Head: Communication, Marketing, & Events (CME) at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• The Head: Communications, Marketing & Events (CME) is responsible for all facets of DBSA’s brand, product marketing and communications. The Head is accountable for the DBSA’s CME strategies, planning and implementation thereof. In charge of increasing the DBSA’s coverage and awareness of the Bank’s strategic objectives and projects through appropriate CME initiatives. Directs the CME team to ensure these tasks are appropriately assigned and implemented.

Key Responsibilities    

Strategy & Brand Management

• Develop and implement the CME strategy/ies and plans in line with the DBSA’s business objectives and goals.
• Deliver the DBSA’s brand strategy ensuring brand integration across client and stakeholder segments through appropriate CME tools and channel strategies.
• Oversee the development of DBSA’s brand campaigns, events and sponsorships.
• Maintain consistent application of the corporate identity by ensuring that the correct brand look and feel are adhered to across the DBSA.
• Partner with business to align CME plans to strategic business objectives and milestones, meeting regularly with key stakeholders to gather input, feedback and measure success.
• Manage media risk exposure through identification, implementation and maintenance of risk control measures to mitigate possible risks.
• Prepare various CME documents and management reports for Executive Committees / Boards / Stakeholders.
• Marketing
• Plan, develop, and implement the DBSA’s marketing strategies, corporate communications and public relations activities, both external and internal.
• Develop and implement marketing strategy-led plans in line with the business requirements and ensure smooth execution to meet set brand metrics.
• Provide marketing expertise that positions the DBSA as a leading change agent for socio-economic development in Southern Africa by proactively developing and implementing effective plans for internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop a deep understanding of client and stakeholder preferences and trends, based on research and satisfaction surveys.

 Digital Marketing:

•  Develop and execute the digital marketing strategy and plans for the DBSA.
•  Create seamless and engaged digital experiences that lead a user to engagement with brand.
•  Champion DBSA’s electronic communications channels and initiate programs to ensure bank-wide understanding, acceptance and adherence to electronic communication channels.
•  Develop tailored electronic communications solutions to support the front-line divisions in achievement of their respective revenue objectives.
•  Develop proposals and reports for business/management consideration on various e-marketing related activities and issues.
• Manage the DBSA website and social media platforms by maintaining the content, brand and design.
• Communications & Public Relations (PR)
• Plan, develop and implementing the Communication & PR strategies for the DBSA.
• Act as the DBSA's key media spokesperson and develop media articles, responses and presentations for media communication.
• Articulate and synthesize complex product features and concepts into simple, powerful stories and narratives that resonate with targeted user segments and personas.
• Identify and create key communication platforms and channels to be used internally and externally.
• Promote and drive understanding of the DBSA vision, brand and business objectives internally and externally through appropriate CME initiatives.
• Promote the DBSA projects / programmes through various communication platforms print, video, audio, photography, graphics, and digital.
• Oversee the preparation the production of publicity brochures, handouts, divisional communication/marketing briefs, promotional videos, photographs, films and multimedia programmes.
• Collate and analyse DBSA’s media coverage and provide recommendations on opportunities for enhanced positive media coverage.

Events Management

• Oversee the management and implementation of all corporate events.
• Provide oversight in ensuring events projects are delivered on time, within budget, that they meet business expectations.
• Oversee and manage supplier relationships.
• Corporate Social Investment (CSI)
• Oversee the CSI function of the DBSA. These would, amongst others, include:
  • Developing and implementing the CSI strategy that clearly defines goals and focus areas of CSI as well as success measures.
  •  Delivering the CSI funding model and sources for Board approval.
  •  Develop and periodically review DBSA CSI policy.
  •  Ensuring compliance of CSI to all DBSA governance and industry regulatory requirements.
  •  Positioning CSI internally and externally as complementary to DBSA core business and furthering a systematic response to arising community needs.
  •  Contributing to the preparation of the CSI report for inclusion in the DBSA Annual Report

People Management

• Provide direction and management to the direct reports to enable the execution and management of their portfolios effectively.
• Oversee the management of programme resources to enable optimal usage of skills and capabilities.
• Lead the programme management feedback and reporting structures and foster cross-functional collaboration to enable strong and consistent project delivery.
• Facilitate team development while holding teams accountable for their commitment to ensure strong team delivery.
• Attract, retain and develop talent and ensure succession planning, capability and capacity modelling.
• Conduct performance management for all direct reports, managing their performance in relation to quality standards and agreed benchmarks and objectives, in line with sound performance management principles.
• Provide transferable skills, frameworks and toolkits to promote empowerment of the team.
•  Promote DBSA values and a culture of High Performance within the areas of responsibility.

Key Measures of Outputs

• Approved CME strategies
• Successful implementation of approved CME Strategies
• Increased awareness of the DBSA brand
• Active coverage of DBSA’s business and initiatives
• Approved corporate branding material
• Quality of Communication prepared and communicated as well accurate communication and press briefs.
• Successful organisation of Corporate Events
• Effectiveness of the CSI Programme

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Communication Management qualification or similar.
• A minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in a medium to large enterprise, in either banking, development finance institutions, finance and/or State-Owned Enterprises.
• The required experience must include 5 years in a management capacity of a large-size enterprise.
• Experience in developing, implementing and delivering CME strategies.
• Extensive experience of working at a senior level in a public relations, marketing, events, media and communications role.
• Proven experience of successfully raising an organisation’s profile through CME strategies and initiatives.
• Confident communicator and presenter with excellent verbal and written communication skills with demonstrated ability to act as an organisation’s spokesperson and produce press releases, brand/marketing strategies, presentations, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in handling a press conference and the media.
• Proven ability to work and multi-task under pressure, respond quickly to changing situations in complex projects/ programs environments
• Good IT Skills with specific experience in digital marketing and use of range of social medial platforms.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel; PowerPoint).

Desirable

• A post-graduate qualification in Marketing, Communications or Commerce will be advantageous
• Good exposure to managing an organisation’s CSI Programme.

Required Personal Attributes    
. LEADERSHIP/BEHAVIOURAL
Conceptual Thinking

•  Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others and not learned from previous education or experience to explain situations or resolve problems.
•  Looks at things in a significantly novel way—breakthrough thinking.

Achievement Orientation

• Undertakes challenging assignments and strives to complete them.
•  Sets priorities and chooses goals based on calculated costs, anticipated benefits and Improvement of performance.
•  Aims at exceptional performance; setting out to achieve a unique standard.
• Constantly analyses outcomes to ensure the achievement of business goals.
• . Identifies short-term opportunities or potential problems aiming to achieve better outcomes

Teamwork & Cooperation

•  Acts to promote a friendly climate and good morale and resolves conflicts.
•  Creates opportunities for cross-functional working.
•  Encourages others to network outside of their own team/department and learn from their experience.

1.4 Analytical Thinking

•  Analyses and interprets multiple complex causal links: several potential causes of events, several consequences of actions, or multiple-part chains of events to prioritise and develop a plan of action.

 Attention to Detail

• Double-checks the accuracy of information or work.
•  Ensures that the work produced doesn’t contain any errors.

 Driving the delivery of Results

•  Sets challenging goals that will have a significant impact on the business or support the organisational strategy.
•  Commits significant resources and/or time to ensure that challenging goals are achieved, while also taking action to mitigate risk.

 Customer Service Orientation

•  Makes self fully available, especially when the customer is going through a critical period.
•  Requests on-going feedback from customers and takes action in response to it; manages to retain and capitalize on existing customers.
•  Takes the “extra step” to resolve customer issues appropriately, even in the case where they do not fall under own area of responsibility.
• Is aware of the level of service offered by the competition and provides more for customers than they expect.

 TECHNICAL

Communication (Written and Verbal)

• Is relied on by others to help them write complex technical and non-technical documents and briefs.
• Can determine which aspects of this knowledge area need to be transferred to others in order to achieve organisational goals.
• Coaches’ others and transfers communication skills and knowledge to others.
• Able to communicate complex problems or concepts, by making them simple and understandable for others.
•  Adapts language to the level of the audience in order to ensure that the message has a positive impact and is interesting to the audience.
•  Is articulate, demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary, and is confident when talking to large/high level audiences.

 Marketing and Communications Skills

•  Strong understanding of Marketing and Communication principles and best practice, and of the full range of Marketing and Communication activities.
• Ability to contribute to the development and implementation of a Marketing / Communication strategy.
• Ability to take a lead role in Marketing and Communication activities, such as collecting and analysing market insights user feedback, content creation, producing marketing collateral, planning
•  Editorial planning and strategy experience

 Digital Marketing Skills

•  Digital channel strategy and management experience
•  SEO knowledge and experience
•  Keeps up with the latest trends as it relates to industrial sectors key to DBSA.
•  Aligning the brand to the changing needs and challenges of the organisation and economic environment.

 Project Management

• Initiates project plans and secures resources for projects that span area or department boundaries.
• Uses estimating techniques and develops project risk management approaches.
•  Has an in-depth and practical understanding of how to maximize the effectiveness of project teams.

2.5 Planning & Organizing

• Is relied on to help others plan and organise their workload.
• Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
•  Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritizing and re-planning

 Financial Acumen

•  Is relied on to help others plan and organise their workload.
•  Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
• Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritizing and re-planning

 Reporting & Communication

•  Designs / customizes reports to meet user needs.
• Prepares complex or tailored reports, gathers information from a variety of sources, analyses and includes in a report.
•  Keeps standard reports under review and proposes improvements to meet user needs

 Presentation Skills

• Knows how to deliver arguments persuasively by employing a range of advanced presentation techniques (e.g., the appropriate use of body language, how to close a presentation so that the audience continues to think about the subject matter etc.).
•  Has knowledge of various feedback mechanisms to check levels of audience understanding.

Negotiation

• Has an appreciation of cultural sensitivities and differences.
• Effectively employs a variety of advanced behavioural/interpersonal competencies to control the negotiation situation.
• Is able to take the lead in a variety of sensitive negotiation situations requiring high levels of tact and diplomacy.
•  Is able to place a discrete negotiation situation within the context of a broader long-term relationship and is not threatened by conceding ground to protect the longer-term interests of DBSA.