Chief of Staff, Partnerships and Strategic Communications

Main purpose of the role

The Chief of Staff, Partnerships and Strategic Communications, Africa is a senior leadership role that plays a pivotal part in advancing CIFF's mission across the continent. Reporting directly to the Executive Director - Africa, the role serves as a trusted advisor, strategic operator, and driver of cross-cutting initiatives that amplify CIFF's impact.

As Chief of Staff, the role will primarily provide strategic and operational support to the Executive Director and the Africa Team for effective and smooth business operations, participating in and managing important cross-functional or special projects and tasks whilst acting as a confidante and advisor to the ED. The role will be expected to navigate through ambiguity, simplify complex matters and advise the ED on those while having a strategic lens in supporting the Africa team. The individual will play a key role in driving the execution of the Africa strategy.

As Director, Partnerships and Strategic Communications, the position shapes and leads CIFF Africa's engagement with philanthropic, governmental, regional, and multilateral partners to unlock high-value collaborations. The role strengthens CIFF Africa's visibility, influence, and thought leadership through compelling strategic communications and advocacy. It also manages a small portfolio of cross-cutting initiatives that span multiple priority areas, ensuring they are delivered with impact and aligned with CIFF's overarching goals.

Overall, this is a uniquely strategic and integrative role, combining executive leadership support with external partnership development and external communications. It demands exceptional judgment, political acumen, and the ability to navigate complexity, influence at the highest levels, and advance CIFF's mission across Africa.

Role's responsibilities

Providing direct support to the Executive Director (ED)

• Prioritise the ED's responsibilities with a regional strategic lens to ensure that the ED is effective in her leadership of the Africa Team.
• Prioritise, manage and steer the flow of information and insights into the ED.
• Manage the flow of information through the ED's office in preparation for CIFF's key governance meetings including Board meetings, as required.
• As a member of ED Office, provide up-to-date, professional advice to the ED and Africa Directors, to support the development of strategies, policies and initiatives drawing on their in-depth knowledge of the ED's priorities.
• Act as a sounding board to the Africa Team and solve problems where possible to protect ED's time. Use judgement to devise, recommend and apply new solutions
• Working with HR and sector teams to prepare and review internal and external communications including team takeovers, presentations, reports and updates as needed.

Strategy & Business Operations

• Develop a plan to grow and manage CIFF's investments and strategy across key issues that cut across various priority areas, initially focusing on access to social security.
• Drive the organization's external risk management projects and initiatives. Ensure specific risk incidents are promptly identified and managed as per protocols while ensuring relevant flow of information to right stakeholders
• Work with Deputy ED and Lead strategic planning for the Africa team, including business plan development, preparation of board materials, and management of high-level reports and presentations.
• Drive operational excellence by managing key processes like Portfolio Investment Committee (PIC), optimizing internal workflows, and ensuring compliance with deadlines and organizational standards across all Africa operations.
• Serve as primary liaison within the Africa team and globally, coordinating cross-functional projects, facilitating information flow, and acting as secretariat for Africa Directors' meetings to ensure aligned decision-making and execution.

Strategy & Business Operations

• Develop a plan to grow and manage CIFF's investments and strategy across key issues that cut across various priority areas, initially focusing on access to social security.
• Drive the organization's external risk management projects and initiatives. Ensure specific risk incidents are promptly identified and managed as per protocols while ensuring relevant flow of information to right stakeholders
• Work with Deputy ED and Lead strategic planning for the Africa team, including business plan development, preparation of board materials, and management of high-level reports and presentations.
• Drive operational excellence by managing key processes like Portfolio Investment Committee (PIC), optimizing internal workflows, and ensuring compliance with deadlines and organizational standards across all Africa operations.
• Serve as primary liaison within the Africa team and globally, coordinating cross-functional projects, facilitating information flow, and acting as secretariat for Africa Directors' meetings to ensure aligned decision-making and execution.

Programme development, delivery and performance

• Work with the Deputy ED in overseeing both the development of successful investment proposals and the implementation of high impact programmes by team reports, ensuring the quality, and strategic alignment of their work to Foundation priorities and objectives.

• Co-create Africa team proposals to ensure co-funding considerations are effectively designed in line with the wider strategic approach.

• Support the Deputy ED and team in the conducting of regular reviews of investment proposals under development and programmes in delivery, to monitor compliance with agreed due diligence and risk management protocols, ensuring the interests and reputation of the Foundation are appropriately and proportionately protected.  Intervene to take corrective action where necessary.

Philanthropic Partners & Stakeholder management

• Drive effective stakeholder management by leveraging intelligence on key co-funding partners, ensuring timely flow of insights and information across the Africa team.
• Proactively identify opportunities for external engagement in line with philanthropic and partnership development objectives.
• Build and maintain strong external networks with experts and strategic partnerships leads in other foundations, funders networks, and new donor development organisationsto expand CIFF's influence and reach.
• Provide strategic guidance and support other directors, the ED and other directors in managing deepening high-value relationships.
• Act as a thought leader in institutionalising best practices for partnership development within the Africa team, contributing to organisational learning and capability.
• Shape and advance organisation-wide co-funding priorities, aligning efforts with CIFF's global objectives.
• Identify, cultivate, and sustain relationships with key funders to unlock resources and scale CIFF's impact.
• Coordinate and facilitate CIFF's participation in funder collaboratives, ensuring strong positioning and measurable outcomes.
• Engage with priority governments and regional bodies (e.g., African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, WHO AFRO) in partnership with pillar leads and sector directors to strengthen collective impact.
• Promote and develop co-funding partnerships that enable mission delivery at scale, while monitoring policy and regulatory shifts that may influence philanthropic engagement.

Strategic Communications, Internal Engagement & Profile-Building

• Shape and deliver integrated communications strategies that strengthen CIFF Africa's visibility, reputation, and influence, aligned with partnership, advocacy, and fundraising priorities.
• Prepare high-quality speeches, presentations, talking points, and briefings for leadership to support engagement with funders, governments, and key partners.
• Produce strategic content for internal and external reports, governance updates, and digital platforms, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with CIFF's brand.
• Contribute to sector thought leadership by developing PR, marketing, and advocacy materials, and by advising teams and partners on effective co-funding and positioning strategies.
• Lead digital and media engagement, including social media strategy, monitoring impact, and maintaining strong media relationships to amplify CIFF's voice

Crisis Communications & Reputation Management

• Design and implement a crisis communication plan for reputational challenges.
• Monitor emerging issues and proactively prepare key messaging.
• Manage contractors supporting crisis and reputation efforts

Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience in partnership development and strategic communications within Africa.

• Strong background in executive support, project management, and stakeholder engagement.

• Strong administrative experience, working for senior executives in a busy and complex environment; good experience as a scheduler or manager of executive time.
• Proven ability to manage crises and deliver high-impact communication strategies.
• Confidential and discreet with experience operating in roles that have confidentiality at their core.
• A self-starter, with resilience, pace, and interpersonal flexibility
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset
• Strong influencing and collaboration skills with excellent attention to detail
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness
• Professional, sound independent judgement, strong organisational and project management skills and the ability to be flexible as priorities and needs change.
• Approaches situations strategically, methodically and with a high degree of rigour.
• Numerate, with a good understanding of budget processes

CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, which means employees work in the office and some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to, the following.

• Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service to a maximum of 30 days.
• Bonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme.
• Training allowance
• Wellbeing allowance
• Life insurance
• Medical insurance

Please note that this position is offered on a fixed-term basis for one year.

Please submit your application on or before Monday, 29 September 2025. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.