Corporate Communications Director

Under the direct supervision of the Director General, the Head of Communications manages all functions led by the Communications Department and its staff and other personnel, providing leadership in the continued objectives, while delivering through an efficient, highly focused, and effective service-oriented process. CIMMYT has a new strategic plan contributing to the OneCGIAR Innovation and Research Strategy. CIMMYT can provide sustainable solutions for not only the looming food crisis, but also relevant issues such as climate change, nutrition, production within planetary boundaries, and more. One of the Director of Communications’ main tasks will be to contribute to positioning CIMMYT as a valuable and important partner in this global field.

The position will be based in Texcoco, Mexico.

**Specific duties**:

- Strategic engagement and outreach:

- Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of communications, media, and outreach strategies to build CIMMYT’s reputation and maximize the policy and development impact of its research across the main target regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- Led the strategic use of a broad range of communications tools, including events, media engagement, social media, web presence, blogs, and multimedia packages, direct mail, contact lists, video, and photography, among others. This includes overseeing editorial planning and strategic use of CIMMYT’s communications and outreach digital platforms.
- Strategic communications support for CIMMYT’s Director General.
- Lead media tracking and monitoring, key message development, strategic positioning, and crisis management, and provide strategic communications advice to CIMMYT’s management and researchers.
- Lead the development and implementation of communications plans for CIMMYT’s involvement in major global events and projects and contribute to CGIAR’s plans for global events and projects as required.
- Lead internal communication strategies, plans, and tactics in support of CIMMYT’s Human Resources’ staff development, satisfaction, diversity, and retention strategies and objectives.
- Ensure that Communications exemplify ethical practices and support the CIMMYT Code of Conduct, consistent with CIMMYT’s overall strategy, regulatory framework, and organizational values.
- Liaise and coordinate with the CGIAR Communications & Outreach Global Group (C&O Group) in areas of cross-collaboration including events, global campaigns, branding and funder acknowledgments, thought-leadership narratives, key messages, media outreach activities, and digital publishing. Provide input into the C&O Global Group’s strategy and activities to ensure strong representation for CIMMYT in global communication efforts and initiatives.
- Contribute to the proposal and report writing and fundraising efforts.
- Raise the positive public profile of CIMMYT in support of fundraising and the successful pursuit of its mission.
- Work on impactful donor communications with the donor relations and fundraising support team.
- Foster existing communication partnerships and help build new ones to increase visibility and impact.
- Increase CIMMYT’s brand potential as a trustworthy partner for excellence in science and operations.
- Editorial and digital content:

- Oversee all editorial and digital content publishing at CIMMYT and contribute to CGIAR publishing as required. Act as the lead within CIMMYT on all matters to do with publishing, branding, and funder acknowledgments.
- Write and edit a wide variety of information, knowledge, and corporate products as required, ensuring that content is delivered at the highest quality and according to requirements.
- Work closely with team members to ensure that design is an integral part of the messaging process for each output. Be responsible for the quality of all team outputs.
- Strategize on how to best use all of CIMMYT’s communications and outreach digital platforms. Develop and regularly update a digital roadmap for CIMMYT that links all its digital assets and maximizes readership to each.
- Be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of CIMMYT’s communications and outreach digital platforms and downloads and regularly provide analysis and recommendations for improvements. Provide quarterly CIMMYT’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for social media, media, website, and publications.
- Establish and enforce editorial policies and procedures, in line with C&O global policies and procedures. Assist in the elaboration of and regularly update publishing guidelines for staff and consultants working with content development.
- Translate CIMMYT’s mission and projects into concrete, tangible storylines with high human interest.
- Handle/streamline the communication needs across the Center, including a successful social media approach.
- Review the existing website and lead the creative process of a new, modernized website.
- Team management and cross-collaborati