Reports to Executive Director of CMU-Africa
Start Date June 1st 2021
Location Kigali, Rwanda
Job Purpose
Carnegie Mellon University is seeking an Associate Director of Marketing and Communications to shape and advance the communications strategy, message, and brand across internal and external stakeholders for its location in Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa). This position will work closely with faculty, staff, students, and the College of Engineering’s communications and marketing team to ensure a comprehensive and coherent strategy.
About Carnegie Mellon University
Established out of a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Government of Rwanda, CMU-Africa is addressing the critical shortage of high-quality engineering talent required to accelerate the economic development and digital transformation of Africa—home to the fastest growing workforce in the world. CMU-Africa was established in 2011 and is the only U.S. research university offering its master’s degrees with full-time faculty, staff and operations in Africa. CMU’s presence in Rwanda provides a platform to engage in Africa’s most significant opportunities and challenges across the continent through world-class education and contextually relevant research.
Our vision is to educate and empower the next generation of African leaders and innovators by delivering a world-class educational experience. CMU-Africa’s mission is to produce creative and technically strong engineers, who have been trained in the African context, and prepared to make transformative impact in their communities and the world.
We are a fast-growing campus with about 150 enrolled students, aiming to grow to 400 in the next couple of years. Our size and exponential growth create a sense of camaraderie and excitement, with strong community ties and a compound sense of accomplishment in our team members, contributing towards mutually beneficial relationships between staff and students.
The role
As CMU-Africa’s Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, you will promote the work, impact and leadership of CMU-Africa through website content, social media, live and virtual events, thought leadership opportunities as well as other digital platforms. This includes but is not limited to media relations, content development including press releases, blog posts, social media posts, the website, and newsletters.
This is a senior role within the university requiring interaction with a range of internal and external stakeholders at various levels. While specific responsibilities will vary, they will include, but will not be limited to, the following:
Responsibilities
• Working with senior management, providing vision, leadership, and direction for CMU-Africa’ communications, including articulating, and overseeing an integrated communications plan.
• Creating and strategically executing a plan to increase CMU-Africa’ public profile, visibility, and brand–recognition at the regional and national level using media relations, marketing and creative services, web and social media communication, targeted print and electronic communication, leadership communication, and other activities.
• Proactively identifying strategic communication opportunities, ensuring stories featuring students, alumni, faculty and staff are routinely shared with internal and external audiences.
• Engaging with key media outlets, both proactively and reactively, to generate high quality, high impact media coverage.
• Managing communications for all CMU-Africa events (live and virtual)
• Overseeing CMU-Africa’ digital marketing efforts including website design, brand alignment, maintenance, and efficacy.
• Providing expertise and advice to campus leadership regarding internal and external public relations matters.
• Developing benchmark criteria to track and evaluate the effectiveness of the communications strategies on a regular basis. Incorporates improvements into future communications plans.
• Overseeing vendors involved in the production and delivery of communications.
• Managing and setting priorities and goals for the Communication and Marketing team.
Qualifications
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• Master’s degree in communication, marketing or related field
• 5-8 years related experience required developing and implementing complex and comprehensive marketing and communication strategies
• Fluency in both spoken and written English and French a plus
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
• Holistic understanding of all aspects of communications, positioning and messaging, including industry best practices in both traditional and emerging media platforms.
• Demonstrated leadership experience designing and executing a strategic communications plan in a complex organization with varied priorities and stakeholders.
• Significant experience working with national media outlets and digital media channels.
• Exceptional management and planning skills, including attention to detail and the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent and nuanced writing ability and range.
• Strong interpersonal skills, persuasive presentation, and public speaking skills.
• Demonstrated appetite for innovation and eagerness to continue to learn as new media options emerge.
• Demonstrated success managing and inspiring individuals and teams toward measurable results.
Are you interested in becoming an Associate Director of Marketing and Communications in Rwanda? Apply now at the top or bottom of our page.
Note: This is a job advertisement, applications will be forwarded to the employer for selection. JobnetAfrica believes all applicants should get feedback, good or bad, but are not further involved in the recruitment for this particular vacancy.
