Communications Lead (South Africa and Pan Africa) at Microsoft

Essential Qualifications  

• 10+ years’ communications experience working either in-house or in a PR agency, preferably in a corporate setting and/or in the technology industry. 
• A deep understanding of the Africa region, culture, political, economic and media environment, as well as local relevance for Microsoft’s business. 
• Media & influencer/creator relations experience - strong and active relationships with English and Arabic-speaking journalists, influencers and content creators – South Africa, pan-African and tier 1 global outlets writing about Africa (e.g. Economist, FT, Bloomberg, FT etc). 
• Great team player, with excellent written and verbal communication skills and a good balance of strategic thinking and tactical execution. 
• Track record in crisis and issues management and employee communications.  
• Excellent storytelling and writing 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Self-directing and highly adaptable with a track record of delivering high impact communications results that map to diverse stakeholder needs.
• Ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders and prioritise for the highest impact
• A growth mindset with proven track record for new, innovative approaches and smart risk taking. 
• Experience in managing corporate and solution/product-focused communication and storytelling, developing compelling, concise, creative, and credible fact-based messaging and stories. 
• Ability to orchestrate diverse perspectives and stay calm under pressure. 

Responsibilities

Reporting to Communications Director for Microsoft Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMA), the Communications Lead will be responsible for:

• Comms strategy – engaging a range of stakeholders to create and execute a corporate communications strategy aligned to global storytelling priorities and local business needs, leading to impactful editorial coverage in tier 1 media in South Africa and pan-African markets, focusing on impactful, agenda-setting storytelling that supports Microsoft’s Africa aspiration, inside and outside Africa.
• Trust storytelling – develop best in class storytelling, including leveraging customer voices, that resonate with key audiences, and which drive trust in Microsoft, in areas such as cybersecurity, skills and sustainability. Establish and own the process of landing those stories across earned, owned and amplified media.
• Leadership in AI – develop a corporate narrative and thought leadership to demonstrate Microsoft’s leadership in AI, with a focus on the societal and economic benefits of AI, as well as its safe and responsible use.
• Reputation management – act as a trusted advisor within Microsoft by advancing and protecting the corporate image and reputation by identifying opportunities to positively shift the perception of the Microsoft brand, and correct inaccuracies when they occur.
• Issues management – managing reactive issues that may affect our reputation, working in partnership with our Corporate External and Legal Affairs team and senior leaders in Middle East markets, as well as our global issues management team.
• Stakeholder and agency management – partnering with internal stakeholders to provide communications counsel and managing agency partners to deliver campaigns aligned to our company mission and business goals.
• Executive and employee communications – act as a strategic advisor to the local leadership team and support with strategic employee and executive communications, and ensure we have a strong bench of relevant and trained spokespeople.