
• Administrative and communications support with the delivery of the EduBytes Programme (our core digital skills and wider leadership training programme for community-based Catalysts) 

Personal Specification 

• Minimum 3 years of progressive marketing and communication experience, ideally for an NGO or another organisation in development and social impact programming.
• Experience of developing and managing a brand, including effective messaging and consistent look, feel and tone. 
• Extensive experience of managing social media and communication platforms and proficiency in digital communication, including digital marketing.
• Proficiency in tools such as Canva, Google Workspace, CapCut, Hootsuite and Mailchimp is expected, with openness to adopting new platforms as our digital toolkit evolves.
• Educational experience of some form (e.g. teaching, content creation, online courses) 
• Experience in working with others to build their capacity, confidence and skills to deliver effective communications.
• Experience in media relations, including building relationships and managing media inquiries.
• Experience of working across teams and with colleagues to coordinate communications activity and successfully improve the effectiveness of communications for different audiences.
• Experience working in the non-profit sector, ideally with an education or youth focus.
• Experience in managing a team effectively to drive high quality outcomes. 
• Experience in leading fundraising campaigns would be a particular advantage. 
• A deep understanding of the critical debates in international development and education would be an advantage, particularly in the field of community-led models of development. 
• A degree in a relevant field to communications and/or education would be an advantage but is not a requirement for this role. 

Personal qualities  

• A strategic thinker, with the ability to think critically about our communications decision-making, considering key audiences and desired outcomes. 
• Highly proactive and creative, with the ability to conceive new ways of communicating our work with limited guidance. 
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with a high level of attention to detail. 
• Highly digitally literate (e.g experience with design software,  video editing and using online digital tools more widely) 
• Playful – able to communicate in a playful and exciting tone, inspiring our audiences and Catalysts to engage with our work. 
• Hands-on – able to create content directly, and take on a wide-range of tasks across comms. 
• Flexible and adaptable – able to work in a fast-changing and fast-paced environment, and balance multiple priorities. 
• A deep commitment to driving greater educational equity and promoting community-led change. 
• A strong educational skill-set, understanding how to involve people in processes of change through resource and content creation. 
• You will be able and willing to travel to key conferences and training events within Ghana to cover events directly, with travel expected on an occasional basis (approximately 4-6 times per year).