Communications Manager - North Star Alliance (Vervuld)

North Star Alliance is a young and innovative social enterprise in the process of scaling from a start-up to a mature company. Our mission is to bring essential health services to hard-to-reach populations using smart logistics and technology, and rock-solid management skills. We’re currently working in Africa, where we operate a network of 30 drop-in health clinics at strategic locations along transport routes in Africa to stop the spread of disease in its tracks. Focusing on high-impact disease and primary health care, our growing network of clinics provide access to health promotion, prevention, testing and treatment services to mobile and other hard-to-reach populations. Since 2006 we have worked with over 70 public, private and social partners to build our network, which we expect to grow to 50 clinics by the end of 2015.

North Star Alliance is looking for an Communications Manager at the head office in Utrecht. The successful candidate will be the new guardian of the North Star brand. As such, s/he will be responsible for the development and execution of internal and external communication strategies to promote our brand and brand values among key stakeholders.
We are looking for someone who combines creativity with strategic thinking. Someone who is not afraid to step outside his/her comfort zone. Someone who reflects the enthusiasm and passion our team puts into their work. Someone who thinks big, but knows that quality comes from flawless execution of the small.
As part of a fast growing organization operating in 14 + countries, most of our communications work takes place in the digital space. We are building online support to communities in Africa, Europe and North America. The successful candidate will be anxious to take these relationships to the next level.

Additional Information
Location: Based in Utrecht, The Netherlands
Reports to: Executive Director
Starting: As soon as possible
Contract length: 1 year (Fulltime, 40h/week)
Language: English (excellent written and verbal communication skills)
Work Permit: Applicants are required to hold permits to work in the Netherlands
Travel: occasional travel in Europe as well to different locations in Africa

Responsibilities Communications Manager
Leads the communication planning, budgeting and implementation including development and execution of all digital communication strategies
Collaborate with staff and external contractors to plan and execute all print, web & mobile development and ongoing maintenance
Aligns planning of project communications to functional strategies and oversees execution
Evaluates effectiveness of communications strategies and considers research and current trends when implementing appropriate interventions needed to meet organizational goals
Manages key relationships including those with public relations, graphic design, web and mobile development suppliers and marketing and communication representatives from partner organizations.
Manages day-to-day communication activities with support from a small team of interns including the production of press releases, web and social media content, and internal announcements
Provides input to revenue generation activities including fundraising and partnership development
Provides leadership and input into organizational strategy and communications strategy

Required Skills, Qualification and Experience
5-7 years’ experience developing and implementing creative marketing and communication strategies
Post-Secondary education in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field required
A strong written and oral command of English and exceptional communications skills with an ability to represent the organization in the media and with partners and key contacts in the public and private sectors
Proactive team player with a positive, problem-solving attitude and able to work under pressure
A fearless command of established and emerging online media
Strong analytical ability to interpret information and to translate it into improvements. Strong project management skills, planning, budgeting and monitoring skills are required
Ability to prioritize workflow according to the marketing timeline with excellent communication and time management skills in the midst of competing priorities and tight deadlines
Creative with strong attention to detail

Required Competencies
Ethics & Values: Takes responsibility for own performance. Recognizes the potential for ethical dilemmas and seeks advice to resolve them. Respects and works productively with all individuals regardless of gender, nationality and cultural background.
Teamwork: Works productively with a broad range of team members (e.g., all job profiles, levels), actively participates in and supports team decisions, openly shares knowledge, expertise or experience with team members.
Strategic thinker: Systematically extracts pertinent information from relevant sources. Conducts in-depth analysis on issues and problems. Identifies multiple causes of a problem and relationships among the causes, as well as potential solutions.
Initiative: Proposes new ways of accomplishing work objectives. Proactively develops effective solutions to complex problems in own area of expertise. Develops and follows through with a plan of action until desired goals are achieved.
Client Orientation: Actively seeks information and opinions of internal and external clients to understand their requests and to identify their needs and expectations.
Stamina & Stress Resistance: Maintains effective performance in demanding or uncertain situations (e.g., emergency and/or varied field situations).
Behavioral Flexibility: Identifies positive impacts/benefits of forthcoming changes. Shifts focus between tasks when changes in priorities require it.
Initiative: Proposes new ways of accomplishing work objectives. Proactively develops effective solutions to complex problems in own area of expertise.

Critical success factors
Needs to cross cultural barriers
Needs to cooperate with staff on a distance for e.g. at regional offices
Needs to be results oriented and have a hands-on mentality