The International Water Management Institute (www.iwmi.org) is an international, non-profit research organization dedicated to providingevidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people’s livelihoods and the environment.

IWMI is a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food secure future.

Job Summary

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), is looking for an Impact and
Communications Officer to help ensure that there is impact from its research towards achieving the vision of WLE (‘a world in which agriculture thrives within vibrant ecosystems, where communities have higher incomes, improved food security and the ability to continuously improve their lives’).

The position holder should have skills not only in communications, but also in knowledge management and communication for development-related processes.

The person will be based at the West Africa Office of IWMI in Accra, Ghana, where the WLE Volta Program is conducted, and will report to the Volta Focal Region Coordinator, WLE.

You will:

•   design communication and knowledge management (KM) plans for th e focal region;
•   support focal region projects by designing and thinking through their impact pathways/ Theories of Change (TOCs), and providing communication/uptake advice on implementing communication activities in the field;
•   learn and share – develop systems to support learning, reflecti on and sharing amongst projects and partners;
•   engage/network – support the identification of key clients and partners, maintain relevant information on them, and engage with research clients and partners;
•   develop strategic communication processes for specific target groups based on impact pathways;
•   develop communication for promotion and public relations on the focal region activities (web, mass media, etc.);
•   develop and maintain contacts with the media;
•   support the organization, facilitation and or documentation of internal and external meetings and workshops with clients and partners;
•   support activities and the Focal Region Coordinator in managing and maintaining monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, as well as being able to analyze results from M&E for communication and learning purposes; and
•   liaise with IWMI and WLE communication, KM and uptake coordinators, and provide information and materials as needed.

Qualification Required & Experience

You will possess:

•   a master’s degree in communications, social science, journalism or related field;
•   a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional and applied exper ience;
•   experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring and ev aluation of communications and knowledge management plans in multi-disciplinary research for development programs;
•   demonstrated experience in successful stakeholder engagements at all levels, including local communities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), government officials, research organizations, etc., to support research for development goals;
•   experience in designing and using theories of change, impact pathways and/or logical frameworks or other monitoring and evaluation methods, tools and analyses;
•   demonstrated success in working with international programs;
•   an understanding or willingness to be trained on gender analysis and integration;
•   the ability to articulate and relate a vision, define objectives, motivate others to achieve goals, work collaboratively with a team of staff and evaluate progress;
•   the ability to work with partners to achieve joint objectives;
•   a strong analytical mind, the ability to synthesize and communi cate persuasively;
•   listening skills (what is important when listening, interviewing, drawing out, paraphrasing, etc.?);
•   an understanding of storytelling (what are the key elements of a story and what makes a good story?);
•   excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French;
•   innovation, positive attitudes and the ability to take independ ent initiative;
•   a demonstrated ability to use various communication channels, s ocial media and collaborative tools to communicate research for development studies to a broad range of stakeholders; and
•   the ability to monitor and assess the impacts of communication interventions, and use lessons learned to improve ongoing plans .

It would be advantageous if you had:

•   experience in using impact pathways or outcome mapping; and
•   experience of working in West Africa, preferably in the field of natural resource management.

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Interested and qualified candidates should please send letter of application together with the CV to:-

work-at-iwmi@cgiar.org

Closing Date: 25 September, 2014

•   This is a nationally recruited staff position and only citizens of Ghana are encouraged to apply.
•   IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes transport and health insurance.
•   The duration of the contract will initially be for a 2-year period, with possible extension.

IWMI is an equal opportunity employer and is keen to further diversify its staff in terms of both gender and nationality.