Vacancy title:
Communications and Partnerships Officer (CPO)

[Type: CONTRACTOR, Industry: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Category: Communications & Writing, Business Operations, Civil & Government, Social Services & Nonprofit]

Jobs at:
Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Deadline of this Job:
Tuesday, March 3 2026

Duty Station:
Gaborone, Botswana | Lilongwe

Summary
Date Posted: Monday, February 23 2026, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

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JOB DETAILS:

Primary Purpose of the Job

The Communication and Partnerships Officer will be responsible for leading the communication and partnerships components of the SADC SRHR Programme, drawing on among others, progress recorded by Member States towards achieving the targets contained in the SADC SRHR Scorecard. This critical role involves communicating the SRHR Strategy Implementation Plan, enhancing visibility, and raising the profile of SRHR as a catalytic driver of socio-economic development, peace, security, and the Demographic Dividend. Emphasis will be placed on the region’s youthful population and evolving demographic dividend amid a global pushback against gender and human rights. The Officer’s core mandate includes developing, coordinating, and nurturing innovative results-based strategic partnerships to ensure regional normative frameworks are effectively translated into national outcomes and impact. A strong focus will be placed on joint advocacy and capacity building with partners to accelerate progress and sustain momentum.

Scope of Work

Goal and Purpose

The CPO will collaborate both within the Directorate team and with strategic partners to foster a multisectoral response and strengthen mutual accountability, thereby driving measurable and sustained progress towards the outcomes of the SADC SRHR Strategy.

Guided by the four core strategic pillars, the CPO will support the Programme Coordinator in coordinating and assisting Member States to advance progress towards the outcomes of the SRHR Strategy. This includes contributing to the achievement of SRHR-related targets under SDG 3 (Health and Wellbeing) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality and Empowerment), as well as other relevant SDG targets that may be identified

The Communications and Partnerships Officer (CPO) will be based in the Directorate of Social and Human Development, reporting directly to the Programme Coordinator: SRHR. The CPO will work closely with the SADC Secretariat’s Communications and Relations Officers (External and Internal) to ensure full compliance with the SADC Communication, Awareness and Visibility Strategy and Corporate Branding guidelines. The CPO will collaborate within the SADC Secretariat team as well as with strategic partners of the Directorate for Social and Human Development to communicate and nurture partnerships for a multisectoral response and mutual accountability to achieve measurable and sustained progress towards the outcomes of the SADC SRHR Strategy.

Strategic Communications and Partnerships

• Collaborate in the drafting, resourcing, and implementation of a Communications and Partnerships Strategy to support the SADC SRHR Programme Coordinator in engaging with Member States and key stakeholders.
• Ensure visibility of policies, procedures, and initiatives to strengthen the coordination role of the Secretariat.
• Draft an annual calendar of events and identify opportunities for communications and partnerships engagement at the SADC level, with dissemination to Member States.
• Maintain a database of media organizations and contacts at both sub-regional and national levels.
• Manage programme social media communications and contribute to external communications products such as op-eds, blogs, and multimedia outputs (e.g., infographics).

• Create and produce internal communications products, including writing and editing content for the SADC Secretariat website, the 2gether4SRHR website, and other relevant platforms.
• Lead and support the development of multimedia products, including photographs, films, podcasts, and other formats.
• Organize and coordinate the sharing of information and resources—such as policy briefs, research outputs, and other timely materials—among Member States and partners, including civil society, to ensure regional awareness and dialogue for inclusive SRHR service delivery.

Partnership Development and Support

• Provide effective support to the Programme Coordinator in harmonizing partnership approaches to encourage increased financing, domestic co-financing, and coordination of investments in SRHR across Member States.
• Support Secretariat and Member-State engagements at government level between technical partners, civil society, government entities, and development partners.
• Develop regional partnership approaches to stimulate collaboration across the SRHR sector, including HIV and AIDS, with emphasis on youth participation.
• Identify and articulate best practices for sustainable and scaled-up multisectoral responses and interventions in SRHR.
• Build and maintain partnerships across SRHR, including within the 2gether4SRHR network, to maximize opportunities for policy influence.
• Manage relationships and communications with institutional partners and partner networks.

Technical and Administrative Support

• Conceptualize approaches to resource mobilization for programme implementation.
• Draft papers, policy briefs, concept notes, annotated agendas and records for meetings.
• Promote the SADC SRHR programme portfolio and communicate outputs, outcomes impact through creative communications products.
• Engage with stakeholders on sector issues to advance the integrated SRHR/HIV agenda.
• Collaborate with MERL, other SRHR portfolios, and sectoral programmes to advocate for SRHR as a catalyst for socio-economic development, peace, and security in SADC.
• Work closely with Member States and partners to build Joint Implementation Partnerships (JIPs) and leverage partner capacity for evidence-based advocacy.
• Ensure effective resource mobilization, intersectoral complementarity, and coordination of regional and national efforts in implementing the SRHR Strategy.
• Lead logistical and communications work for convening and servicing SADC regional policy and technical meetings, including preparing public relations material and ensuring media coverage.

Mainstreaming Cross-Cutting Issues

• Integrate cross-cutting and other key issues (e.g., gender, youth, climate change, economic, peace and security) into all programme documents.
• Develop, coordinate, and nurture innovative, results-based partnerships to leverage resources and comparative strengths of stakeholders at regional and national levels.
• Establish joint advocacy platforms that communicate SRHR’s catalytic role in development and the demographic dividend.
• Invite relevant stakeholders, including civil society, to participate in key discussions and workshops.
• Maintain effective communications with Member States around key milestones and reporting against the SRHR Scorecard on a biannual basis.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Education: 

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Level) in communications, journalism, policy studies, development studies, or any other related fieldKnowledge and Experience:
• Seven (7) years professional progressive work experience in communications, policy engagement or media, including building strategic partnerships across diverse sectors (government, civil society, international partners), and successfully translating technical program data into compelling communication materials.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical programme data into compelling communication materials
• Proven track record and portfolio of projects in developing written and multimedia content, engaging in policy advocacy, collaborating with governments and civil society, and translating technical language into accessible and impactful communications products.
• Strong knowledge of communications and advocacy, digital advocacy techniques, strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, results-based management, and documenting policy change.
• Solid understanding of SRHR, gender, and human rights, and their linkages to socio-economic development and the demographic dividend.
• Experience in strategic information activities and peer accountability mechanisms for results.
• Experience in designing and facilitating participatory, competency-based trainings.
• Proficiency in using computers, office software packages, and web-based management systems.
• Experience in infographics, multimedia, data visualization, and developing innovative communications collateral.
• Prior experience with SADC, the United Nations, or a similar regional organization is highly advantageous.

Languages

Fluency in English; knowledge of French or Portuguese desirable.

Functional Competencies:

• Generate, manage and promote use of knowledge and information
• Provide a technical support system
• Strengthen programmatic capacity
• Encourage improvements in programmatic quality results

Core Competencies:

• Results oriented
• Accountability for self and others
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Collaborative, self-starting and highly motivated
• Systemic thinking and flexibility to accommodate multisectoral and integration perspectives

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 84

Level of Education: bachelor degree

Job application procedure

Recruitment Age Limit:

52 years and below

Applicants are advised to apply online by attaching Motivation Letter, CV’s, certified copies of educational, professional certificates and references. Applications with inadequate supporting documents will not be considered.

Only applicants who meet the requirements of the SADC Secretariat will be considered for interview. Should you not hear from the SADC Secretariat within two months after the closing date, kindly consider your application as unsuccessful.

Closing Date:

Applications must be submitted not later than or on the 03 March 2026.

Applications received through any other sources will not be considered.

Application Link:

Click Here to Apply Now

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