Director of Communications

Bonsai Leadership Group LLC • Full-time • Washington, DC • $100k - $125k / year • 1w ago

Bonsai Leadership Group is honored to partner with CorpsAfrica in the search for a Director of Communications who will lead with purpose, shape global visibility, and contribute to a growing movement driven by local leadership and community impact.

ABOUT CORPSAFRICA

Founded in 2011, CorpsAfrica trains and connects African youth with rural communities to create solutions that alleviate poverty, enhance livelihoods, and build resilience. At its core, CorpsAfrica is building a pan-African movement grounded in volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and community-led change.

CorpsAfrica equips volunteers with skills in human-centered design, asset-based community development, project management, and monitoring and evaluation. Volunteers live with host families in remote villages, immersing themselves in community life for up to a year.

By listening closely, building trust, and working alongside residents, volunteers co-create small-scale, high-impact projects that reflect local priorities and strengthen long-term community ownership.

With operations spanning Morocco, Senegal, Malawi, Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Uganda, CorpsAfrica has experienced steady growth over the past 15 years and continues to expand its global reach and influence.

Learn more at corpsafrica.org.

THE OPPORTUNITY

CorpsAfrica seeks a visionary leader and builder to guide its global communications. The Director of Communications (the Director) will play a central role in translating CorpsAfrica's impact into clear, compelling narratives, elevating the organization’s external visibility, and strengthening internal alignment across a multi-country network.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director will shape narratives, build bridges, and drive change on a global scale with the help of a small, high-performing team of three.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership: Lead the development and execution of a global communications strategy that strengthens CorpsAfrica’s visibility, aligns messaging across country offices, and advances organizational growth and impact across internal and external audiences.

Operations and Systems: Build and refine communications systems, metrics, tools, and workflows for clarity and consistency. Use data and insights to guide decision-making, measure impact, and continuously improve performance across a multi-country environment.

Media Relations: Drive global media relations, including proactive pitching, relationship building, and securing high-impact coverage, to position CorpsAfrica and its leaders across international media platforms and elevate organizational visibility worldwide. Identify and pursue strategic opportunities and partnerships using media tools and platforms to track performance and measure engagement.

Storytelling Mastery: Shape and elevate CorpsAfrica’s narrative by developing compelling, culturally grounded stories, campaigns, and content that amplify voices across the network and inspire action.

Brand Stewardship: Ensure consistency, clarity, and integrity in CorpsAfrica’s brand identity and messaging across all communication channels, reinforcing CorpsAfrica’s reputation as a trusted leader.

Digital Communications & Innovation: Provide strategic direction for digital communications and engagement efforts, including website management, social media, and email marketing, guiding the team’s execution across these channels.

Crisis Communication: Develop and lead crisis communication planning and response protocols, ensuring clear and timely communications in high-stakes situations with transparency and integrity.

Global Collaboration: Champion alignment of communications efforts across country offices and teams, building strong relationships and influencing without direct authority to ensure consistency in messaging while respecting local context.

Events: Lead communications strategy for key events and external engagements. Identify and activate opportunities to extend visibility through media, partnerships, and storytelling tied to events and convenings. Partner with senior leadership to develop messaging, talking points, and presentations that reinforce a cohesive narrative.

Team Leadership: Develop, coach, and lead a small, high-performing communications team, fostering accountability, collaboration, and growth with these direct reports. Provide clear direction and support to all communications staff across country offices.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

While candidates may come from a range of professional backgrounds, the ideal candidate brings many of the following experiences and attributes:

10+ years of progressive experience in communications, including senior leadership roles in complex, global, or multi-country environments; experience working across African markets is strongly preferred.
Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to shape compelling narratives, translate programmatic impact into clear messaging, and engage diverse audiences across cultures and contexts.
Deep media relations and public relations experience, with a proven ability to secure high-impact coverage and build relationships with international media outlets.
Demonstrated experience leading crisis communications in high-visibility or high-stakes environments.
Strong experience leading and developing teams, including managing direct reports and influencing other teams across distributed or matrixed environments.
Proficiency with digital communications tools and platforms, including social media, content management systems, analytics platforms, and media monitoring tools.
Strategic thinker with strong execution skills; able to build systems, prioritize effectively, and operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Commitment to the mission and the ability to communicate across cultures with humility, strong listening skills, and respect for diverse perspectives.

LOCATION

This is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC, or Nairobi, Kenya. Exceptional candidates in other locations will be considered.

TRAVEL

This role requires international travel approximately one to two times per year.