HEVA is a trusted finance, business support and knowledge facility that believes in the transformative social and economic potential of the creative economy sector in Kenya and in the East African region. The Head of Communications will lead HEVA’s strategic positioning, storytelling, brand, and visibility across regional and international platforms.
Key Responsibilities
Lead HEVA’s Strategic Positioning and Brand
- Develop and lead HEVA’s long-term communications, brand, and visibility strategy, ensuring it advances the organisation’s strategic priorities and strengthens its influence across Africa and globally.
- Position HEVA as the leading voice on financing the creative and cultural industries by identifying opportunities for thought leadership, public engagement, and strategic visibility.
- Continuously evolve HEVA’s brand positioning, ensuring it remains relevant, distinctive, and credible with investors, policymakers, development partners, creatives, and the wider public.
- Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the Managing Partners and senior leadership on communications, stakeholder positioning, reputation, and public engagement.
- Develop annual communications strategies, budgets, KPIs, and performance frameworks that measure not only outputs but organisational influence and brand impact.
Shape HEVA’s Storytelling and Narrative
- Lead the development of a compelling organisational narrative that clearly communicates HEVA’s purpose, impact, and vision for Africa’s creative economy.
- Build an editorial strategy that transforms investment, research, policy, and programme work into stories that inspire, influence, and mobilise action.
- Create systems for identifying, documenting, and amplifying stories from across HEVA’s portfolio, ensuring that the voices of entrepreneurs, artists, and ecosystem actors remain at the centre of the organisation’s communications.
- Oversee the production of high-quality publications, reports, campaigns, multimedia content, and thought leadership that consistently reinforce HEVA’s brand and strategic priorities.
- Ensure every piece of communication reflects HEVA’s standards of excellence, authenticity, and impact.
Build Visibility and Thought Leadership
- Develop and execute strategies that significantly increase HEVA’s visibility across regional and international platforms.
- Proactively identify opportunities for media engagement, speaking opportunities, strategic partnerships, publications, awards, and convenings that strengthen HEVA’s profile.
- Build relationships with journalists, editors, producers, influencers, and industry leaders to position HEVA as a trusted source of expertise on Africa’s creative economy.
- Lead public relations strategies that generate sustained visibility rather than one-off media coverage.
- Position HEVA’s leadership as recognised thought leaders through speeches, opinion pieces, interviews, podcasts, and high-profile engagements.
Lead Digital Strategy and Brand Experience
- Develop and oversee an integrated digital communications strategy that strengthens audience growth, engagement, and organisational influence across all platforms.
- Ensure HEVA’s website, social media channels, newsletters, and digital products consistently reflect the organisation’s brand, values, and strategic priorities.
- Guide creative direction across photography, videography, design, multimedia, and emerging digital formats.
- Champion innovation by exploring new platforms, technologies, and storytelling approaches that increase reach and engagement.
Strengthen Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead communications for HEVA’s strategic partnerships, consortiums, and collaborative initiatives, ensuring alignment of messaging across diverse stakeholders.
- Build trusted relationships with communications counterparts across partner organisations, donors, investors, and ecosystem actors.
- Ensure HEVA consistently meets contractual donor visibility, branding, and reporting requirements while protecting the integrity of its own brand.
- Develop communications approaches that deepen engagement with government, development partners, investors, and private-sector stakeholders.
Protect and Strengthen HEVA’s Reputation
- Serve as the custodian of HEVA’s brand, reputation, and public identity.
- Develop and implement proactive reputation management strategies and crisis communication protocols.
- Ensure consistency of messaging, tone, and visual identity across every programme, initiative, publication, and public engagement.
- Anticipate reputational opportunities and risks, advising leadership accordingly.
Executive and Institutional Communications
- Partner closely with the Managing Partners and senior leadership to develop speeches, presentations, strategic messaging, and executive communications for key engagements.
- Lead communications planning for major institutional milestones, fundraising initiatives, annual reports, investor materials, and Board communications.
- Support organisational advocacy and policy engagement through strategic messaging and communications planning.
Lead and Grow the Communications Function
- Build a high-performing communications function that combines creativity with strategic thinking and measurable impact.
- Mentor, coach, and develop communications staff while fostering a culture of curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
- Manage relationships with agencies, consultants, designers, photographers, videographers, and other creative partners to deliver exceptional work.
Measure Influence and Organisational Impact
- Establish communications metrics that go beyond reach and impressions to assess organisational visibility, stakeholder engagement, brand perception, and influence.
- Use data and audience insights to continuously improve communications strategies and decision-making.
- Regularly report communications performance, learning, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and the Board.
Resource Stewardship
- Develop and manage the communications budget to maximise organisational impact and value for money.
- Oversee procurement, contracts, and quality assurance for all communications-related services and suppliers.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations, Media Studies, or a related field. A Master’s degree is an advantage.
- At least 8–10 years of progressive experience leading strategic communications, brand, or reputation functions, with significant experience in a senior leadership role.
- Demonstrated success building brands and positioning organisations as influential voices within their sectors.
- Exceptional storytelling, editorial, and content strategy skills, with the ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling narratives.
- Experience leading communications within multi-stakeholder partnerships, donor-funded programmes, or consortium environments.
- Strong understanding of media relations, digital communications, audience engagement, and reputation management.
- Experience working within impact investing, international development, entrepreneurship, the creative economy, or related sectors is highly desirable.
- Proven experience managing multidisciplinary teams, agencies, consultants, and communications budgets.
