Director of Communications and University Relations
From the start, we’ve been on a mission to bring the “university of the future” to the world — a place where students declare missions not majors, wherereal-world experiencetakes precedence over theoretical classroom lectures, and wherelearning how to learnhas replaced learning facts and figures. Today, ALU is on its way to helping unleash the human potential of a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders — and in the process, unlock a new era of prosperity and opportunity for Africa and beyond unlike the world has ever seen.
Our mission is not going unnoticed.CNNdescribed ALU — which has campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda — as “The Harvard of Africa;”Fast Companyranked ALU one of the 50 most innovative organisations in the world and the most innovative endeavour in Africa; andTheNew York Timesrecognised ALU as one of the eight places in the world “where history is being made .”
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Communications and University Relations will lead ALU’s communications and reputation management function. Reporting to the Head of Strategy, Growth & Innovation, you will be responsible for orchestrating communications across internal and external stakeholder audiences.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Drive internal and external stakeholder understanding of, belief in and advocacy for ALU’s shared purpose and values.
Elevate ALU’s reputation locally, regionally and globally through earned, owned and social media channels.
Partner with ALU’s People and Culture teams to create a unifying and galvanising employee and student experience of choice.
Position ALU as the pioneer and definitive provider of consequential leadership education across Africa.
Protect ALU’s brand by preparing for, anticipating and responding to reputation-threatening incidents, issues and crises.
Serve as ALU’s senior spokesperson with local, regional and global media.
Develop a strategic communications plan that establishes a regular cadence of communications and forums for ALU’s President and other leaders to engage students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Serve as a trusted adviser, thought partner and senior writer to the university President.
Develop a thought leadership platform that differentiates ALU through influential speaking engagements, op-eds, LinkedIn articles, podcast conversations and other brand-distinguishing forums.
Establish, nurture and strengthen relationships with relevant community, public policy, government, business, NGO and cultural stakeholders in Mauritius, Rwanda and beyond.
Collaborate with the ALU Marketing team to identify, craft and amplify student, alumni, faculty and staff leadership stories across the school’s digital and social platforms.
Represent ALU as the primary communications liaison to communications counterparts at other African Leadership Group institutions and key strategic partners.
Identify key communications goals and metrics as well as the measurement vehicles to evaluate reputational and engagement impact.
Help establish ALU as a thought leader in higher education, leadership development and address Africa’s challenges and opportunities via high impact vehicles such as cross campus Speaker Series, university publications, and digital news and storytelling.
Lead the development of the university’s annual Impact Report to its broad community of stakeholders.
WHAT YOU BRING TO ALU
We are looking for a proven strategic communications leader with a track record of hard-charging, play-making impact. You will bring to ALU the fearless confidence and low-ego humility that enables you to drive results in our innovation-fueled entrepreneurial culture.
Strong academic background: Bachelor’s degree required - MBA preferred, or Master’s degree in a relevant field
At least 10 years of experience in leading and executing integrated communications campaigns and initiatives for fast-moving, constantly changing, results-focused organisations — in corporate, agency, government, education or NGO settings.
An insatiable appetite for simplifying the complex and connecting the disconnected in highly ambiguous and diffused settings.
A self-awareness, adaptability and ability to engage with a wide variety of audiences, stakeholders and communities — inside and outside the university.
An unprecedented intuition and understanding of contemporary best practices in integrated communications across paid, earned, social and owned channels.
A tested spokesperson exemplified through a portfolio of reputation-building and protecting experiences.
A robust network of relationships with influential journalists, influencers and podcasters.
A confident and trusted advisor to senior leaders, peers and other internal stakeholders.
A passion for Africa – and more generally for innovation and creating strong global brands
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