Communications and Knowledge Management Officer (African SIDS)

Communications and Knowledge Management Officer (African SIDS)

Financing Agency: Global Environment Facility (GEF)

GEF Implementing Agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP Executing Agency: Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA)

Duty Station: Pretoria South Africa (Applicants must reside and have legal right to work in South Africa)

Tenure: 24 months renewable

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The mandate of the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture Rural Development Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) is to: (a) Initiate develop and promote continental policies frameworks and programs to contribute to agricultural transformation rural development blue economy and sustainable environment in line with Agenda 2063; (ii) Coordinate implementation of continental policy frameworks and programmes; (iii) Mobilise resources and facilitate capacity building needed for implementation of various initiatives and policies; and (iv) Monitor and report on the implementation by Member States and Regional Economic Communities of policy frameworks programmes and decisions.

The Department has two Directorates: (i) Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate with two Divisions namely: Agriculture and Food Security Division and Rural Development Division; (ii) Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy Directorate also with two Divisions: (Sustainable Environment Division which includes Water and Sanitation as well as Climate Change; and Blue Economy Division.

In August 2025 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) AUC Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) and African SIDS (Cabo Verde Guinea-Bissau Sao Tomé and Príncipe Comoros Mauritius and Seychelles) launched a GEF financed project that aims to contribute to realizing sustainable blue economy transformation in the 6 African SIDS. This will be done through supporting the development and strengthening across all participating countries of the enabling environment for a national transformation towards a sustainable and inclusive Blue Economy; piloting innovation and good practices for sustainable Blue Economy through 6 national Blue Economy and 1 national Land Degradation Neutrality ridge-to-reef demonstration projects and; supporting the development and strengthening of information and knowledge management environment that will facilitate access to data and exchange of good practices both among African SIDS as well as with the wider global ocean/SIDS community.

This USD 9 million project is financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by UNDP as the GEF Implementing Agency in partnership with GWPSA as the Executing Agency while the African Union Commission is the focal custodian of the project implementation.

The project component on knowledge management and upscaling will be delivered through developing and disseminating communication and knowledge management (project results innovative solutions best practices and lessons learned) from the seven sustainable Blue Economy/Sustainable Land Management demonstration projects at national and regional level; identifying and sharing innovative solutions and best practices from other projects other SIDS and other regional initiatives at national and regional levels and strategic contributions to a data/information/knowledge exchange network/infrastructure that supports Blue Economy development and land restoration in the African SIDS.

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PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT

GWPSA seeks to hire a Communications and Knowledge Management Officer for the aforementioned project. The role of this officer to be based at the GWPSA offices in Pretoria South Africa is to support all communications and knowledge management activities for the project as well as leading the communications knowledge management and outreach activities on a broader scale for the AUC Blue Economy Division within the Department of Agriculture Rural Development Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ABRE) in implementation of the Africa Blue Economy strategy in the Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy Directorate. S/he will also work closely with the Project Management Unit that is responsible for driving the day-to-day implementation of the project.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Lead in the communications knowledge management and outreach activities of the African Union Blue Economy Division
• Develop and implement a comprehensive Project Communications Strategy and Plan including dissemination of technical information research results policy briefs newsletters results of key meetings and decisions and other communication outputs.
• Produce and oversee the design of communication materials to enhance visibility of the project and its partners (AUC UNDP GWPSA governments of the 6 African SIDS).
• Maintain consistent branding and messaging across all project outputs and ensure alignment with UNDP and GEF visibility guidelines.
• Support media engagement including press releases op-eds event coverage and liaison with journalists at national regional and continental levels.
• Manage the projects website and social media presence ensuring timely updates on activities events and results.
• Support the preparation of communication packages for high-level advocacy with AUC AU Member States donors and regional bodies.
• Contribute to communication aspects of stakeholder engagement and capacity development events including workshops training sessions and conferences.
• Provide communication support for the projects contributions to international fora including GEF IW: LEARN events and Africa Blue Economy Week.
• Take lead responsibility for the development and dissemination of knowledge products including project results innovative solutions best practices and lessons learned in formats suited for different stakeholders.
• Design and implement a Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy that ensures systematic capture documentation and sharing of experiences from national demonstration projects and regional activities.
• Establish mechanisms for knowledge exchange among the 6 African SIDS including peer-to-peer learning study tours and regional dialogues.
• Ensure that lessons learned are regularly captured and fed into adaptive management processes annual workplans and AUC reporting.
• Develop and maintain a repository of project knowledge outputs (policy briefs case studies training materials toolkits) and ensure these are disseminated through AUC UNDP GWPSA and partner platforms.
• Coordinate the monitoring of uptake and application of knowledge products at national and regional levels supporting AUC alignment with the Africa Blue Economy Strategy.
• Provide technical support to ensure project-level results are synthesised and scaled up into continental policy dialogues and Pan-African knowledge platforms.
• Support administrative and logistical coordination activities of the AUC Blue Economy Division.
• Any other activities as required by the AUC Blue Economy Division or the Project Management Unit.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• Advanced university degree (masters or equivalent) in Communications Public Relations Journalism Knowledge Management Media or relevant field. A Bachelors degree with additional relevant professional experience may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in communications public relations or knowledge management preferably within the Blue Economy environmental or natural resources management sectors.
• Experience with international development projects particularly those focused on blue economy environmental sustainability climate change or natural resources management.
• Experience with knowledge management systems and platforms including the creation and dissemination of knowledge products (e.g. reports case studies newsletters).
• Experience in developing and implementing knowledge management strategies and platforms that support organizational learning and information sharing.
• Proven track record in managing communications campaigns and outreach initiatives for multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience in capacity building related to communications and knowledge management including training workshops and mentoring.
• Familiarity with the blue economy and environmental and social issues with the ability to translate technical information into accessible and engaging content.
• Knowledge of social marketing and behavior change communication (BCC) strategies related to environmental conservation and natural resources management.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks as they relate to communication knowledge management and outreach.
  

Skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively to diverse audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for engaging with stakeholders partners and team members across different cultures and levels of expertise
• Proficiency in digital communication platforms and tools including social media content management systems (CMS) and graphic design software.
• Ability to produce high-quality communication materials such as reports press releases newsletters and multimedia content.
• Ability to develop and execute communication strategies that align with project goals and enhance stakeholder engagement.
• Strong analytical skills to assess the effectiveness of communication and knowledge management activities and make data-driven decisions.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously often under tight deadlines.
• Experience in planning implementing and monitoring communication campaigns and knowledge management initiatives.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including technical experts project managers and external partners.
• Proactive approach to building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders including government agencies NGOs and community groups.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity in working with diverse communities
• Understanding of local contexts and languages is highly desirable for effective communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to take initiative and lead communication and knowledge management activities independently while aligning with overall project objectives.
• Leadership skills to mentor and guide team members or partners in communication and knowledge management practices.

Language

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another AU working language particularly French or Portuguese is an advantage.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

• Applicants must reside and have legal right to work in South Africa. No relocation allowance will be granted for this position.
• Applicants must be willing to travel as needed.

Interested candidates should submit the following:

• Candidates should submit a cover letter a detailed CV and a minimum of three references in English through the online application system and not via email.
• Bamboo link: short-listed candidates will be contacted within 4 weeks after the application deadline.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Questions can be directed to
• Deadline: 12 May 2026 17:00 GMT

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

The communications and Knowledge Management Officer shall maintain confidentiality of all non-public information data and documents accessed or generated in the course of the assignment. Such information shall not be disclosed shared or used for purposes outside the scope of this role without prior written authorization from the Responsible Party and/or the Regional Project Management Unit. This obligation shall remain in effect during and after the completion of the assignment.

TAXES

A withholding tax will be deducted from the Contractors invoices at the default rate of 15% or 10% where a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) is applicable for the respective country. GWPSA will provide the corresponding tax certificates and shall not be liable foranyadditionaltaxes payable to the tax authority/authorities in the Consultants country of origin.

Required Experience:

Senior IC