Natural Justice is an organisation rooted in the struggles of communities in Africa. As a team of pioneering lawyers and legal experts, we specialise in human rights and environmental law in pursuit of social and environmental justice.

Natural Justice strives to enhance the collective rights of people and protect the sacred relationships that indigenous peoples and local communities have with nature. Our work is informed by the values, knowledge and self-determination of the communities whom we stand in solidarity with.

Through legal empowerment, research, policy influencing and litigation, and as part of coalitions and campaigns, we support communities to know the law, use the law and shape the law.

Natural Justice has three main pillars: Affirming and Securing Rights to Lands, Resources and Knowledge; Defending Rights against Environmental and Social Impacts; and Standing with Communities.

To learn more about the work of Natural Justice please refer to www.naturaljustice.org

What are we looking for?

Based on the intersecting crises including environmental and climate, human rights abuses, patriarchy, race and inequality amongst others, Natural Justice is in a key phase to expand its work to stand behind more communities across Africa.

Natural Justice seeks a Head of Campaigns and Communication. You will work across the organisation to lead the development and implementation of an ambitious, high-quality and impactful campaigns and communications agenda based on the Natural Justice strategic plan and priorities.

You will play a leading role in developing and implementing credible campaign strategies that leverages the strength of Natural Justice’s brand in the media, use cutting edge digital campaign tactics to build Natural Justice’s supporter base and provide opportunities for supporters to take effective online and offline actions, including chipping in to support campaign tactics.

You will work with a passionate team of campaign and communication officers, programme managers, Hub Directors, Director of Programmes and Development and the Executive.

The position will be responsible for developing and implementing a campaigns and communication strategy, contributing to ensuring Natural Justice effectively stands behind communities, developing further Natural Justice’s brand identity and manage communication channels, with the aim to contribute to providing solidarity to community campaigns, linking from local to global, increase awareness of our programme stream and initiatives and create develop fundraising and partnership opportunities.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted via email to Applications@naturaljustice.org with ‘Head of Campaigns and Communication’ in the subject line.

Applications must include:

1. A motivation letter that indicates: a) why you are interested in this position and what inspires you about environmental justice; and b) aspects of your background that demonstrate the required competence for this role;
2. A detailed CV with three contactable references; and
3. Two samples of your past written work (for example, articles or research reports).

Please ensure that your application as a whole speaks to the required qualifications, experience, personal profile and key roles and responsibilities. Please do not apply if you do not meet the required experience.

Deadline: 28 May 2021. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Key Roles and Responsibilities – Head of Campaigns and Communication

Strategic Planning, Project Development and Work-Planning

• Responsible for providing leadership of Natural Justice’s campaigns and communication, including research, policy, advocacy, media and popular mobilisation for all programmatic streams and public-facing campaigns. Ensures that Natural Justice maximises its impact through clear models of change, smart objectives and priorities, linking local to global, the optimal use of limited resources, and good collaboration with communities, partners and allies.
• Contribute to the development of a media and communications strategy that he/she will implement including a communications calendar.
• Work closely with the 3 Hubs and country programmes around campaigns and communication strategies.
• Responsible for managing implementation of agreed plans in relation to campaigns and communications, including resource allocation, risk management and proactively identifying opportunities.

Project and Knowledge Management

• Working closely with the Natural Justice team to ensure relevant programme materials are developed and disseminated through social media channels and/or to partner organisations directly.
• Archive all communication materials, including digital, such as publications, press releases and clippings, photographs, audio-visual materials, web resources etc.

Communications

• Maintain Natural Justice’s website and integrated news feed as well as all social media and fundraising sites through daily monitoring, posting and content development in collaboration with programme staff.
• Be responsible for the content management of all news blogs drafted by programme staff before it goes online.
• Write pieces with the support of programme staff and edit other publications.
• Be on the lookout for relevant news items via social media and distribute these among relevant staff members.
• Coordinate media engagements, manage relationships and develop a database of media contacts.
• Ensure timely and quality production of advocacy and branding materials such as newsletters for internal and external distribution, annual reports, picture stories, videos.
• Manage the monthly internal communication newsletter and a quarterly newsletter for the general public.
• Support donor relations through the development of brochures and other background materials.
• Support special events, meetings and campaigns through relevant communications tools, including publications, flyers, blogs, or online campaign strategies.

Campaigns

• Strengthen campaign capacity within the organisation.
• Identify and explore opportunities for Natural Justice to work with movements and key campaigns in Africa.
• Linking community struggles and organising solidarity and support
• Ensures key products, such as reports, papers, creative design and others are delivered.
• Learn, share, and pilot best practices.
• Organising and linking mobilization efforts linked to key struggles and cases Natural Justice is working on at any given time.
• Work closely with the Campaigns and Communication staff in countries to implement the overall and hub strategies.
• Support hubs with their strategy and tactics.

Finance and Administration

• Keep records of all expenditure and provide to the administration officer as directed and in a timely manner.

Fundraising

• Provide input into the fundraising strategy. Develop concepts and work with the Management Team around the overall fundraising.

Oversight

• Supervise indirectly the work of Campaigns and Communications Officers in the hubs.

Reporting

• Liaise with different stakeholders to prepare and consolidate the annual report under the supervision of the Executive Director.

Programme Linkages

• Assist the Natural Justice team during fundraising or project design phases to identify appropriate communication activities for respective projects.

Travel

• Ability to undertake frequent local travel, and international travel as required.

General

• Develop and maintain a very good knowledge of the role and policies of Natural Justice.
• To represent Natural Justice in a positive, professional, and effective manner.
• To attend, contribute actively and constructively at team and programme meetings.
• To seek opportunities for personal and professional development, particularly related to the specific areas of responsibility.
• Provide accurate and timely information on programme activities for reporting, compliance and fundraising purposes.
• Complete any other duties that may be related to the organization’s overall mandate.

Selection Criteria

Minimum Academic Requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree in communications, journalism, law, social sciences, public relations or a related field or equivalent experience.

Experience:

• At least five years of similar work experience is required. Candidate should be able to work independently – with minimum supervision and guidance from supervisors.
• Excellent report writing experience.
• Proven track record delivering strategic, integrated campaigns that deploy policy and research, inside-track advocacy, media and digital campaigning – including digital fundraising – to secure changes in policy and practice.
• Experience in corporate campaigning and private sector engagement.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in leading high-performing teams of advocates including strong human resource management skills (preferably including distance management), facilitation and leadership in times of change.
• Excellent analytical and strategic skills to determine and respond to fast-moving organisational, political, policy and media agendas, including the proven ability to “think on your feet” and present well under pressure.
• Strong set of operational management skills including experience in developing, monitoring and managing a large, complex budget and experience in reporting performance against plans to a range of audiences.
• Strong advocacy and campaigns experience, including digital campaigning.
• Strong strategic and analytical skills relevant to campaign design.
• Good knowledge of pan African and international politics and political processes.
• Experience in working in campaign alliances.
• Track record in process coordination in networks.
• High people and process management skills including mediation/arbitration.
• Proven project design/management abilities.
• Proven management ability.
• Previous involvement in leading or coordinating national, pan African or international campaigns at a senior level.
• Familiar with policy development and campaigns working in an international context.
• Excellent working knowledge across a wide range of development issues

Knowledge and skills:

• Fluency in English.
• Local languages (required or desirable)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in French is an added advantage.
• Good understanding of and experience in the socio-political and civil society project work in the country/region.
• Basic experience in supervising teams and/or staff.
• Good exposure to working for development organizations; experience working in a project management set up is desirable.
• Public Relations.
• Demonstrated social media experience (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram use and analytics)
• Journalistic Writing.
• Experience of developing and implementing successful campaigns.    
• Office (Word, Outlook, PPT).
• Comms/Design Programmes and experience in using Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker and Canva are an added advantage.
• Experience in or knowledge of newsletter distribution (Mailchimp).
• Basic website management (WordPress), Google analytics and Google Drive.   

Key Competencies

• Very good ability to work with limited supervision on roles assigned.
• Critically reviews, analyses, synthesises, compares and interprets information.
• Do root-cause analysis to identify and resolve problems.
• Takes initiative to go beyond the routine demands of the job.
• Deadline driven.
• Very good ability to work with team and to develop and maintain good relationships with community-based or other grassroots groups and partners.
• Diligently checks work to ensure that all essential details have been considered.
• Able to effectively negotiate and resolve issues either within or outside of the organisation.
• Very good, demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, genders, and orientations.
• Works cooperatively with others to complete work assignments.
• Demonstrates the ability to sense others’ feelings and how they see things.
• Very good, demonstrable commitment to serving the public interest.