DAI is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governments, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines—crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

ABOUT USAID POLICY LINK
The Policy LINK project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision making, collaborative problem solving, and adaptive learning.

POLICY LINK IN GHANA
USAID/Ghana has expressed an interest in engaging Policy LINK in the Policy System Support Activity that has a goal of supporting and strengthening policy development, adoption, and implementation. This Activity seeks to achieve a more transparent, inclusive, predictable, and evidence-based agriculture and food security policymaking, leading to improved food and nutrition outcomes and broad-based, inclusive economic growth. Critical to the success of the Activity is enabling a broader set of Ghanaian stakeholders to constructively participate directly in the policy process to contribute to the structural transformation of their agriculture and food security system. This broader set of agricultural stakeholders is necessary to improve policy analysis, formulation, advocacy for, and implementation of agricultural policies that will drive this transformation. This inclusive approach will also support and accelerate the evolution of Ghana’s agriculture by contributing to good governance (transparency and mutual accountability), greater private sector engagement, increased trade and competitiveness, and stronger market system linkages.

A fundamental input to a stronger, more inclusive policy process is an increased availability, access, and reliance on developing and using evidence in the entire policy process across all stakeholders. While there is a significant volume of research done in Ghana, this research needs to be strengthened and made more rigorous through a peer review process that documents and shares best practices and outputs. Also critical is the participation of a broader set of stakeholders in the planning, development, and validation of policy research to ensure that all stakeholders have a common understanding of the policy environment and process. Finally, the availability, access, and use of evidence by all stakeholders in a coordinated policy process is important to assure transparency and mutual accountability. The quality of policies and the processes by which they are formulated and implemented are equally important, as this foundation will engender ownership and agency by the broader set of stakeholders and will result ensure improved policy development and implementation in the future.

Position Objectives
The Strategic Communications Lead will work closely with the FTF Ghana Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity (Policy Activity) management to ensure internal and external awareness of Activity purpose and activities, and to enhance the effectiveness, scaling, and results of the Activity.  Since learning and knowledge management are foundational components of the Policy Activity, the Strategic Communications Lead will be responsible for providing thought leadership and bringing innovative thinking in communications to enhance design and implementation of individual buy-in activities, program-wide initiatives and overall reporting. The Strategic Communications Lead will also play a critical role on the Policy LINK cross-cutting Communications team, reinforcing a unified brand for the global program, liaising with communications colleagues in other parts of the world to share best practice and ensure compliance with the program’s USAID-approved branding and marking plan, and participating in meetings of Policy LINK’s global communications network. 

S/he will continually reinforce LINK’s core purpose and principles and ensure all decision-making is rooted in the purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

The Strategic Communications Lead will manage all areas of Policy Activity communications, internally and externally, with support from the Country Lead as well as the global Policy LINK communications team.

S/he will oversee roll-out and development of the Policy Activity communications strategy with support from the Country Lead and ensure it stays updated to reflect learnings and knowledge generated through stakeholder engagements. S/he will work with senior leadership and individual activity teams to ensure that communications is used strategically for impact, emphasizing the creation and sustainable use of networking and learning mechanisms driven by the Policy Activity’s stakeholders and partners. S/he will train and orient all Policy Activity staff about the activity’s communications strategy and support and encourage active participation in implementing it.  S/he will ensure that the activity teams generate pertinent, value-added information based on data, lessons learned, and best practices that support Policy LINK’s overall learning agenda.

S/he will prepare communications products for the Policy Activity as a whole and for individual activities based on this information and disseminate these products regularly to USAID and stakeholders. S/he will work with the Policy Activity and Policy LINK teams to manage, store, and share relevant activity and stakeholder resources and directly circulate resources as appropriate.

S/he will also contribute actively to recruitment efforts throughout the contracted period of performance by serving on agreed-upon interview panels, according to Policy LINK’s recruitment policy and process. Responsibilities of interview panel members may include, but not be limited to:

• Contributing to position shortlists
• Developing or editing interview questions
• Serving as a “panel lead” for certain recruitment efforts
• Conducting oral reference checks

Reporting:

• The Strategic Communications Lead will directly report to the Ghana Country Lead.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• The Strategic Communications Lead will directly supervise the Strategic Communications Specialist. 
• S/he will coordinate closely with the Policy LINK Ghana senior management team (Country Lead, Ag & Food Security Lead, Climate Change Lead, Programs Lead, MEL & KM Lead, and Finance & Operations Manager), Nairobi-based project-wide Technical Programs and Policy Director, and other Policy LINK colleagues in Kenya, South Sudan, and elsewhere to ensure that program activities are designed and delivered at a high quality in compliance with Policy LINK, DAI, and USAID standards.

This position is open to local Ghanaian candidates. Additional qualifications:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in a high profile, demanding communications role, including:
  • Management of long-term, strategic communication activities;
  • Design communications, press and marketing strategies
  • Oversight and design of multi-media platforms, including content development, for a combination of video, print and social media inputs
  • Demonstrated experience designing and distributing marketing products
  • Demonstrated experience organizing, managing and liaising with external organizations and press
• Proven networking skills with broad spectrum of contacts with diverse target groups related to prior work experience
• Outstanding communications skills, including writing in English
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including:
  • High level of self-initiative and creativity
  • Able to work effectively on a team
  • Ability to synthesize large amounts of data and inputs from multiple sources into cohesive, strategic messages and products
• Proficiency with graphic design software and skilled in designing and producing basic layouts and graphics.