Corporate Communications Manager

Role Overview

The Corporate Communications Manager is the person who shapes how DIB Kenya is seen and heard — by journalists, regulators, employees, corporate clients, and the wider Kenyan public — and who turns that perception into a genuine commercial and reputational advantage. Day to day, this role runs one coordinated communications engine covering press engagement, internal messaging, executive visibility, and reputational risk, working closely with the CEO's office, HR, Legal, and Compliance. It matters because a Shariah-compliant bank grows on trust: consistent, credible storytelling is what keeps depositors confident, regulators comfortable, and strong talent wanting to build a career here.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the annual corporate communications plan and bank-wide calendar — mapping announcements, product launches, milestones, and key dates in advance so the bank communicates proactively rather than reacting, and keeping everything aligned with DIB Group communications standards.
• Write and place the bank's external content: press releases, corporate announcements, leadership statements, award and industry submissions, and the communications sections of the annual report, alongside stakeholder presentations.
• Build and deepen relationships with print, broadcast, digital, and trade journalists across Kenya and East Africa; run press briefings; manage incoming media enquiries; keep the spokesperson function coordinated and on-message; and track coverage, tone, and earned media value through regular monitoring reports.
• Design and run the internal communications programme in partnership with HR — newsletters, town halls, leadership messages, policy and organisational change updates, culture initiatives, and the fast, accurate internal updates staff need during uncertain periods.
• Grow the visibility of the CEO and executive team through speeches, op-eds, keynote appearances, LinkedIn content, award entries, and industry commentary, supported by a thought leadership calendar, briefing notes, talking points, and media training.
• Maintain the reputation management framework — issues protocols, crisis playbooks, sentiment monitoring, and escalation pathways — and lead the bank's response when reputational risk materialises, coordinating across Legal, Compliance, HR, and the CEO's Office while ensuring all public messaging complies with Central Bank of Kenya requirements, DIB Group policy, and Islamic banking principles.
• Manage relationships with key external stakeholders, including the Central Bank of Kenya, the Kenya Bankers Association, Shariah advisory bodies, government bodies, and industry associations, through a structured engagement plan with regular, value-adding touchpoints.
• Partner with HR to execute the employer brand strategy: recruitment communications, careers portal and LinkedIn Careers content, campus engagement, Glassdoor presence, employee testimonials, and behind-the-scenes storytelling that shows what the bank is really like to work for.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: a minimum bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, or another relevant discipline from a recognised university; a master's degree in business management is an added advantage.
• Experience: at least 8 years in corporate communications, public relations, or a closely related field, with a demonstrable record across media relations, executive communications, and reputation management.
• Sector exposure: a minimum of 3 years working inside — or servicing as an agency — the financial services or banking environment. Prior experience in an Islamic financial institution is a significant advantage.
• Media track record: proven ability to generate top-tier coverage in Kenyan and East African business and financial media, with established relationships among financial, business, Islamic finance, and lifestyle journalists.
• Executive support: hands-on experience preparing C-suite communications — speechwriting, thought leadership development, and stakeholder briefing packs — for a CEO or executive committee.
• Crisis experience: demonstrated ownership of at least one significant reputational issue or crisis communications event within a regulated environment.
• Agency and budget management: experience directing external PR agencies or communications consultants and managing communications budgets to deliver quality outcomes within approved limits.
• Skills and training: media training and spokesperson coaching, crisis communications training, advanced business writing and executive speechwriting, digital communications including social media and web content, and proficiency with media monitoring and analytics platforms. Islamic banking and Shariah-compliant finance literacy is strongly preferred, with a willingness to develop it formally if not already held.
• Added advantages: experience with employer branding, internal communications design, employee engagement communications, and structured project and stakeholder management.
• Personal qualities: integrity and ethical communication consistent with Shariah-compliant values and regulatory obligations; personal accountability for outcomes and deadlines; absolute discretion with sensitive and commercially significant information; genuine cultural sensitivity toward Islamic values, Muslim communities, and the diverse contexts the bank operates in; a collaborative approach that treats communications as a service to the business and its people; and a strategic mindset that connects every communications activity to a business result.