Communications Manager

Job Description

• Communications Strategy Development. Develop and implement comprehensive, Company­wide communications strategies to support Company objectives, including diversification to new clients and successful business development efforts. Strategies should include rebranding and repositioning; internal messaging and employee engagement; strategic online engagement such as the corporate website, social media, and employee intranet portals; client and partner advocacy; multimedia development and graphic design; and participation in industry events.

• Content Creation. Work with HQ and field staff to regularly update, produce, and post content that contributes to QED’s business objectives. This shall include content which emphasizes QED’s pioneering work and the impact its projects are having around the world, as well as content targeted towards specific business development opportunities.

• Website Management: Oversee, manage, and continually enhance QED’s corporate website. Regularly evaluate QED’s website statistics to ensure that the website is reaching our intended audiences and conveying the appropriate communications message as outlined in the communications strategies.

• Social Media. Develop, publish, and monitor social media postings (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, etc.) to enhance QED’s social media presence and industry engagement. Train staff on the effective use of social media and encourage increased social media use to enhance corporate reach.

• Business Development. Effectively collaborate and coordinate with the Business Development team to engage with current and new clients and partners and to proactively position QED for new business in targeted countries and technical areas. Support proposal development by overseeing the work of QED’s Graphics team.

• Internal Communication. Develop and lead new internal communications and employee engagement plans, which may include intranet portals, internal newsletters and e-blasts, internal videos, lunch and learns, and contributions to internal training programs.

• Branding and Materials. Maintain the integrity of the corporate QED brand, including consistency of brand elements (logo + graphic identity, tagline, branding guidebook, corporate boilerplate text, corporate graphics, etc.), branded templates (PowerPoint, letterhead, proposal covers, documents, business cards), and training of use of these tools. Work with senior leadership on rebranding and/or repositioning as necessary, particularly regarding service and client diversification initiatives. Ensure the Company has appropriate print materials (folders, brochures, one-pagers, etc.) to support business objectives.

• Events Promotion. Help conceive of, design, and implement events QED leads or participates in around the world using website, social media, and print material.

• Team Management. Manage QED’s Communications team, assign and monitor work, and build team capacity.

• Vendor Management. Manage external print, design, development and video production vendors - locally and internationally - as needed to achieve the above-mentioned communication goals.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, International Development, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum six years of experience in public relations or corporate communications, demonstrating increasing responsibilities and knowledge.
• Experience managing and supervising a team strongly preferred.
• Experience with US Government agencies or other international donors including a strong knowledge of communications and social media strategies for USAID-funded projects.
• An interest in international development and a demonstrated knowledge of the industry.
• Knowledge of MS Office, good practice principles in web design, and other graphic and communications software packages (i.e. Photoshop, WordPress, InDesign, etc.)
• Must be capable of crafting informative messages tailored accordingly to a variety of media (press releases, websites, video, social media, etc.), targeting diverse audiences. A working knowledge of media relations, publishing, and event planning fields.
• A history of communicating effectively in written and verbal formats to audiences in a professional business environment.
• Comfort with web-based content management systems and blogging tools.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, organize large volume of work, perform independently.
• Ability to work under strict deadlines.
• Appreciation for diversity.

About the Organization

The QED Group, LLC, is a full-service international consulting firm committed to solving complex global challenges through innovative solutions. QED has a 20 years history of evidence based development, which includes more than $3.5 billion in programs evaluated and work in 96 countries around the globe. We are determined to provide all our clients with best-value services so they increase their efficiency, learning capacity, and accountability to the public in an ever more complex and interconnected world.

The Communications Manager leads QED’s Communications Department and is a member of the QED Group’s Management Committee. The Communications Manager ensures that the Company develops and strategically uses diverse communications approaches and solutions to help the Company achieve its business objectives, specifically related to business development, program implementation, and thought leadership.