Manager - Communications and Strategy

The Communications Specialist will play a vital role in supporting TCF’s external communications, media relations, thought leadership, and communication governance. This position requires a confident and proactive professional who can identify compelling stories, build strong media relationships, manage agency partnerships, and drive projects forward across multiple teams. Working closely with the General Manager Communications, the specialist will translate TCF’s strategy, research, programs, and institutional priorities into clear and engaging internal and public communications. This role is ideal for someone with a background in journalism, media relations, or corporate communications, who combines excellent writing skills with persistence, sound judgment, and strong follow-through.

Key Responsibilities

Media Relations
- Build and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, producers, columnists, and relevant media platforms.
- Identify stories, research findings, institutional developments, and leadership perspectives with media potential.
- Develop and pitch story ideas to appropriate media contacts.
- Coordinate interviews, press briefings, media visits, and public announcements.
- Prepare press releases, media briefs, talking points, Q&A documents, and background notes.
- Maintain an updated media database and track pitches, responses, coverage, and relationships.
- Support media engagement during sensitive issues and emerging reputational risks.

External Communications
- Assist in developing and executing TCF’s external communications priorities.
- Create communication plans for research launches, partnerships, institutional announcements, events, and campaigns.
- Translate organizational strategy, program work, and research into clear public narratives.
- Coordinate with internal teams to gather information, secure approvals, and meet communication deadlines.
- Ensure external communications are accurate, consistent, and aligned with TCF’s institutional voice.

Storytelling and Editorial Development
- Identify compelling stories across TCF’s schools, communities, programs, alumni, and partnerships.
- Conduct interviews with students, alumni, teachers, principals, employees, and partners.
- Develop articles, case studies, scripts, profiles, digital stories, and institutional content.
- Simplify technical information, data, and research into accessible communication.
- Ensure stories are crafted with accuracy, dignity, and respect for those represented.

Thought Leadership
- Support the development of TCF’s thought leadership priorities.
- Research relevant conversations in education, development, public policy, and social impact.
- Draft opinion pieces, speeches, talking points, leadership posts, and public commentary.
- Identify suitable publications, conferences, podcasts, panels, and platforms for TCF leaders.
- Maintain a structured pipeline of leadership content and external engagement opportunities.
- Manage content pipelines and publishing cadence.

Agency and Partner Management
- Coordinate with public relations, content, production, design, and communication agencies.
- Develop clear briefs, timelines, deliverables, and review processes.
- Track deadlines and ensure agencies receive timely information and feedback.
- Follow up consistently to resolve delays and maintain quality.
- Consolidate internal feedback and communicate clear direction to external partners.
- Flag risks, delays, and quality concerns early.

Communications Governance
- Support development of communication protocols, approval processes, templates, and editorial standards.
- Maintain communication trackers, editorial calendars, and approval records.
- Coordinate with communication points of contact across programs, functions, and regions.
- Help ensure consistency in institutional facts, language, messages, and positioning.
- Support crisis communication processes and media response protocols.

Digital Communications
- Support content planning for TCF’s website, social platforms, and digital channels.
- Adapt stories, research, and leadership content for various digital formats.
- Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to maintain a regular content pipeline.
- Review content performance and recommend improvements in subject, format, and distribution.

Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, media studies, mass communication, social sciences, or a related field.
- More than five years of experience in journalism, media relations, public relations, corporate communications, or external communications.
- Proven experience writing stories, conducting interviews, and developing media content.
- Experience pitching stories to journalists and securing media coverage.
- Experience coordinating with agencies, vendors, or production partners.
- Strong writing and editing skills in English.
- Strong writing and editing skills in Urdu, with confidence engaging Urdu language media.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines and stakeholders with persistence and sound judgment.
- Excellent coordination and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work across teams without formal authority.
- Calmness and judgment during sensitive situations, with the ability to simplify complex information.

Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in education, development, public policy, or the nonprofit sector is advantageous.