Officer, Communications at Kwara State Government

Kwara State was created on 27 May 1967, when the Federal Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon broke the four regions that then constituted the Federation of Nigeria into 12 states. At its creation, the state was made up of the former Ilorin and Kabba provinces of the then Northern Region and was initially named the West Central State but later changed to "Kwara", a local name for the River Niger. Kwara State has since 1976 reduced considerably in size as a result of further state creation exercises in Nigeria. On 13 February 1976, the Idah/Dekina part of the state was carved out and merged with a part of the then Benue/Plateau State to form Benue State. On 27 August 1991, five local government areas, namely Oyi, Yagba, Okene, Okehi and Kogi were also excised to form part of the new Kogi State, while a sixth, Borgu Local Government Area, was merged with Niger State.

About the Role

• We are looking for a proactive team player to support EKOEXCEL through external and internal communications.
• You will support the objectives of the program and our government partners in the creation and delivery of proactive narrative, ensuring its broad based delivery to stakeholders via multiple platforms.
• You will be telling the EKOEXCEL story across all channels, creating content, and strengthening our interactions.
• Our ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of all mass communications channels and the ability to design content that optimises news and social media.
• The candidate should be capable of running digital media and handling websites.
• They will be an extremely effective written communicator, a planner, and creative. They should possess a  keen sense of ownership and quick execution.

What You Will Do

• Build and maintain active relationships with media partners (i.e. education desk correspondents and editors, bloggers etc.)
• Monitor and report media trends and  activities of EKOEXCEL, key stakeholder and key issues coverage in the media.
• Develop compelling multimedia content and collateral generated from across our EKOEXCEL schools that tell the powerful story of what EKOEXCEL does and importantly how it does what it does.
• Support management and updating of the website regularly by creating rich and engaging content.
• Support, maintain and upload digital communications to social media platforms sharing relevant content, photographs and videos on a regular basis.
• Support and build our events and public speaking platform across Lagos & Nigeria.    
• Support the team in delivering the agreed departmental strategy, plans and standards.
• Carry out research through a range of sources, including the Internet, Intranet, publications and other external contacts, including government bodies, organisations and other charities, in order to obtain relevant information that can contribute to communications strategies.
• Work within short term and long-term communications plans as conveyed by the team.
• Carry out stakeholder mapping and stakeholder lists management
• Draft and produce written correspondence such as press releases, quotes, operational notes, letters, reports and other documents as required, using word processing, databases and spreadsheets to required standards.
• Undertake specific other communications projects and activities as necessary.

What You Should Have

• Minimum first degree in Communications or related field.
• 3 years experience in a core communications role (in house or agency)
• An awareness of the media and political landscape both locally and nationally.
• Understanding of state and  local government public office structures.
• Ability to build and maintain stakeholder relationships within a productive working context.
• Proven ability to produce compelling material and stories for external audiences.
• Proven ability to collate, produce and edit multimedia content.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills to deal effectively, efficiently and appropriately with internal and external stakeholders including the media.
• Familiarity and experience of using digital editing tools such as Premier Pro,  Adobe and Word Press.
• Ability to successfully influence and negotiate with individuals and achieve objectives through excellent relationships.
• Experience of collecting data from various sources, and ability to analyse and present findings clearly for internal and external communications including for press releases.
• Proven ability to prioritise and organise own workload effectively and efficiently and meet deadlines.
• Well-developed ability to work well with others as part of a team, providing support as required, and build and maintain effective working relationships.

You’re also

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates.  You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any organisation or programme from scratch and at scale comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, NewGlobe works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate –The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like.  Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience,
  and value.
• A malleable learner –You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others.  You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A curious investigator – You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions – and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.

Method of Application

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