Chargé-e de Communication

Country: Senegal Organization: Tostan Closing date: 31 Oct 2026 Organisation overview Tostan is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Dakar, Senegal, currently operating in five West African countries. At the strategic level, the organization is committed to continuing to develop its core competency of empowering education, and to document and scale the sustainable impact it creates on a range of issues. Tostan's flagship model, the three-year Community Empowerment Programme (CEP), has already reached thousands of communities in West and East Africa since 1991. Results in governance, education, health, economic empowerment, and the environment are currently being monitored, and Tostan is particularly proud to have played an important role in the large-scale empowerment of women and girls and in community abandonment of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. As part of its strategic engagement plan 2023–2030, Tostan focuses on strategic scaling. The organization is developing new implementation strategies to support community leadership by unlocking broader systemic changes at the regional level. It also creates new models for sharing and replicating its programs with other development partners and expands its capacity to share Tostan's global approach to support and influence a range of local and global audiences. For more information, please visit: www.tostan.org. Role overview The Communications team shapes Tostan’s narrative, advocacy, brand identity and donor visibility at community, national, regional and global levels. Tostan is part of a four-year regional programme on young women’s economic leadership in climate-resilient horticulture in Senegal and The Gambia. Within it, Tostan leads the community governance and social transformation component in partner communities across both countries. The Communication Officer will show how changes in community governance and social norms open economic pathways for young women. The officer will turn field evidence into stories, public narratives and policy arguments, and will bring young women’s experience into the spaces where decisions on investment, finance and markets are made. Young women and community actors are the authors of this change. The officer’s job is to document it accurately and amplify their voices, never to speak in their place. Roles and responsibilities The Communication Officer reports to the Head of Communications and works in close operational coordination with the Senior Programme Manager. • Programmatic Communication (35%) ● Plan and conduct regular field missions to partner communities to document change through interviews, written stories, photography and short video, working with young women, community leaders, local authorities and producer groups. ● Work with the MEL and programme teams to turn monitoring data and evaluation findings into impact stories and case studies that show how community governance and norm change translate into economic opportunity. ● Contribute to the production of documentary films at country and regional levels, from story research and field coordination to review of edits. ● Produce local-language safeguarding communication materials in coordination with the Safeguarding Focal Points. ● Support the selection, training and mentoring of young women community storytellers, and edit their stories for publication. ● Maintain a well-catalogued multimedia library with documented consent for every image, recording and quote. ● Co-draft the communication sections of donor narrative reports with the MEL and programme leads. • Digital Communications 20% ● Produce regular content for Tostan’s and partners’ social media channels, newsletters and websites in French and English ● Feed and update the programme’s shared online knowledge platform and impact dashboard with stories, data and multimedia, in coordination with partner web teams. ● Run digital campaigns around programme milestones and international days related to women’s economic rights, food systems and climate. ● Track digital performance and report regularly on what works, what does not, and why. ● Apply co-branding, attribution and visibility guidelines across all digital assets. • Advocacy (25%) ● Contribute to policy briefs and thematic reports that turn field evidence into recommendations on public investment in women-led rural enterprises, on the integration of community-led models into national programmes, and on access to finance and markets. ● Support the preparation of the annual learning and advocacy forum, including content, speaker preparation and the meaningful participation of young women and community representatives. ● Prepare briefing notes, talking points and toolkits for Tostan leadership and programme staff attending policy dialogues, consortium meetings and regional events. ● Identify opportunities for young women and community leaders to speak directly in national, regional and global forums, and prepare them for these appearances with their informed consent. ● Monitor national policy processes, budget cycles and public debates in Senegal and The Gambia, and flag openings for advocacy to the Head of Communications. • Media Relations (20%) ● Build and maintain working relationships with journalists, editors and radio producers in national, regional and community media. ● Support the selection, training and mentoring of journalist fellows, including solutions-journalism workshops, and follow their reporting on women-led rural enterprise. ● Draft, translate and distribute press releases, media advisories and op-eds in French and English. ● Organise press trips to partner communities and coordinate media presence at key moments, including community engagement days and public declarations. ● Apply the media engagement protocol, prepare spokespeople and contribute to crisis response when needed. ● Monitor media coverage of young women’s economic rights and rural development, and report on how framing changes over time. Key relationships Direct line Manager: Head of Communications Localisation : Thiès. Senegal Key Qualifications Skills, Education, and Experience ● Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Master’s degree, or similar advanced degree in relevant discipline preferred ● More than five years communications experience; ● Experience working in a development context and/or social sector organization ● Professional experience using and leading others on key communications technology tools such as web-based project and content management systems, social media tools as well as search engine optimization Characteristics ● Ability to build relationships and work effectively within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. ● Expertise using and overseeing the production of websites, online communities, videos, webinars, infographics and other multimedia web content ● Excellent analytical, written and verbal communication and presentation skills ● Ability to quickly distill complex concepts into interesting and digestible pieces ● Passionate belief in and commitment to Tostan’s mission to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights ● Ability to work in a collaborative, co-creative team, bringing value to the team’s outcomes Language ● High levels of English ● French as a minimum ● Other languages that Tostan works in would be an advantage – especially Wolof or Portuguese Our team is made up of people who strongly believe in Tostan’s mission to empower communities to develop and realize their vision for the future and inspire large-scale movements towards dignity for all. How to apply Send your resume, cover letter, and scans of your diploma and certificate of education and training by email to hr@tostan.org. Please send an email with " Communication Officer_2026 " quoted in the subject line. We will accept applications until October 30th, 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Tostan is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applications in accordance with legal standards and without regard to race, religion, age, gender, origin or disability.