Head of Communications and Advocacy

Introduction and overview

The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) is dedicated to improving education and employment outcomes for children and youth globally. Our team is working at the cutting edge of development finance, leveraging our platform at the UN and our innovative, results-focused approach to change the way education is financed to support the next generation of youth.

EOF is looking for an exceptional Head of Communications and Advocacy. This senior position at EOF will guarantee that our efforts to support children around the globe are reaching the right audiences in the best way. This opportunity comes at a critical moment in EOF’s growth as we expand our country program portfolio and shift our strategy to place a greater emphasis on external engagement.

Please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] by COB Sunday 23 June. Please ensure that you include the role you’re applying for in the email subject line.

About the Education Outcomes Fund

There are few greater challenges faced by the global community than the twin crises of learning poverty and youth unemployment. In response, the Education Commission (chaired by Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen) came together with our founding CEO (Her Excellency Dr.) Amel Karboul to create EOF. We aim to improve the education and employment outcomes of 10 million children and youth, by supporting governments to utilize a range of innovative finance instruments at scale, including outcomes funds and other results-based financing (RBF) instruments.

The opportunity

The Head of Communications and Advocacy will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer. The primary responsibilities of this role are:

• Global Advocacy Campaigns: Design and execute campaigns that communicate EOF’s mission, programs, and impact on the global stage.
• Strategic Communications: Develop and implement a communication strategy that clearly articulates EOF’s impact on global education.
• High-Profile Event Planning: Strategically select, secure participation in, and manage EOF’s presence at major global events such as the UN General Assembly, WEF, and G7.
• Media Relations: Cultivate strong relationships with international media to amplify EOF’s initiatives and achievements.
• Brand Management: Oversee EOF’s brand to ensure it is compelling, communicated effectively, and reflective of our mission.
• Content Development: Produce and manage content that effectively distills EOF’s work, from thought leadership articles and podcasts to social media posts.
• Manage the Team: Build and lead a team of communication professionals to ensure EOF’s message is consistently impactful.
• Social Media and Website Oversight: Guide our digital presence to engage a global audience effectively online.
• Crisis Communication: Develop proactive strategies to maintain EOF’s reputation during challenging situations.

EOF is an entrepreneurial organization. The successful candidate will need to deliver at pace and be comfortable with taking ownership, responsibility, and set backs in their stride. We have high ambitions for our communication and advocacy work, so this is an immensely exciting opportunity. But it will involve managing ambiguity, being comfortable with transitioning from strategic leadership to directly ‘holding the pen’ and being highly motivated by the prospect of building something new.

This opportunity will be highly rewarding, with an opportunity to genuinely shape the external communications and engagement of an international organization operating at the forefront of development financing, education, and impact investing. Success in the this role will have a lasting impact on entire sector, with the potential to improve how international development is financed globally.

About you

We’d love to hear from you if the following sounds like you:

Education:

• An advanced degree is required in a relevant subject, such as International Development, International Studies, Education, Economics, Politics, Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or similar.
• A bachelor’s degree will be considered with an additional 2 years of relevant experience.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience of progressively responsible roles within communications.
• A proven background in developing and executing communication strategies within complex, politically nuanced environments.
• Experience leading international advocacy campaigns; utilising both traditional and digital media.
• History of directly managing people, steering projects, and guiding teams towards achieving strategic communication goals.
• Exceptional writing abilities, able to distil intricate concepts into clear, compelling content tailored to diverse audiences.
• Experience working in a start-up/ scale-up environment; comfort and ability to thrive amidst ambiguity and to quickly (re-)adjust to new circumstances.
• Experience or interest in the global education sector is strongly preferred.
• Experience or interest with Results Based Financing is preferred.

General information

• We have a global mandate and a global team, with staff based across most continents. However, most of our team are London-based, and candidates may need to be available during a significant portion of UK working hours (to be determined on a case-by-case basis).
• The indicative gross annual salary package is between GBP 90,000 – 110,000 with flexibility depending on the skills and experience of the selected candidate. This is for applicants based in London and will be adjusted based on the place of residence, in line with UN post adjustment rates. Upward mobility in salary and position is expected for strongly performing team members.
• This position will initially be for a 12-month contract, although we are looking for permanent, full-time staff to join and help grow the organisation, subject to performance. Contracts will be renewed annually for all core team staff subject to performance, and there is the potential for some long-term core staff to move onto UN staff contracts, again subject to funding and performance.