Location: Remote – Sub-Saharan Africa
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Experienced
Salary: US$45,000–US$61,818 per year
Deadline: Open until filled
YLabs is recruiting a Knowledge and Communications Lead for its Marketing & Communications team. The position is fully remote and open to candidates based in sub-Saharan Africa, with a preference for applicants located in East Africa or within the GMT+0 to GMT+4 time zones on the African continent.
YLabs is a global design and research organisation focused on improving health and economic opportunities for young people aged 10–24. Founded in 2016 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, the organisation works across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central America, partnering with young people to develop products and services addressing challenges including sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, financial inclusion and climate resilience.
About the Knowledge and Communications Lead Role
The Knowledge and Communications Lead will drive the narrative and communications strategy for one of YLabs’ major partnerships, involving a multi-year collaboration with a global foundation testing new approaches to programmes for young people across Africa.
The successful candidate will work closely with researchers, designers and project leads, translating complex research and programme information into clear, compelling and audience-appropriate communications. The role requires someone who can participate directly in working calls, understand emerging ideas and quickly transform them into research decks, leadership briefs, reports, blogs, toolkits and other communications products.
A major responsibility will be ensuring that communications produced across different countries and workstreams maintain a consistent organisational voice.
Key Responsibilities
The Knowledge and Communications Lead will be responsible for real-time knowledge distillation, including attending partner meetings, capturing key insights and transforming discussions into high-quality content without requiring extensive re-briefing.
The role will also involve developing and editing research presentations, leadership summaries, quarterly and annual reports, toolkits and other communications materials.
Under narrative and voice development, the successful candidate will establish and maintain a unified narrative for the partnership. This includes developing language and messaging that can be used consistently across countries, projects and audiences, while helping project teams apply the agreed organisational voice.
The position will also require strong technical writing and editorial judgement. The successful candidate will review and write RFPs, research protocols, experiment designs and playbooks, while simplifying complex documents for senior leaders, partners and other audiences.
In addition, the Lead will work with the Graphic Designer to develop templates and a concise style guide, establish a reusable library of key language and descriptions, and collaborate with researchers and project teams to ensure communications are accurate, timely and aligned with programme objectives.
Eligibility and Qualifications
Applicants should have at least seven years of professional experience in strategic communications, editorial work, knowledge translation or technical writing. At least three years of this experience should have been gained in international development, philanthropy or social impact.
Candidates should demonstrate experience translating complex research, programme models or technical information into accessible materials for senior audiences. A portfolio should demonstrate experience producing different formats, including reports, presentations, briefs, blogs and at least one technical or research-based document.
Additional requirements include experience collaborating with researchers, designers or programme teams, developing a consistent voice across multiple products, exceptional written English and the ability to work effectively in environments where priorities may change.
Experience with foundation or institutional funders, design research, human-centred design, experimentation methodologies, RFPs and proposals will be considered an advantage. Experience living or working in Sub-Saharan Africa is also desirable.
Location, Contract and Salary
The position is fully remote and open to candidates in Sub-Saharan Africa. YLabs ideally seeks candidates based in East Africa, although applicants elsewhere on the African continent within the GMT+0 to GMT+4 time zones may apply.
This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position within the Design Department at Job Level P5 – Lead. The initial contract is for 12 months, with the possibility of extension. The successful candidate should be willing to travel up to 50% of the time for field sprints and stakeholder engagement.
The salary range is US$45,000–US$61,818 per year, regionally benchmarked against YLabs’ P5 Africa salary bands. Salaries are paid in the local currency of the employee’s permanent work location.
Why This Opportunity Is Valuable
The role provides an opportunity for an experienced communications professional to work at the intersection of research, design, youth development and international social impact. The successful candidate will contribute to work addressing important challenges affecting young people across Africa while helping translate research and programme learning into practical knowledge for partners and decision-makers.
The position may particularly suit professionals with strong editorial judgement who can independently manage complex communications assignments while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
How to Apply
The YLabs Knowledge and Communications Lead position is open until filled, with applications reviewed on a rolling basis and an expected start date as soon as possible.
Interested candidates should review the official vacancy requirements and submit their application through the YLabs careers platform. Applicants should ensure that their CV, portfolio and supporting materials clearly demonstrate their strategic communications, technical writing, editorial and research-translation experience.
Important Notice
YLabs states that candidate information will be kept confidential in accordance with applicable equal employment opportunity guidelines. Employment offers are conditional upon satisfactory background and criminal record clearances.
Global South Opportunities does not provide this position and is not involved in the recruitment or selection process. Applicants should verify the vacancy details, eligibility requirements, compensation and application deadline directly with YLabs before applying.
