ATTENTION!!!

AU Values

            • Respect for Diversity and Team Work             • Think Africa Above all                     

            • Transparency and Accountability                    • Integrity and Impartiality                       

            • Efficiency and Professionalism                       • Information and Knowledge Sharing

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Organization Information

Reports to: Director of ICD
Directorate/Department/Organ: ICD (Information and Communication Department)
Division: Communication
Number of Direct Reports: 9
Number of Indirect Reports: 0
Job Grade: P5
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Regular
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 

Purpose of Job

Directs and manages the daily operations of the Communication Division in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the directorate and the AU’s overall goals. 

Provides strategic leadership for the formulation of  communications strategies on priority issues and carries out campaigns to create awareness about the activities of the departments, organs and institutions of the AU to support their substantive goals
 

Main Functions

•    Designs and implements policies, programs and projects to achieve the directorate’s strategic objectives. 
•    Manages and supervises employees within the division, ensures the timely delivery of the directorate’s goals and effective staff performance evaluation; 
•    Designs policies, strategies and programs to contribute to the effective implementation of relevant AU Policy Organs Decisions; 
•    Ensures the delivery of the division’s annual targets in line with the directorate’s overall goals and ensures robust and timely monitoring and reporting;
•    Provides technical leadership and ensures efficient functioning of all Units within the Division
•    Manages the work of the Division and supervises direct reports to ensure their effective performance in line with the organization’s performance management policy and system;
•    Engages stakeholders within Members States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)/Regional Mechanisms(RMs) and relevant international organisations in designing and implementing strategies. 
•    Maintains thematic partnerships in support of the mandate of the Division;  
•    Maintains regular working relations with senior stakeholders in Member States and partner institutions in the execution of the Division’s mandate.  
•    Represents the organisation and communicates its position at conferences. 
•    Contributes to the preparation of periodic financial and budget execution reports and monitor budget execution at division level. 
•    Ensures the effective management of funds contributed to the organization;  
•    Manages risk within the division and recommends mitigation strategies 
•    Contributes to the development of the departmental business continuity plan and ensures implementation at division level 
•    Maintains a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent. 

Specific Responsibilities

The Head of Communications duties and specific responsibilities include:
•    Popularises Programmes earmarked as AU Priority Areas. Liaising with Programme Departments and institutions to develop and implement communication strategies to publicise priority areas and sectoral activities specifically:
o    Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy & Sustainable Environment
o    Economic Development. Trade, Industry and Mining
o    Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
o    Infrastructure and Energy
o    Political Affairs, Peace and Security
o    Health Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development

•    Develops communication strategies and plans to promote key mandates and programmes of the AU and its institutions and organs
o    Judicial, Human Rights & Legal Organs
o    Pan African Parliament 
o    AU Development Agency
o    African Peer Review Mechanism
o    African Financial Institutions

•    Outreach 
o    Fosters dialogue with regional constituencies such as academia, civil society, private sector, the entertainment industry, educators and students to create awareness and encourage support for the ideals, programmes and activities of the AU
o    Liaising with AU partners to develop content to promote AU activities to current and potential partners 
o    Liaises with Media & Information division to develop and disseminate educational material on the AU for students and teachers at all educational levels to build long-term support for the Organization and Agenda 2063

•    Promotes communication and engagement that encourages and build strategic partnerships with the AU specifically: Private Sector, Academia, Development Partners, African Youth Associations, Diaspora & Civil Society

.

•    Strategic Partner Management
o    Coordinates programmes and activities with development partners such as UN (RCM)

•    Internal Communication
o    Leads communication programmes targeting internal audiences as well as support communication for non-programmatic departments of the AUC 
o    Ensures key programmes and activities of the Union are popularised to internal audiences including supporting orientation programmes 
o    Supports AUC leadership, Staff association, HR and Administration and  to create and disseminate information about the key policies and programmes and impact on staff

•    Produces authoritative and accessible information and publications on the main activities, driving concerns and leading ideals of the departments and organs of the AU (Corporate Publications & Editorials)
o    Researches, writes and commissions content for AU publication both print and online including, reports and case studies
o    Editorial review of AU communication and publications – proof reading and approval of content
o    Establishes & maintains contact with media for external publications and provide content on AU programmes 
o    Conducts research and liaise with communication  division to identify key topical issues for Opeds
o    Story telling: Work closely with film and photography teams on the collection of stories from the field, occasionally conducting interviews and writing editorial pieces on the work of the AU
o    Conducts research and liaise with  the media and information division to identify key topical issues for Opeds
o    Provides in-house expertise on written communication, leading efforts to use stories from the field to bring in new supporters, engage existing supporters and bring to life the importance of our work

•    Promotes correct use AU Brand and its identities on all communication developed for AU departments, institutions and in collaboration with partners 

•    Research
o    Conducts research on areas of interest to the AU and disseminate insights as one pagers, opinion papers or detailed reports
o    Works with knowledge division to conduct market research – traditional, online, internal surveys

•    Division Administration and Budget Management
o    Manages staff performance and ensure professional growth of the Division
o    Prepares and supervise the programmes and the daily work of the Division; 
o    Prepares and supervise the execution of the budget of the Division
o    Provides regular reports to supervisor and key stakeholders on the activities undertaken to promotes the programmes of the AU institutions and organs

•    Performs any other duties as assigned by the Director of Information and Communication 

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

•    A Master’s Degree in Communication, or in Marketing or in a relevant field with at least twelve (12) years of relevant and progressively responsible experience in the area of corporate communications, seven (7) of these years should be at senior management level, out of which at least five (5) years should involve supervisory responsibilities.
•    Professional qualification in marketing / or public relations will be an added advantage
•    Regional / international experience managing communication/marketing for large national or regional or international organisations
•    Experience in producing high quality advertising and content creation in-house or working with advertising agencies
•    Experience in conceptualizing and implementing high impact digital marketing campaigns
•    Computer literacy and use of modern means of communication tools is an added advantage.
 

Required Skills

•    Corporate Marketing and Brand Strategy development and communication implementation 
•    Ability to initiate and promote collaborative approaches between geographically and culturally disparate partners
•    Ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations both internally and externally
•    Ability to develop and delegate clear program goals, plans and actions, including budgets, that are consistent with agreed strategies
•    Ability to manage budgets and determine financial impact
•    Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development 
•    Ability to effectively lead, supervise, mentor, develop and evaluate staff
•    Ability to use Microsoft office suite 
•    Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish), fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

Leadership Competencies

Core Competencies

Functional Competencies

.

TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:

The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING:

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

LANGUAGES:

Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

REMUNERATION:

Indicative basic salary of US$ 50,746.00 (P5 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 26,208.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Applications must be submitted no later than September 19, 2025 11h59 p.m. EAT.
-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
-Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor's degrees (Bac+3), Master's degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
-The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
-Candidates from least represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, and Somalia.