The Communication and External Relations Department (PCER) manages the Bank’s corporate communications and multimedia platforms. To strengthen its multimedia capacity, the Bank seeks a Senior Strategic Campaign Manager Consultant to lead the development, coordination, execution and evaluation of integrated communication campaigns supporting the African Development Bank Group's strategic priorities, operations and institutional positioning and advocacy.1
Application Close Date
2026-09-23
Engagement Type
Individual Consultant
Job Family
18.Communication
A. Background Objectives
The African Development Bank (“the Bank”) is a premier multilateral development finance institution. Its mission is to contribute to the economic development and social progress of its regional members, mobilize resources for the financing of development projects, and promote economic integration on the continent. Its shareholders include 54 African member countries and 27 non-regional member countries. It has established cooperation ties with an extensive network of international development partners and enjoys a very good reputation on the capital markets. Since its inception in 1964, the Bank Group has committed over US$100 billion to support +6000 development projects and programs in Africa. Over the last 10 years, the Bank has grown in size and impact, and modernized its operations to drive efficiency and value for money. The African Development Bank Group Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033 outlines how the Bank will invest in Africa's best asset: its vibrant young men and women. Africa's population, which is the youngest and fastest growing in the world, presents the continent with an unparalleled demographic window of opportunity. To sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy and ensure greater developmental impact, four cardinal points have been identified to accelerate delivery for Africa: 1- Unlock Africa’s Capital Power; 2- Rebuild Africa’s financial sovereignty; 3- Turn Demographics into a Dividend; 4- Build Resilient Infrastructure and Competitive vaThe African Development Bank Group Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033 outlines how the Bank will invest in Africa's best asset: its vibrant young men and women. Africa's population, which is the youngest and fastest growing in the world, presents the continent with an unparalleled demographic window of opportunity. To sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy and ensure greater developmental impact, four cardinal points have been identified to accelerate delivery for Africa: 1- Unlock Africa’s Capital Power; 2- Rebuild Africa’s financial sovereignty; 3- Turn Demographics into a Dividend; 4- Build Resilient Infrastructure and Competitive value chains. Within this context, the Communication and External Relations Department (PCER) seeks to recruit a Senior Strategic Campaign Manager Consultant to lead the development, coordination, execution and evaluation of integrated communication campaigns supporting the African Development Bank Group's strategic priorities, operations and institutional positioning and advocacy. Working across PCER's communication teams, the Consultant will translate strategic priorities into powerful, innovative and audience-focused campaigns, bringing together editorial, multimedia, graphics, web, social media, media relations and other communication functions around a common strategy, narrative, creative direction and delivery plan. The Consultant will oversee the full campaign lifecycle — Strategic objective → Audience → Narrative → Creative concept → Content → Channels → Publication → Amplification → Measurement → Learning — with a strong focus on external audiences while supporting selected high-priority internal campaigns. The role will promote a more integrated, data-informed and impact-oriented approach to communications, ensuring that content is not only produced but effectively distributed, amplified and evaluated against clearly defined objectives.
Under the general guidance and supervision of the Director (PCER0), the Senior Strategic Campaign Consultant will lead the development, coordination, execution and evaluation of integrated and advocacy communication campaigns supporting the African Development Bank Group's strategic priorities, operations and institutional positioning and collaborate with all Communications teams. The role may require work outside of the Bank’s premises, or away from Abidjan headquarters, hence requiring flexibility to travel and readiness to take on assignments within tight timeframes.
B. Scope of work
Working hours can vary and are often led by demand. The work of the consultant will typically entail to: A. Strategic Campaign Planning - Lead the development of integrated communication campaigns around priority Bank initiatives, operations, impact, institutional moments and strategic themes. - Translate institutional priorities into clear campaign objectives, audience-focused strategies, narratives, messages and calls to action - Develop strategic campaign briefs defining objectives, audiences, audience insights, positioning, creative approach, channels, deliverables, KPIs and timelines. - Identify proactive campaign opportunities capable of strengthening understanding, visibility and engagement and advocacy around the Bank's work and priorities. - Cultivate the culture of social listening, and ensure campaigns are audience-led rather than simply productor event-led. - Develop annual and quarterly campaign pipelines in collaboration with PCER management and teams. B. Cross-PCER Leadership & Coordination - Lead cross-functional campaign initiatives bringing together Editorial, Multimedia, Graphics, Web, Social Media, Media Relations, Translation and other relevant Communication functions - Convene and lead campaign kick-off meetings, strategic , creative and campaign reviews and campaign performance meetings. - Establish clear workstreams, responsibilities, milestones, dependencies and delivery timelines. - Ensure that campaign planning, working documents, source files, assets and other relevant resources are systematically maintained in Bank-designated shared workspaces, using agreed filing and archiving practices to ensure continuity, institutional ownership and accessibility across PCER teams. - Ensure alignment of messaging, creative execution and audience-driven approach across all campaign outputs. - Act as the strategic focal point for priority external campaigns throughout their lifecycle. - Facilitate decision-making and resolve campaign-related coordination issues across initiatives. - Engage with Bank departments and campaign stakeholders to clarify objectives and ensure communication requirements remain strategically focused. C. Creative Strategy & Innovation - Develop bold, relevant and distinctive creative concepts for major campaigns. - Work closely with Graphics, Multimedia, Editorial and Social Media teams to translate campaign strategy into compelling creative executions. - Identify innovative formats, channels, technologies and storytelling approaches capable of increasing audience engagement. - Encourage integrated storytelling across video, photography, graphics, infographics, editorial content, interactive formats, web, social media, media engagement and events. - Develop campaign narratives, key messages, creative briefs, campaign identities and content frameworks. - Review key campaign assets to ensure strategic and creative coherence. - Benchmark relevant campaigns from international organisations, brands, development institutions and other sectors to identify emerging approaches and best practices. D. Publication, Dissemination & Campaign Amplification - Develop an integrated dissemination and amplification strategy for each priority campaign. - Define the appropriate mix of owned, earned, shared and partner channels according to audiences and campaign objectives. - In collaboration with the Bank’s technical teams, support the transition to an enterprise social network (Viva Engage) and help develop appropriate content, engagement and dissemination approaches for the platform, including awareness-raising and user adoption campaigns to facilitate onboarding and effective use. - Coordinate with Web, Social Media, Media Relations, Editorial and Multimedia teams to develop integrated publication calendars. - Ensure content is appropriately adapted, packaged and sequenced for different audiences, channels and formats.
C. Deliverables Expected
- Develop campaign content matrices mapping each asset against audience, channel, publication date, objective and call to action. - Coordinate campaign launches and phased content releases to sustain visibility and engagement over time. - Identify opportunities for amplification through partners, stakeholders, media, influencers or other relevant networks where appropriate. - Ensure valuable campaign content is repurposed and redistributed rather than being limited to one-off publication. - Monitor execution of agreed publication and dissemination plans. E. Campaign Measurement, Analytics & Impact Campaign evaluation should go beyond volume-based outputs and assess, where data permits, audience reach, engagement, behaviour, perception, amplification and contribution to the campaign's strategic communication objectives. - Define measurable communication objectives and KPIs for campaigns prior to launch. - Establish campaign measurement frameworks and dashboards in collaboration with relevant PCER teams. - Monitor performance during campaign implementation and identify opportunities for optimisation. - Analyse campaign results across relevant channels, including social media, web, video, media coverage and other dissemination channels. - Analyse audience reach, engagement, content consumption, amplification, traffic, media visibility and other campaign-specific indicators. - Translate performance data into actionable communication insights. - Produce post-campaign evaluations comparing results against agreed objectives and KPIs. - Identify lessons learned and recommendations for future campaigns. - Develop benchmarks enabling PCER to progressively compare campaign performance over time. - Present campaign results and strategic recommendations to PCER management and relevant stakeholders. F. Campaign Activation & Strategic Moments - Integrate major Bank events, launches, conferences, Annual Meetings and institutional moments into broader campaign strategies where relevant. - Develop communication activation concepts around strategic events. - Ensure pre-event, live-event and post-event communication is connected to broader campaign objectives. - Identify opportunities to extend the communications lifecycle of major events beyond the event itself. Work on other assignments as instructed by the Director PCER0.
DELIVERABLES
The Consultant will be expected to deliver: a) Strategic Campaign Roadmap Annual/quarterly prioritised pipeline of major communication campaigns. b) Integrated Campaign Strategies For each priority campaign: objectives, target audiences, insights, messages, narrative, creative approach, channel strategy, content plan, dissemination plan, KPIs and timeline. c) Campaign Creative Briefs Clear strategic and creative briefs for Editorial, Graphics, Multimedia, Web, Social and Media teams. d) Integrated Content & Publication Plans Campaign matrices showing content, format, owner, audience, channel, publication timing and CTA. e) Campaign Coordination Regular campaign coordination, milestone monitoring and cross-PCER delivery oversight, with campaign documentation and resources maintained in designated shared workspaces. f) Dissemination & Amplification Plans Detailed plans covering publication, sequencing, cross-channel promotion, partner amplification and content repurposing. g) Campaign Performance Dashboards Regular data-driven reporting throughout priority campaigns. h) Post-Campaign Performance & Impact Reports Results versus objectives, insights, lessons learned and optimisation recommendations. i) PCER Campaign Playbook A reusable methodology covering: Brief → Strategy → Audience → Creative Development → Production → Publication → Amplification → Measurement → Learning
D. Duration and Timetable for the Assignment
The Consultant shall provide the required services for twelve (12) months, starting 14 October 2026, unless his/her contract is terminated earlier by either the Bank or the Consultant, as per the terms and conditions. All obligations will be fulfilled during this period unless otherwise stated. The Consultant will receive a monthly lump sum, following satisfactory performance review of the executed tasks. The Bank’s guidelines on remuneration of consultants will apply, based on the candidate’s qualifications and years of experience. The Consultant is responsible for his own health insurance and accommodation costs.
E. Bank Contribution and Institutional Arrangement
The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Director, PCER0, and in close coordination with PCER management and team leads across the Department. The Bank will provide: - Access to relevant documentation and multimedia platforms. - Necessary facilities, selected software, and logistical support. - Institutional coordination with other Bank departments, including events and Protocol, IT, and the AIF Secretariat where applicable.
F. Duty Station
The consultant’s duty station will be the African Development Bank headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The consultant may be required to travel for missions and work-related engagements as needed. The Bank will cover full costs of any required trip/missions if needed and provide per-diem in accordance with rules governing consultant mission travel.
G. Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies
a) Minimum of master’s degree in communications, Marketing, Brand Strategy, Journalism, International Relations or related discipline. b) At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience, including significant experience leading integrated communication or marketing and advocacy campaigns. c) Nationality of an African Development Bank Member Country. d) Proven expertise in: • Demonstrated experience personally leading multiple international or multi-country integrated campaigns from audience insight and strategy through creative execution, distribution, amplification, measurement and evaluation, with measurable results. • Proven leadership of cross-functional and matrix teams involving creative, editorial, social, digital, media, video and design functions, including experience managing external agencies and/or campaign budgets. • Strong strategic and analytical thinking • Excellent creative judgement and ability to develop and evaluate campaign concepts. • Deep understanding of digital publishing, content distribution, audience development and advocacy campaign amplification. • Demonstrated ability to define KPIs and use analytics to evaluate and optimise campaigns. • Excellent stakeholder-management, facilitation and presentation skills. • Strong understanding of African audiences and communication environments. e) Experience working in a communication/creative agency, major international organisation or complex institutional environment is highly desirable. f) Background working in multicultural environments, with a solid understanding of African development issues. g) Fluency in English or French with strong working ability in the other language. h) Advanced knowledge of industry trends, AI, digital content creation, and emerging communication tools. i) Full proficiency in Microsoft 365 environment (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, teams, Sharepoint...), Project management tools and excellent command of social media and visual design platforms. A link to a digital portfolio is required: Candidates must submit at least three examples of significant integrated campaigns they have led or in which they played a substantial strategic leadership role. For each campaign, candidates should clearly indicate the communication challenge, objectives, target audiences, their personal role, strategic approach, creative concept, channels used, dissemination approach and measurable results achieved. The evaluation of the proposals will be based on the following criteria: Criteria Weight General qualification and suitability for the task to be performed 30% Experience in the specific or related assignment (incl. portfolio) 45% Experience with an international organization and/or academic body 10% Language capacity (English or French, with strong working ability in the other language) 10% Knowledge of the Region (Africa) 5% Total 100%
H. Supervisor
The consultant will report to the Director, PCER0, of the Communication and External Relations Department
Consultancy Input Days
261.00
Qualifications
Qualification
Assessment
Regular Consultant
Less than 32 years old at the time of signing the contract and during contract execution
