Reports to: Senior Communications Manager
Location: New Delhi, India

Main purpose of the position

ICARDA’s Communications Team carries out a diverse range of activities in a busy and time-restricted environment to market the work, news, and achievements of the organization and its leadership. Outputs are mostly digital through social media and the website, with a strong element of traditional press engagement, hard-copy publications, event coordination, and partner relations. The Communication Team also provides colleagues with a range of marketing tools and style guides, supports internal communications and ensures ICARDA’s external voice and branding are consistent.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Senior Communications Manager to coordinate the communications team in developing and executing communications strategies to raise awareness, build partnerships, and support funding efforts. The role involves supporting the day-to-day running of the team, including quality control of team outputs, support in content delivery, ensuring brand consistency, and training an early-career team. The role will also involve support to the SMC in crisis and risk management, partner relations, developing campaigns, key messaging, and monitoring and analysis.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development, and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organizations, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure, and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

Main responsibilities

• Support the Senior Communications Manager (SMC) in:

– Leading the day-to-day operations and projects of the Communications Unit, including oversight of the content calendar and ensuring timely communications outputs.

– Overseeing planning, quality control, and delivery of communications products, including English language copy and visual content (photo and video).

– Managing and coaching early career colleagues.

– Contributing to ICARDA’s communications strategy, audience targeting matrices, budget management, and quarterly objectives.

• Writing content for news and alerts, briefs, webpages, etc, in a high-quality English language.
• Supporting the Communications Specialist in press outreach, monitoring, and response, as well as events coordination.
• Helping to develop the online presence of ICARDA Director General.
• Overseeing service providers in the ICARDA rosters for delivery of written and visual products.
• Supporting the webmaster in the delivery of website products and ensure that ICARDA’s profile and activities are updated on the CGIAR website.
• Supporting the SMC with regular analysis and reporting of communications activities.
• Act as Senior Communications Manager when the SMC is away from desk.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

Essential qualifications and competencies

· Advanced degree (Masters) in communication, marketing, journalism, international relations, or related field.

· At least five years of progressively responsible experience in communication and/or marketing, including international experience.

· At least five years of managing communications teams and budgets.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

· A track record of creating and implementing successful strategic communications, marketing, and PR campaigns.

· Proven background coordinating the production of high-quality digital content such as such as briefs, imagery, videos, web articles, infographics, etc.

· A track record in delivering content for digital channels such as social media and websites.

· Competency in website CMS management (Drupal preferable).

· International media and journalist experience.

· Experience in supporting Resource Mobilisation (fundraising) teams.

Desirable qualifications and competencies

· Good understanding of agricultural research and development issues and how they relate to climate change, food security, and environmental degradation.

· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact with people at all levels, from diverse national, cultural, and academic disciplines.

· Experience working with an international organization is desirable.

· Experience within a research or development context.

· Knowledge of the regions in which ICARDA operates.

· Experience with Adobe InDesign.

· Able to assess the quality of photographic and video materials.

Essential qualities

· Ability to work effectively and manage teams under tight deadlines and with high autonomy.

· Ability to think strategically combined with the ability and willingness to do hands-on work in a context of limited human and financial resources.

· A personable and supportive team-oriented candidate.

· An upbeat and enthusiastic attitude.

· Strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail.

· Strong work ethic and integrity.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This is a nationally recruited position open to Indian nationals for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, renewable subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance. The first year will be probationary period.

ICARDA is committed to increasing women representation in its workforce and strongly encourages applications from women.

Applications will be acknowledged, but we apologize in advance as due to the large number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.