Job Description Designation: Communication & Branding Associate

Reporting to: CEO of LFE + Program Directors at FMF

Role Type: Full-time

Joining Date: Immediately, to be closed before August 31st 2020

Location: Pune (Virtual for first 1-2 months, given COVID situation)

About LFE & Forbes Marshall Foundation

Leadership For Equity (LFE) a non-profit (NGO) - is a systems change and research organization that supports governments with structural and implement reforms to improve the quality of learning at scale. LFE’s fundamental belief is that public education systems are by definition ‘gatekeepers’ of equity, and effective and sensitive public systems will ensure that quality education is provided to every child. LFE has four key pathways to reach its vision of ‘Building effective public systems that refuse to let children down’; namely, Officer Professional Development (OPD), Teacher Professional Development (TPD), Research & Monitoring (RME) and Advisory & Advocacy (AAA). Over the last 3 years, LFE has worked with more than 620 Officers and 670 Teacher mentors to impact 33,200+ teachers and 1.4 million students across Maharashtra.

Forbes Marshall Ltd. (FM) is a leading Indian engineering and energy conservation provider, especially for the process industry, and makes steam engineering and control instrumentation products. The company has evolved into a leader in process efficiency and energy conservation through technology tie-ups and focused investments in manufacturing and research. Forbes Marshall’s business practices and processes have combined into a singular philosophy of being trusted partners who provide innovative solutions. Working with a focus on health, education and empowerment; the Social Initiatives Department thoughtfully chooses and then partners with organizations that have expertise, competence and similar values. These partnerships have helped FM achieve scale and impact. Building on these experiences, the Forbes Marshall Foundation (FMF) was set up more recently, supporting projects and initiatives in the state of Maharashtra, with the objective of enhancing their current impact. Through the Foundation, FM is committed to supporting sustainable and collaborative initiatives that create scalable and systemic social change - particularly on those initiatives that address under- served and under-funded needs. Although the range and scope of FM Foundation’s programmes have changed over the years, what remains constant is their dedication to the belief that they can make better changes in society.

About the Role

The purpose of the Communications & Branding Associate is to assist the senior leadership teams at both LFE and FMF in strengthening their online presence and communications, building and implementing a branding roadmap and managing the day-to-day online (and offline) presence for ensuring the organisational impact is shared, advocated and conveyed to a range of stakeholders including Board members, partner governments, CSRs, funders, NGOs, CSOs, and ecosystem of influencers in the education sector at large. 

Roles and Responsibilities:

Strategic Communications (30%):

• To design various collaterals (monthly newsletters, center exhibits, brochures, annual reports etc.) required for the organization and keep them updated.
• Online Presence: Manage the LFE & FMF brand presence through: NGO portal listings, articles on relevant blogs, partnerships with various agencies
• External Communication: Draft documents to communicate with prospective partners, government stakeholders, funders, donors, mentors, and other such stakeholders.

Online Marketing & Branding (40%):

• Design communication strategy for different stakeholders and translate into an annual communication plan for both LFE & FMF
• Social Media: To keep online platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) of the organizations up to date and share updates on platforms as per the social media calendar
• To assist in promoting the brand of LFE & FMF (online and offline marketing, media, events etc.) and ensuring that the guidelines are followed by the team
• Website: Maintain the LFE & FMF website with relevant, up to date information, and interesting clear content
• Create additional communication collateral as and when required
• Branding Compliance: Ensure compliance of the whole organization with branding guidelines, maintain a consistent message and voice for the organization.

Offline Marketing & Branding (15%):

• Media: Cultivate relationships with traditional media outlets and online media to co-publish articles
• Design and share press kits with the media during any events or launch of any new initiative or training programs
• Manage press inquiries and write press releases as required
• Event Support: Design and implement brand representation for events where LFE & FMF is represented and program events

Thought Leadership & Organisational Support(15%):

• Publications: Types of publications this role is responsible for include: ○ Articles / infographics ○ Media – photo essays / videos ○ Blogs & Case Studies ○ Formal research reports ○ Organisational Annual report ○ Donor / Board Reporting
• Profile Raising: Finding and obtaining opportunities to raise the organisations including: Awards applications, fellowships, partnerships
• Speaking engagements: Sourcing speaking engagements for the LFE & FMF Leadership team in various forums to present our work
• Supporting the leadership team (CEO+Directors) prepare speech content and publicise speaking engagements to maximise outcome 2
• Team Management: Intern & Volunteer Management: Train / Manage / Review the work of Communications Interns, if any
• Research and Support: Assist the Research & Monitoring team in designing and conceptualizing the publications
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Skills & Requirements:

• 01-03 years of work experience in the social sector, with a background in handling communications in an education-based NGO.
• Previous Experience of working in the State of Maharashtra is preferable
• Proficient in designing software like Corel draw, Photoshop, or online tools like Canva, etc. Additional skills of working on Wix, MailChimp, etc. is preferable
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and functional knowledge (oral and written) of Marathi would be highly preferred
• Belief in the potential of the government sector and that government systems can and will change towards overcoming systemic inequities and ensuring improved outcomes for all
• A basic understanding of social equity, development discourse and Indian education policy
• Being able to take initiative and work in an autonomous, semi-structured environment
• Adaptability to changing responsibilities and resourcefulness to respond to them
• High openness to learning and the ability to build and sustain relationships with multiple stakeholders & partners across public and private spaces
• Strong ability to create outstanding presentations, work with Microsoft Excel, Google Suite, and varied data sets
• Patience and resilience to stick it out in the face of setbacks and uncertainties

Location: Pune

Compensation: Apart from being a part of a young and dynamic learning team, the individual will receive a healthy compensation at par with the sector benchmark for this position, commensurate with the individual’s prior experience and qualifications.

Contact: Kindly email your CVs to careers@leadershipforequity.org  to apply