About the Organization

Kakenya’s Dream is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower and motivate girls in rural Kenya through education, health, and leadership programs to become agents of change and to break the cycle of harmful cultural practices including female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. These future leaders will improve their community, their nation, and the world. At Kakenya’s Dream, we challenge ourselves to come up with the best empowerment and education system for young African girls and share our model with others.

About the Job

We are creating a new position within the organization to increase our visibility and reach new audiences. This individual will be an ambassador for the organization and will build relationships with the media and key influencers to advance the organization's position with relevant constituents and drive broader awareness and donor support for the organization. This position will report to the Director of Communications, and be a hands-on, adaptable, and strategic professional that will bring our brand to a wider variety of audiences including: the international development community, new donors, the media, the private sector, and the general public interested in empowering girls and women. The officer will help develop and execute Kakenya’s Dream’s marketing and PR strategies, seek out speaking and recognition opportunities, and support Kakenya’s Dream’s events.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

Marketing and communications strategy and content creation

Manage day-to-day media buying, ad creation, and optimization across digital advertising channels (Google, Meta) to secure new donors and email subscribers and drive more traffic to our website.
Track, analyze, and report on all digital ad performance metrics to improve campaign messaging and effectiveness
Track, analyze, and report on all other Kakenya’s Dream communications and marketing analytics, including social media, website, and emails.
Analyze target markets and create opportunities to build the brand across all platforms, including influencer collaborations and marketing Kakenya’s Dream to the media, new audiences, and the general international development community.
Under the direction of the Director of Communications, implement a multi-channeled communications plan to engage, cultivate, and steward target audiences.
Collaborate with the development team to create direct mail fundraising campaigns and accompanying email, social, and digital campaigns for current, lapsed, and prospective donors. Track, analyze, and report on the performance of these campaigns to improve future campaign performance.
Create general monthly newsletters and targeted lifecycle email campaigns/automations for constituents based on their relationship with the organization (current and recurring donors, prospective donors, lapsed donors, email subscribers, etc.) Track and analyze campaigns to measure and improve performance.
Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations in all marketing activities and implement best practices for data security.
Assist Communications Director with editing marketing and communications content supplied by Kenyan communications staff (blogs, newsletters, impact stories, social media copy, etc.).
Serve as the in-house proofreading/copy editor for the U.S. team.
Collaborate with Kenyan team to lead and create social media content and campaigns.
Support Communications Director with producing various written and visual communications pieces, including annual reports, print materials, talking points, award applications, video editing, and small graphic design projects.

Media relations

Assist Communication Director to develop and implement a media relations strategy.
Conduct media outreach to national and international media outlets to secure prominent interviews, bylines, op-eds, podcast opportunities, and more, positioning Kakenya’s Dream and as an expert in our sector.
Seek out and build strategic media relationships.
Develop effective press releases, storylines, and proof points for pitching stories to the media.
Handle all aspects of media relations including responding to incoming media/event inquiries, preparing Kakenya’s Dream spokespeople to respond with appropriate briefing materials and talking points, coordinating interviews and follow-up as needed, tracking media coverage, and leveraging media attention to its fullest potential in terms of donations.

Speaking engagement and events

Support the Communications Director to cultivate appropriate speaking opportunities for the president at strategic conferences and events and deliver requisite support (general messaging, talking points, slide deck development, and event liaison) as needed.
Handle the organization’s event logistics, including invitations, run of show, venue management, etc.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and experience

Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, media relations, international development, or related fields.
Minimum 3-4 years experience in marketing, media/journalism, and/or public relations, preferably in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
Superior attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communications skills, including writing and editing effective and compelling copy for a wide variety of channels and audiences.
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic marketing plans and leverage print, digital, and social media platforms.
Proficient in using data analytics tools to drive insights, measure ad performance, and make data-driven decisions.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute successful media and public relations strategies and campaigns.
Established network of relevant reporters and other media connections.
Experience working collaboratively across organizational structures and departments.
Ability to produce quality work under tight deadlines and manage multiple projects independently.
Ability to build strong working relationships in a multicultural team with colleagues across different levels of seniority.
Experience with WordPress, Google Ads and Analytics, Mailchimp, Zapier, and Canva.
Graphic design (Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva) and video editing experience preferred.

Location

The position is fully remote.

If the candidate is in the Washington DC/ Maryland/ Virginia area and is able to come into the Arlington, VA office occasionally as needed, that's a bonus but not a requirement.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $55,000 to $60,000, commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position. Benefits include generous PTO (13 holidays, 21 days of PTO, and 12 sick days annually), a 5% retirement match, 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, disability, cell phone and internet stipend, and paid family leave.

To Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and portfolio with at least 2 digital marketing and/or writing samples to jobs@kakenyasdream.org. Please title your subject line: “Marketing & PR Officer, Your Name.” Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are only able to respond to candidates that meet the job requirements. No phone calls please.

Kakenya’s Dream is an equal opportunity employer; no one will be denied opportunities or benefits on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age (40 or older), military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, or any other factor protected by federal, state, or local law.

For more information, please visit us at www.kakenyasdream.org.

Kakenya's Dream jobs

Marketing and Public Relations Officer