Executive Head of Department – Public Relations and Communications (Readvertised) Full Time

Role purpose:

The position holder will be responsible for planning and executing Public Relations and Communications strategies. The role is also responsible for media relations, external and internal communications, working as a spokesperson for Safaricom Ethiopia and support programmes to enable the company to achieve its commercial, brand, and reputation strategy and to pro-actively mitigate risks for the day to day commercial and operations activities of the company, contributing to Digital Ethiopia objectives of the country (working closely with other functions and media agencies).

Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

• Develop external communications and public relations (PR) strategy and manage day to day communication and PR activities against strategy, working with other functions (including Technology, Commercial Business Unit and Enterprise Business Unit, etc..).
•  Manage day to day proactive communications and PR issues, working with other functions (including Commercial Business Unit and Enterprise Business Unit), agency, and Shareholder comms teams as per internal governance requirements.
• Build strong relationships with external media stakeholders including positioning the company on own channels, in mainstream media and on social media.
• Develop an Internal Communications strategy, contributing to a positive working culture, and manage day to day communication against the strategy, working with other functions.
• Measure and monitor communications and PR impact on the Company’s reputation
• Manage relationships with PR and creative agencies, editors and contractors’ delivering in accordance with the company’s communication strategy and plan.
  Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

Business Competencies:

• Consciously takes steps to make the most of every conversation/interaction.
• Identify areas of intervention that can positively influence the regional government and the community that enable the business operation.
• Identifies people’s needs, interests, and motives to be able to influence the decisions they make.
• Communicates simply to excite and engage people.
• Proactively adapts own style and approach to build rapport, and work with the regional team more effectively.

Operational Excellence:

• Targets effort and resources on high-value, high impact activity
  • Focuses on achieving maximum performance and driving continuous improvement
  • Thinks about processes and problems cross-functionally and end-to-end
  • Uses knowledge of products, technology, process, systems and policy to solve problems
  Creativity and Innovation
  • Finds creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems
  • Takes risks and pushes what is possible
  • Experiments with unorthodox approaches

Business Know how

•  Uses data and research to make decisions that are competitively and financially robust
  • Balances current and future needs
  • Thinks and acts like an owner of the business
  • Acts in line with legal, regulatory, professional and ethical standards
  Working with Change
  •Responds flexibly to changing situations
  •Foster for collaborative environment.
  •Manages the business and people aspects of change to drive performance.
  •Effectively communicating and managing change within the organization.
  •Addressing evolving expectations of stakeholders through adaptable and responsive strategies.
  Project and Program Management
  • Defines scope and deliverables in terms of time, cost, quality and business benefit
  • Schedules activity and identifies resource needs, dependencies and synergies
  • Evaluates progress, mitigates risks and addresses issues Functional Competencies: Intergrated Communications
  • Creates powerful integrated communications delivered through an effective mix of channels that promotes Company’s initiatives products and services, and safeguards our reputation
  • Uses processes, systems and practice to maximize stakeholder value, loyalty and advocacy Negotiation
  • Responds positively and professionally to objections and addresses the Stakeholder’s needs to successfully close a matter.
  • Uses a range of techniques and approaches to make agreements that add value for Company and our stakeholders
  • Understands stakeholders’ commercial drivers and leverages them in negotiations
  • Applies commercial acumen to maintain a healthy profit margin & stakeholder value Risk Management
  • Identifies and mitigates operational, financial and business risks in critical processes and projects
  • Balances risk and benefits within appropriate control frameworks
  • Ensures plans and controls are in place to protect value and meet legal & regulatory requirements.

Must have technical / professional qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in either Political Science, Marketing, Communications, Education, Public Administration, and other social sciences.
•  10-15years hands on experience in Communications of which 5 years must have been in senior management experience

How To Apply

If you feel that you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, kindly proceed to update your candidate profile on the career portal and then Click on the apply button. Remember to attach your resume.

Apply Link: https://safaricom.bamboohr.com/careers/420

The closing date for receiving applications is Tuesday November 13,2024 up to 5.30 PM