Communications Officer, Rapid Response, Africa at Gates Foundation

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The Communications Division, led by the Chief Communications Officer, oversees the foundation’s global communications strategy. The division brings together internal and external communications to advance the foundation’s mission to create a more equitable world. The Strategic Communications team leads global reputation and issue shaping that advances the foundation’s three goals and protects and strengthens the foundation’s brand through media intelligence; proactive/reactive media engagement and coordination; and always on monitoring and rapid response.

Your Role

The Communications Officer, Rapid Response, Africa will be a key member of the global Strategic Communications team. They will have a passion for proactive management of foundation reputation in earned media, and leading strategic efforts to anticipate, mitigate, and react to reputational risk issues in African markets and contribute to global issue management. They will coordinate with teams across the foundation, including other Communications colleagues in the Africa Regional Office, and with Gates Foundation affiliate organizations, grantees and partners in their approach to earned media engagement.

The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, and report to the Deputy Director, Strategic Communications, and will partner in supporting on all aspects of cross-foundation risk management efforts across programs, advocacy, legal, finance, operations and leadership offices.

What You’ll Do

• Identify and develop issue shaping and rapid response communications plans to mitigate potential programmatic and reputational risk across African markets, particularly Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

• Work with program and policy teams to anticipate comms risks related to program priorities, policy developments, and key country milestones.

• Manage rapid-response communications during breaking news, emergencies, or reputational risks across African markets, delivering clear, accurate messaging under tight deadlines and in coordination with regional and global comms leadership.

• Monitor media, social, and political developments across African regions to anticipate issues, flag risks early, identify mis/disinformation, and inform real-time communications strategies.

• Draft and deploy high-quality statements, Q&As, talking points, and reactive content aligned with regional context, cultural nuance, and organizational priorities.

• Coordinate closely with global and regional teams and external partners to ensure consistent messaging across countries, languages, and platforms.

• Support crisis preparedness by maintaining response playbooks, scenario planning, messaging, training/simulations, and post-incident analyses to strengthen future rapid-response efforts.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline or equivalent professional experience.

• 8-10 years of senior level experience in strategic communications, executive communication, journalism, public affairs, or crisis/rapid-response roles, in African contexts.

• A track record of developing and executing reputation strategies, monitoring risks and managing crises, and advising leadership on risks and opportunities.

• Demonstrated rapid-response experience, producing clear, accurate communications under intense time pressure during breaking news or high-risk situations. Ability to manage media inquiries and interact with journalists.

• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to distill complex, sensitive issues into concise, credible messaging.

• Deep understanding of African political, social, and media landscapes, including regional nuance and cross-country dynamics.

• Strong media and digital monitoring expertise, including social media, misinformation/disinformation, and emerging narrative risks.

• Proven judgment in high-stakes environments, with the ability to assess risk, make sound decisions quickly, and escalate appropriately.

• Experience working across cultures and time zones, collaborating effectively with regional and global teams, leadership, and external partners.

• Cultural fluency and sensitivity, with a track record of incorporating local perspectives into global communications.

• Professional proficiency in at least one relevant language in addition to English (e.g. French) is strongly preferred.

• Political acumen, with a calm, resilient, and flexible working style, able to manage ambiguity, shifting priorities, and non-standard hours typical of rapid-response roles.

Other Attributes

• Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behaviour with a diverse range of people and a deep commitment to development issues and high standards of personal integrity.

• Be able to travel up to 10-20% domestic and internationally

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Application deadline: 19 April 2026

#LI-RT1

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact HR@gatesfoundation.org with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.