Communications Manager

Role Overview

This position places you at the centre of how a research-driven international development organisation communicates its evidence, partnerships, and results to funders, governments, and the wider development community. Day to day, you will develop and deliver the communications strategy, manage the organisation's digital presence and publications, and coordinate the work of external consultants, while reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and collaborating closely with leadership, research, and programme teams. It is an individual-contributor role, but you will direct freelancers and consultants to ensure every external touchpoint reflects the same editorial rigour and brand quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and execution of the organisational communications strategy, ensuring each channel and campaign has a clear purpose and is directly tied to strategic goals and fundraising targets.
• Define audience segments across government partners, media, funders, and the public, and tailor messages and approaches to each group using existing research on donor audiences.
• Develop and track communications success metrics in collaboration with the COO, fundraising colleagues, and leadership, reporting on performance and refining approaches accordingly.
• Own the ongoing maintenance and improvement of the external website, internal hubs, and intranet, and manage the organisation's LinkedIn and other social media presence.
• Set and enforce the editorial bar for all published content, including reports, blog posts, proposals, and pitch decks, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and brand integrity.
• Oversee the design and layout of external reports and materials, working with a creative consultant to develop templates, graphics, visual assets, and media content.
• Maintain central libraries of communications assets, brand guidelines, past reports, and photo/video content, as well as a consented catalogue of testimonials with clear usage rights.
• Support media relations, crisis communications, and high-impact events, and coordinate with internal teams to convert research findings into compelling stories for external audiences.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Five to ten years of experience in communications, content strategy, journalism, or a closely related field, ideally within nonprofits, international development, or research organisations.
• Excellent writing and editorial judgement, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex research and technical findings into clear, accessible language.
• Proven experience defining audience segments and communications success metrics, and using those to sharpen strategy and demonstrate impact.
• Experience managing external consultants, agencies, or freelancers, including setting clear briefs, expectations, and deliverable standards.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to independently manage multiple workstreams in a lean team environment.
• Experience supporting fundraising or development teams and understanding donor-facing communications.
• Familiarity with website management and social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn; experience with design tools such as Canva or Adobe Suite is a plus.
• Experience developing or enforcing communications policies, such as social media guidelines or media consent procedures, is an advantage.
• A commitment to communicating evidence-based, measurable impact and the credibility that comes with it.

What We Offer / Why Join

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a communications function with genuine room to grow and improve. The organisation is proud of its work and recognises that its story could be told more sharply and to more audiences. You will be central to shaping how its evidence, partnerships, and results are understood, helping to build the credibility that sustains and expands relationships over time.