Manager - Strategic Communications and Partnerships

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About the Organization

CIFF is an independent philanthropic organisation, working with a range of partners seeking to transform the lives of children and adolescents. Our programmes are designed to support bold ideas to solve seemingly intractable problems.

Job Description

As part of the India team, the role holder will support execution CIFF partnership priorities. They will support the Head of Strategic Communications India in developing and implementing the Communications and Strategic Outreach strategy to support CIFF India’s vision and approach to external communication and engagement. 

• Work with the teams across the organisation to provide input into, and support on the development and execution of CIFF Voice in India. This strategy will assist CIFF India, build its external identity and voice in India as a foreign philanthropy that focuses specifically on improving Children’s lives by aligning with government priorities, working with local partners, and playing a catalytic role in the philanthropic sector. 
• Using their expertise and advanced knowledge of communications and partnerships strategies, provide insights to a various audiences as required, both internally and externally on outreach strategies being developed and led by CIFF India.

Job Responsibilities

Strategy & planning

• Prepare and present high-quality analysis and research to support the development & delivery of CIFF India’s external comms strategy and narrative (CIFF Voice), 
• Feed into the cross-CIFF forecasting, monitoring and mitigation of political and reputation risks to CIFF, including supporting the Head of Strategic Communications with the coordination of related work with across CIFF’s offices and relevant teams.
• Facilitate cross-functional coordination to lead CIFF India’s plans for key global and national platforms such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Conference of the Parties (COP), Group of Twenty (G20), etc. 

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Develop detailed action plans, timelines, and resource allocations to ensure effective execution of the India CIFF Voice strategy
• Monitor and report on the performance of CIFF Voice communications efforts, providing insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Provide support in coordinating cross-functional teams and ensuring alignment in the successful implementation and delivery of external initiatives through the development of strong relationships.
• Manage the maintenance and promotion of CIFF India’s digital channels, including the long-term development CIFF’s website, digital and social media content, ensuring its content is in keeping with and enhances CIFF’s strategies and profile and that it is kept up to date.
• Lead on the effective collaboration and communication with external partners, monitoring deliverables and quality standards. Negotiate and manage contracts and budgets for external services.
• Apply agreed due diligence and risk management protocols appropriately throughout the development and delivery of proposals and programmes, to ensure the interests and reputation of the Foundation are protected.
• Identify opportunities and options for improving processes, procedures and programme management approaches within (and beyond) the team, to support increased organisational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Use experience and expert judgement to recommend and implement sustainable approaches to external communication and partner engagement in India, focusing on the management of the potential impact of global external risk factors on CIFF India’s vision and Voice.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Keep abreast of developments within the Indian and international development sectors, establishing appropriate information gathering networks and channels to deepen professional knowledge and skills.
• Lead development of thought leadership, PR, marketing and communications materials, to support CIFF’s ambitions to scale-up, mainstream and leverage additional support for its initiatives.
• A key point of contact in India for internal stakeholders to advise on potential impacts of challenging global external environments and situations which could have significant impact on the reputation of CIFF in India. 
• Support on the identification and implementation of new and innovative External Affairs initiatives and communication ideas by staying current on industry and country business best practices. Working with the Head of Strategic Communications – India and the External Affairs team to implement safe and risk mitigating communication and engagement methods and activity. 

Stakeholder and partner management

• Provide strategic input and support in identifying and mapping key external stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, corporate partners, and influential individuals aligned with CIFF India's mission and objectives.
• Make recommendations for, and assist in developing engagement strategies and plans for cultivating and maintaining relationships with stakeholders.
• Gather and synthesize relevant information and materials to support the pursuit of potential partnership opportunities. Where required present complex information to divergent audiences across CIFF
• Providing education, mentorship and coaching across CIFF to build the understanding of the Strategic Outreach Strategy in India
• Lead and support in providing advice and recommendations in relation to CIFF’s voice in India to relevant stakeholders including identifying solutions to complex issues where solutions may need to be devised based on insufficient information being readily available . 
• Support the coordination of stakeholder meetings, conferences, and events, ensuring seamless logistics and effective representation of CIFF India
• Working alongside senior colleagues, help to develop strategic partnerships to support adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes.
• Conduct rigorous research and evaluation of potential partners, using agreed corporate protocols and techniques, to assess their suitability and credentials for collaborating on CIFF initiatives.
• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas.
• Drive connectivity and best practice sharing across India portfolios including connecting programmes to organisation that can disseminate best practice and develop associated advocacy strategies. 

Membership and leadership of the team

• This role requires a high level of cross-CIFF coordination and collaboration, in order to ensure that CIFF’s approach to communications and risk takes into account the broad range of sectoral and regional perspectives.
• Be a role model to less experienced team members, demonstrating CIFF’s leadership behaviours and providing mentorship to aid their growth.
• This role does not hold line management responsibility, but we expect all employees to demonstrate good leadership behaviours; this includes adopting a coaching approach with colleagues to help build skills, confidence and capability in particular areas, processes or procedures.
• We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.

Key working relationships

• CIFF Board members
• India leadership team and ED
• External senior stakeholders (partners and government officials)
• Other CIFF teams – particularly EME and functional teams (e.g. legal, HR, finance)
• Global partners and stakeholders – e.g. DFID, World Bank, USAID et al
• International charities and NGOs – e.g. Gates Foundation, Save the Children, Oxfam et al
• National governments and local NGO partners in priority geographies
• Research and academic institutions active within sector specialism

 Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in executing and managing comprehensive external engagement and communications strategies for organizations or initiatives.
• Experience in supporting stakeholder relationship management, partnership building, and fostering collaborative environments.
• Familiarity with the development sector landscape and an understanding of best practices in external affairs. 
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset
• Ability to analyse an organisation’s strength of management, vision and adaptive capacity. Ability to recruit, guide, influence and/or advise management teams to effectively implement programmes
• Experience working within government systems and/or experience influencing the policies of government agencies, private sector organizations or donor organisations
• Effectively champions and promotes causes – credible and professional, they always present the Foundation’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness 
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience

For more information please check the Link

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