Public Relations Manager, East and West Africa
Research In Motion Limited® (RIM)® is a world leader in the mobile communications market and has a history of developing breakthrough wireless solutions. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies is used by thousands of organizations around the world and includes the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools and software/hardware licensing agreements. RIM is seeking driven individuals who can take our wireless data products to the next level in the global wireless market. Are you ready to make a difference in the world of mobile communications with RIM?
Main function of job
Develop and manage the PR programme for East and West Africa (including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and other new markets in those regions, pertaining to RIM's growth), supporting the Senior Manager, EMEA Corporate Communications for Rest of Europe.
In the first six months of the role; the candidate will also support the senior manager to help manage and drive the PR programme for South Africa.
The role is based in Johannesburg, but will require a significant amount of travel in these regions on a very regular basis.
The role requires the candidate to:
a. Own and drive country communication programmes that address a cross-section of 'traditional' RIM PR audiences: (Product - hardware, software and services, Consumer, Business and RIM Corporate)
b. Build and develop PR programmes that specifically support new RIM entities in Nigeria and Kenya (opening in 2012)
c. Develop pan-African campaigns and content that support horizontal themes and technologies (such as e-health, mobile money/NFC, mobile development)
d. Develop a corporate leadership programme that supports the Regional Director for East and West Africa and relevant direct reports; and the MD for Africa as required
e. Be responsible for local awareness and corporate reputation management, including crisis communications; and manage an effective press office
f. Execute superior internal and external stakeholder communications and demonstrate leadership; including strong relationships with carriers and distributors
g. Build awareness of RIM and its products and services across the African media landscape; including traditional media, celebrity, business leaders, social media
h. Excel at internal communications to African stakeholders to ensure hub and local excellence; and internationally with EMEA and NA stakeholders, including business leaders, where appropriate.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Management and coordination of the work and delivery of RIM's pan-African PR agency. (The PR agency is hub-managed from Johannesburg, with satellite offices in Nigeria and Kenya). The candidate will also be required to support the senior manager to coordinate the work and programme delivery of the South African PR agency in Johannesburg for a period of six months. The candidate is fully accountable for the PR agencies and their delivery.
Specific duties/ responsibilities
Must drive country communications programmes:
• Responsible for the management of RIM's Corporate Communications/ PR in East and West Africa, thus responsible for developing and executing quarterly plans and congruent programmes, in line with the EMEA Corporate Marketing/ Corporate Communications/ PR strategy and plans, to contribute to RIM's fiscal goals.
• Must manage regional agency teams and oversee budgets. Responsible for contributing to forecasting, budget/ expense planning and management, programme tracking, measurement etc. Must monitor and manage performance to ensure objectives are met and report/ correct any deviation from plan. Must achieve budget. Budgets are to be approved/ signed off by the Senior Manager and Corporate Communications Director.
Responsible for the in-country localisation and execution of corporate campaigns, including:
• Corporate leadership (RIM/BlackBerry)
• Enterprise PR programme
• Consumer PR programme
• Developer/platform PR programme
Responsible for Local Awareness and Corporate reputation management:
• Brief, engage, manage and evaluate agencies - ensure flawless delivery
• Must localise EMEA/ Global PR materials to ensure relevance to Africa; and as required, create local content to support proactive campaigns around key themes
• Execute visibility programmes with country press
• Responsible for liaising with internal stakeholders regarding corporate issues; including government relations
• Facilitate Customer (e.g. Carriers, Indirect, Segment etc) success, through PR plans/ initiatives and the management of relationships, and in so doing ensure RIM's success. Develop customer case studies.
Press office responsibilities:
• Build and develop excellent relationships with press , analysts and other influencers
• Support the social media strategy for Africa; in line with brand and marketing
• Crisis communication management; working with the Senior Manager, government relations and legal on statement approvals
• Management of local press release approval and distribution to be approved by the Senior Manager, Corporate Communications (before sending to Canada)
• Customer success PR programmes - celebrity and influencer seeding
• Supporting PR programmes involving partners/ customers including network carriers and application developers
• Support tradeshow programmes with congruent PR activities
• Ensure/ contribute to the successful launch of new products; including a reviews and seeding programme.
Pan-African network coordination:
• Work with the public relations agency team to develop, coordinate and - where appropriate - execute PR programs support key African markets
• Support the senior manager, corporate communications by taking full accountability for certain program elements
• Work with Senior Manager to identify opportunities to drive Africa-wide thought leadership programs
• Define best practice and processes for the African PR agency network to enable the network to perform effectively; and ensure the sharing of best practice
• Define and own reporting and evaluation processes which will enable effective analysis of PR outcomes. Manage stakeholders effectively so they understand the value PR delivers to the business.
Qualifications
Qualifications / Education
Degree or senior marketing/ P. R. qualification or equivalent an advantage. Must speak English. Additional language skills applicable in Africa, including French, are a distinct advantage.
Experience
Industry experience:
- The candidate needs to able to 'hit the ground running' - therefore telecommunication/tech experience is a preferred; especially specific to the African telecommunications industry
- Pertinent market knowledge and excellent media and industry contacts essential
- Proven ability to hub manage a PR agency network in Africa
- Need to work successfully at all levels of the organisation
- Need to have a clear understanding of the ecosystem of the business/ industry - representing a range of industry perspectives
International experience:
- Prefer if candidate has an understanding of working within a pan-EMEA team; as well as global or at least EMEA networks - agency or in-house acceptable
- Sensitivity and experience in dealing with North American business culture desirable
Related experience:
- A proven track record paramount - that demonstrates strategic use of communications to achieve financial objectives e.g. programmes that have resulted in increased revenues, growth in market share etc.
- Experience of having successfully managed PR agencies or teams within an agency. Product and Brand PR issues and crises etc.
- Superior oral and written communication skills
- Able to pre-empt the market, for example, able to gauge what messages or issues to ignore and to which to attend
- Desirable that the candidate can demonstrate having made effective decisions, quickly/under pressure
- Can demonstrate understanding of the interconnectedness of disciplines
- Team management experience highly valued
Key considerations:
- Must be willing to travel on a regular basis; it is a key requirement of this role
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