Position Summary

The Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies (Rice360), a multi-disciplinary institute at Rice University, is a leader in global health technology education, research, and implementation, with a distinctive focus on experiential and problem-based learning. Rice360 develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions addressing critical healthcare needs in underserved communities and educates a cadre of future leaders to continue to innovate and implement solutions. Rice360 works closely with partners in underserved communities throughout the world, including low- and middle-income countries and the United States. Rice360 is a member of the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) alliance. The NEST360 alliance is working with African governments to provide and sustain quality newborn care in hospitals and reduce neonatal mortality by transforming newborn care through the implementation of the NEST360 country program model. This includes installing a bundle of rugged devices, educating clinicians to use devices and biomedical engineers to maintain them, and implementing locally-owned data dashboards to drive uptake and quality. The NEST360 communications team supports this work by amplifying advocacy to policymakers in each country.

Rice360 is currently seeking a qualified candidate to join the communications team for the position of NEST360 strategic communications specialist. Under the direct supervision of the Rice360 NEST implementation director and the guidance of faculty co-directors, Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Dr. Maria Oden, this position will work in partnership with the Rice360 associate director of communications and the NEST360 communications team to ensure effective coordination of communications strategies across the program countries and to enact communications activities to achieve NEST360’s policy, advocacy, and outreach goals.

The NEST360 strategic communications specialist supports, develops, and identifies communications strategies to reach local and national policy and decision-makers. It is a dynamic role that will work in coordination with NEST country liaisons, newborn care experts, and researchers across a range of topics and across multiple countries to develop communications plans with coordinated messaging, high-impact content, and targeted dissemination. This will include leading the creation of written, digital, and multimedia materials that highlight NEST360 events, research, and country-led efforts.

The ideal candidate will have (1) strong writing and content development skills, (2) a background in communications, public relations, and/or political advocacy, and (3) a strong interest in event and communications outreach. They also have experience working in a multi-cultural environment and are willing and able to live in Tanzania, Ethiopia, or Kenya and travel internationally, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a full-time remote-work position (M-F 8am–5pm, with occasional early morning, evening, or weekend work required to accommodate time zone differences for important meetings with teams in the US, UK, and across sub-Saharan Africa), based in Tanzania, Ethiopia, or Kenya and will require frequent international travel.

Hiring Range: $65,000 to $70,000/year, contingent upon qualifications and experience 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 2+ years of experience in strategic communications, public relations, or marketing, preferably in the healthcare or international development sector
• In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be a substitute.

Skills required

• Strong verbal and written communication skills including presentation skills
• Good organization and creativity skills
• Good analytical problem-solving skills
• Ability to work under deadline with flexibility, tact, good judgment, discretion, and take initiative
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Preferences

• Bachelor’s Degree in communications, marketing, public policy, political science, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in strategic communications, public relations, or marketing, preferably in the healthcare or international development sector
• Experience working in political advocacy and public policy fields
• Experience producing written and multimedia digital content on global health or related field (e.g., public-facing scientific, health, or public-health communications) topics
• Experience working in a highly collaborative and multi-cultural environment
• Experience establishing and adhering to organizational brand standards
• Experience creating and collaborating on presentations, flyers, pamphlets, videos, gifs, social media memes, and/or digital storytelling
• Working knowledge of social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, as well as scheduling tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout
• Good understanding of web standards and usability methods
• Proven track record of successfully executing communication campaigns and initiatives
• Passion for global health and commitment to NEST360’s mission of improving newborn care in sub-Saharan Africa
• Demonstrated sensitivity to low-resource settings and underserved communities
• Must demonstrate support for Rice360 Core Values: Innovation, Equity, Community, Integrity, Accountability, Empowerment and Transformation
• Excellent Fluency in English

Essential Functions

• Develops and manages the communication and brand strategy to promote NEST360, incorporating appropriate channels
• Recommends, manages, and executes integrated marketing plans / programs and strategies to meet business objectives
• Guides event planning and execution
• Manages vendors on specific projects
• Manages program budget, goals, and objectives in alignment with organizational goals
• Manages market research and analysis used to make informed decisions regarding strategic marketing direction, product segmentation and customer targeting
• Assesses market opportunities and tracks market trends
• Recommends marketing improvements based on findings
• Writes, designs, and coordinates the production of compelling communication and marketing materials, including press releases, blog posts, social media posts, website content, and newsletters
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Supports in-country partners to develop, identify, and disseminate communications strategies and plans to reach local decision-makers and share NEST360 resources
• Leads monthly meetings with NEST360 partners to coordinate strategy, track analytics, improve dissemination efforts, and improve outreach of national, regional, and local events
• Serves as lead for additional policy-focused content, including executive summaries, policy briefs, newsletters, and social media
• Conducts research to find new opportunities for advocacy, based on the needs of the NEST country teams
• Builds on working partnerships with African and international media outlets to amplify and create content
• Coordinates and supports communication activities for NEST360 events, conferences, and campaigns