Manager, Crosscutting Communications, CATALYZE

Job Description

This Opportunity:

The CATALYZE Portfolio based out of Palladium’s Washington, D.C. office is currently seeking a Manager, Crosscutting Communications to provide dedicated communications support across CATALYZE activities, but focusing principally on the Biden-Harris Administration priorities of CATALYZE Education Finance (“EduFinance”) and the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) activities.

CATALYZE is a $250 million 8-year program, designed to mobilize $2 billion in private capital, especially to underfinanced social sectors (such as education) and higher risk countries (especially low-income and post-conflict countries) around the globe, complemented by a cross-cutting inclusion of gender-lens investing. CATALYZE serves as a “platform of platforms” that provides services to many missions and bureaus that “buy in” to tap the CATALYZE investment and pay-for-results project management expertise. Our aim is for investors to explore and find commercially viable opportunities and approaches to creating jobs, developing sustainable social services, tightening, and rationalizing supply chains, and advancing inclusive growth – ultimately, reducing the need for development institutions to provide donor funding.

Global CATALYZE teams and USAID missions have spent the last two years co-designing and implementing a series of activities to significantly mobilize private capital for development that make up the CATALYZE portfolio, including the following Activities (also known as Buy-Ins):

1. Asia Social Protection: Improving access to financial and social protection for vulnerable women in Asia. Focus countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines. Partners: TBD.
2. CATALYZE Peru: Catalyzing investment and access to finance for SMEs in the Peruvian Amazon. Focus country: Peru. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Private Sector Anchor Firms.
3. EduFinance: Mobilizing capital for non-state education and improving and sustaining learning outcomes for children and youth, particularly those who are the most marginalized and vulnerable. Focus countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Latin America and the Caribbean. Partners: Kaizenvest, UBS Optimus Foundation, PEAS, EPG, Opportunity International.
4. Ethiopia Market Systems for Growth (MS4G): Fostering private enterprise growth primarily in agricultural markets to create jobs and increase incomes. Focus country: Ethiopia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Transaction Advisory Service Providers (TASPs), Government of Ethiopia (GoE), Consultants, Associations.
5. Sahel Finance for Resilience (F4R): Increasing financing to support capital investment in the agricultural sector and in youth-led enterprises. Focus countries: Burkina Faso, Niger. Partners: ICDE (Burkina Faso) and SINERGI SA (Niger). Financial Facilitators/Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, USAID Implementing Partners Yalwa, Yidgiri, Bridge Youth Connect, Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity.
6. Sri Lanka Private Sector Development (PSD): Promoting economic diversification and employment opportunities for SMEs, principally women. Focus country: Sri Lanka. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Consultants, Business Associations.
7. Western Balkans Engine of Growth: Increasing SME access to private capital and using finance to drive enterprise growth. Focus countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries.
8. Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE): Mobilizing private capital to create economic opportunities for women. Global focus. Partners: U.S. Development Finance Corporation, BAC El Salvador, Banco LAFISE Dominican Republic.

This is a project position on CATALYZE, based out of the Palladium offices of Washington, D.C. Remote work options on Eastern Standard Time hours may be considered for exceptional candidates.

You and Your Career:

If you are looking to be part of a dynamic, growing team, are looking to make immediate, measurable contributions; and you have expertise as a communications manager within international development, we are interested in hearing from you. We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The role reports to the CATALYZE Director of Communications. Reporting requirements include:

• Attendance at required CATALYZE team meetings.
• Provision of regular updates to the Director of Communications, including status of Key Result Areas (KRAs), and any other material matters and/or areas of concern.
• Other reporting as requested by the line manager.
  

The role is part of the new, four-person CATALYZE Communications Team and will work in coordination with CATALYZE leadership and activity management staff across CATALYZE.

As delegated, the role liaises closely with CATALYZE clients (USAID) and CATALYZE Activity Management Units (AMUs) and field teams in Washington, D.C. and abroad, technical area specialists, professional service providers, and others. As required, the role collaborates with the broader Palladium Communications teams for global or North America-specific initiatives, as well as other USAID Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Hub implementing partners and communities of practice.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The Manager, Crosscutting Communications will be responsible for providing dedicated communications support principally to the CATALYZE Education Finance and the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Activities, as well supporting effective communications for gender-related and women’s empowerment interventions across various CATALYZE Activities as required. This includes developing, managing, and implementing communications strategies, producing external and internal facing communications materials, and leading development of required project communications deliverables (e.g., monthly, quarterly, and annual reports). Specific duties include:

• Designs and leads implementation of the EduFinance Strategic Communications Plan, including liaising with internal and external subject matter experts to ensure targeted messaging for relevant actors, and development and placement of relevant content for internal and external facing audiences, including U.S. government actors.
• Manages the EduFinance and WEE editorial calendars to ensure regular production of quality communications pieces and organization of and participation in industry events.
• Leads the development of regular, externally facing stories, articles, blogs, videos, knowledge products and tools for EduFinance and WEE Activities, and women’s empowerment interventions on other CATALYZE Activities.
• Proactively engages with CATALYZE partners, private sector, USAID personnel, donors, local officials, and other stakeholders to leverage communication tools that will facilitate learning and feedback loops in order to advance the goals of EduFinance and WEE.
• Supports Palladium’s communications for the EduFinance Non-State Education Community of Practice (CoP), including liaising with relevant subcontractors and personnel, reviewing, and supporting development of content and communications materials, including those for the CoP website.
• Leads production of contractually required communications deliverables for EduFinance and WEE Activities, including aggregating of information from subcontractors and ensuring quality control of all monthly EduFinance reports submitted to relevant USAID mission counterparts and development of content for CATALYZE quarterly and annual reports, and the CATALYZE monthly internal newsletter.
• Supports the development of PowerPoint and pitch presentations for EduFinance and WEE Activities.
• Supports the development and implementation of a communications strategy for the WEE Activity.
• Supports development of social media content for EduFinance and WEE Activities.
  

Key Competencies Required:

• Extensive experience in communications, marketing and/or public relations.
• Experience supporting communications on U.S. government and/or USAID-funded programs and understanding of USAID branding and marking requirements a plus.
• Experience engaging both international development and private sector communities in development of strategic communication strategies, communications plans, messages and materials (e.g. writing blogs, tweets, talking points, speeches, etc.).
• Subject matter experience in education, women’s economic empowerment, development finance and investment or developing communications materials for economic growth-related activities a plus.
• Strong writing and editing skills with an ability to tailor the tone, content, and form of written output in line with a range of different audiences and to suit a variety of formats; ability to synthesize and simplify information and communicate it in a lively, accurate and understandable manner.
• Detail-oriented and deadline-driven with strong organizational skills, and ability to work in a dynamic and agile environment with changing requirements and priorities.
• Knowledge and understanding of USAID programs, branding, communications style, and learning frameworks.
• Strong cross-cultural, interpersonal, management and collaboration skills in highly complex structures involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Advanced critical thinking, sound problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Highly self-motivated and able to work independently as well as in team settings.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills in English required.
• Ability to travel to lower- and middle-income countries as needed.

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• English fluency required; competency in other languages (French, Spanish) preferred.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

About the Organization

About Palladium

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

Palladium Americas

Our Americas’ business team has brilliant and passionate colleagues working in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America as well as the Caribbean, fulfilling projects and assignments for clients from institutions, corporations, governments, and foundations based in the Americas. We have offices in Washington, DC, New York City, and Raleigh-Durham, NC.