Senior Specialist - Public Affairs & Communications

Key Responsibilities

Business Enablement

• Work with stakeholders towards Biosolutions policy advocacy.
• Identify and develop new business opportunities across key industry sectors in Africa.
• Identify and address barriers to market entry and scale for Novonesis' products and technologies in Africa.
• Provide strategic insights to commercial teams on status and progress of key Government programs and potential business opportunities.
• Manage business development and issue mapping of public policy and regulatory issues of relevance to Novonesis businesses in Africa; in coordination with business leaders, prioritizing issues based on a value-at-stake approach; monitoring and reporting on developments.
• Act as a trusted advisor to Novonesis leadership in Africa, regionally, and globally.
• Track emerging trends, competition, and customer needs to shape commercial strategy.
• Represent Novonesis at key industry events, conferences, and trade missions.

Government Affairs

• Collaborate with Public Affairs (PA) and Regulatory colleagues to develop materials towards market access policy inputs and policy advocacy.
• Liaison with key influencers and aid agencies towards technology adoption of Biosolutions across Africa.
• Support the team by coordinating ongoing research projects with external entities and drafting in-depth analysis reports on key, business-impacting policy issues.
• Support key programming activities, including issue-specific roundtables and periodic government engagements.
• Support the information requirements of regional and global teams on policy and regulatory developments in Africa.
• Attend select conferences and external meetings, providing concise analysis and readouts on key engagements to relevant internal teams.
• Manage engagement with select government offices.
• Coordinate the submission of written materials and company input required for government and regulatory bodies.
• Handle internal enablement of business teams on policy developments.

Public Relations

• Develop a PR strategy for focus countries with the objective of positioning biosolutions and Novonesis.
• Work on media outreach with relevant media in the region to amplify Novonesis’ visibility.
• Maintain a good understanding of the media landscape in target markets and leverage experience working with media in the region.

Qualifications and Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in the public sector or international corporate government relations.
• A Master's degree (MBA/MSc/MA) in Public Administration, Public Affairs, Business Administration, or related field.
• Strong understanding of Sub-Saharan African market dynamics, business culture, and regulatory environments.
• Ability to work well with internal and external stakeholders.
• Highly effective written and interpersonal communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively interact with senior corporate and political stakeholders.
• A deep working understanding of the policymaking process and government relations.
• Ability to communicate complex information and interpret legislative/regulatory language to diverse audiences.
• Experience/exposure to Public Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Ability to grasp and translate complex issues into a language suitable for concerned audiences in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
• High ethical standards, confidentiality, and a strong professional reputation.
• Ability to ensure compliance with company policies and procedures and support the company purpose, values, and standards of ethics and integrity.
• Demonstrated ability to build and foster effective relationships and professional networks.