External Affairs Manager Full Time

Role Purpose:

The position holder will oversee external affairs and government relations in Addis, supporting the Commercial Business Unit. Planning, organizing and implementing CSR activities across different parts of the country together with regional CSR Committees.

Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Addis Ababa government officials and regulatory bodies to support the Commercial Business Unit’s objectives.

• Advocate for policies and regulations that favor the company’s growth and operations.

• Design and implement external affairs strategies that align with the Commercial Business Unit’s goals, enhancing the company’s visibility and reputation.

• Lead the planning, implementation, and evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in Addis Ababa and other regions.

• Collaborate with the regional CSR committee to identify community needs and develop impactful programs that support the company’s objectives.

• Engage with local communities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to build strong relationships and foster collaboration.

• Gather and integrate community feedback into CSR initiatives to ensure they meet local needs.

• Identify and assess potential risks related to public affairs and CSR activities, developing proactive strategies to mitigate these risks.

• Monitor public sentiment and its impact on the company’s operations and reputation.

• Prepare regular reports on external affairs activities, CSR initiatives, and their outcomes for internal stakeholders.

• Analyze the effectiveness of external affairs and CSR programs, providing recommendations for improvements.

• Work closely with the Commercial Business Unit to ensure p external affairs and CSR strategies align with business goals and objectives.

• Provide insights and support for commercial initiatives that require stakeholder engagement or public awareness.

• Oversee the budget for public affairs and CSR activities, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently and effectively.

• Provide guidance and training to regional teams on CSR best practices, community engagement strategies, and public affairs issues.

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 Addis Ababa administration 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.

• Staying updated on laws and regulations that affect the operation of the business and proactively adapting strategies to remain compliant.

• Maintain the relationship and proactively engage them.

• Focuses on achieving maximum performance and driving continuous improvement.

• Plan to respond to grievances and crises that could impact the business reputation and operations in the region.

• Engaging with various stakeholders including media in the region

• Identify possible areas of initiative to do CSR initiatives that demonstrate the company’s commitment to social causes, social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and community development that are aligned with the company’s values and goals.

• Uses knowledge of products, technology, process, systems, and policy to solve problems.

Creativity and Innovation

• Finds creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems.

• Strategically communicate issues that need support from stakeholders with story-telling techniques that help in easy understanding of technical matters.

• Creative problem-solving skills to address emerging issues or crises, thinking outside the box to find unconventional solutions with an adaptable approach.

• Takes risks and pushes what is possible.

• Identify and foster creative partnerships with stakeholders on implementing CSR projects that focus on community development or environmental sustainability.

• Collaborate and coordinate with the regional teams to integrate innovative approaches to tackle obstacles and achieve business objectives.

Business Know how

• Understanding the needs of the local community to implement CSR projects

• Balances current and future needs

• Thinks and acts like the owner of the business.

• Identifying potential risks that can impact business revenue and coming up with a mitigation plan

• 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

• Strategic alignment on key intervention areas with the regional team to ensure maximum support from stakeholders.

• Identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies.

• Effective management of stakeholders to ensure alignment and smooth execution.

Technical Competencies:

• Relationships: Ability to builds networks with other teams in the business. Sets high standards for what they and their teams do. Takes responsibility for targets.

• Decision making: Holder provides information and makes recommendations (regional and local interconnect reports).

• Communication: clear and concise in talking and writing, keeps all relevant people informed of progress in work, presents complex information and concepts in a way which is simple to understand. Good organizational skills, initiative-taking, and self-drive for results.

• Speed: Relentlessly prioritize and pursue the outcomes that matter to our business.

• Simplicity: Make things simple for customers, partners, and colleagues.

• Trust: Dependable and transparent to deal with. Deliver for others, and trust others to do likewise.

Must have technical / professional qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in in political science, law, economics, communication, or similar discipline ·

• Experience in a relationship management, CSR planning and implementation

• Good relationships with stakeholders in Addis and regions.

• Must know the socioeconomic and political situation of the region and preferably work in the region.

• • Experience in community engagement in the region.

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.

https://safaricom.bamboohr.com/careers/439

The closing date for receiving applications is 05 January 2025, 5:30 pm.