Honeyguide is a Tanzanian conservation organization that develops strong, community-led conservation enterprises. Its work focuses on strengthening Wildlife Management Areas so that conservation generates practical economic value for communities while protecting large landscapes.
Honeyguide is recruiting a Communications & Development Manager to serve as the operational head of its Communications Department. The successful candidate will lead the people, systems, workflows and processes required to deliver effective communications and provide structured support to fundraising, donor engagement and grant management.
This is a strong career opportunity for an experienced communications leader who can translate strategy into coordinated delivery, develop a capable multidisciplinary team, improve operational systems and support evidence-led donor communications. The position also offers an opportunity to guide the practical and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and digital tools across communications and fundraising-support activities.
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Key Responsibilities
Department Leadership and Team Development
- Lead the day-to-day management, coordination and performance of the Communications Department.
- Directly manage the Communications & Copywriter, Graphic Design & Website Officer, Film & Media Officer, and Grant Management & Compliance Officer.
- Establish clear roles, priorities, responsibilities and workflows.
- Conduct regular team planning meetings and individual performance discussions.
- Monitor performance against agreed indicators and address performance gaps early.
- Coach, mentor and develop team members so that staff progressively take greater responsibility.
- Support succession planning and the development of future team leaders.
- Encourage collaboration across communications, creative, media, digital and grant-management functions.
Communications Planning and Delivery
- Translate the communications strategy and annual plan into quarterly and monthly workplans.
- Develop and maintain the organization’s communications calendar.
- Coordinate four quarterly thematic campaigns.
- Coordinate the production of publications, newsletters, website updates, blogs, films, reels, social media content, presentations and the Annual Report.
- Coordinate weekly and monthly donor-communications outputs.
- Obtain inputs from field teams, programme teams, technical staff and other departments.
- Clarify ownership and deadlines for every major communications activity.
- Identify bottlenecks and intervene before delays become significant.
- Coordinate workflows across writing, research, design, film, website and publication activities.
- Maintain the department’s online project-management system and ensure consistent use by team members.
- Ensure communications outputs support the objectives of Honeyguide’s 2026 Communications Plan.
Fundraising, Donor Communications and Grant Oversight
- Provide direct management and operational oversight of the Grant Management & Compliance Officer.
- Align grant-management priorities with communications and fundraising requirements.
- Maintain effective systems for donor engagement, grant opportunities, donor visibility and reporting.
- Coordinate donor-communications activities with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Communications & Development Officer.
- Support the preparation of communication materials for donor engagement.
- Contribute to grant research and proposal development when required.
- Coordinate relevant programme and technical inputs for grant applications.
- Ensure proposals receive appropriate evidence, data, visuals and supporting communication materials.
- Improve processes for identifying funding opportunities, assessing opportunities, coordinating proposals and tracking proposal progress.
- Provide management with visibility of opportunities, risks and challenges within the donor-support and grant-management function.
Research, Evidence and Information Quality
- Establish department-wide expectations for research and evidence gathering.
- Ensure communications outputs are supported by credible facts, information and data.
- Coordinate information collection from programme, field and technical teams.
- Ensure appropriate research is undertaken for campaigns, stories, case studies, donor materials, grant applications, publications, websites and media products.
- Review the credibility, quality and relevance of research undertaken by team members.
- Support the development of thematic knowledge packs, data sheets and case studies.
- Identify evidence gaps and coordinate efforts to address them.
- Ensure research findings are properly documented and accessible to the team.
Artificial Intelligence, Digital Tools and Process Improvement
- Coordinate structured experimentation with artificial intelligence and digital tools.
- Help team members identify and test tools relevant to research, content, design, media production, donor research, grant research and workflow management.
- Organize peer-learning sessions for staff to share tools, experiences and lessons.
- Establish practical targets for experimentation and application.
- Coordinate appropriate digital-skills training and learning resources.
- Identify opportunities to improve workflows through technology and automation.
- Promote responsible use of artificial intelligence, including verification of generated information.
- Develop simple internal guidance for appropriate use of artificial intelligence in communications and fundraising-support work.
Quality Control and Approval
- Maintain clear processes for developing, reviewing and approving communications materials.
- Review communications outputs before publication.
- Provide final operational approval within the authority assigned to the position.
- Ensure published materials are accurate, evidence-based and professionally presented.
- Maintain consistency with Honeyguide’s narrative, tone and visual identity.
- Identify recurring quality problems and address them through coaching, training or process improvement.
- Ensure donor-facing materials receive the required level of strategic review.
Monitoring, Learning and Systems Development
- Establish practical systems for monitoring communications performance.
- Review delivery against communications plans, donor engagement, website activity, social media, newsletters, campaigns and team indicators.
- Identify recurring delays, bottlenecks and operational weaknesses.
- Conduct quarterly reviews of communications performance and learning.
- Maintain and improve the department’s workflows, communications calendar and delivery tracker.
- Develop and maintain a living Communications Standard Operating Procedure or Playbook.
- Establish clear planning, briefing, production, review and approval processes.
- Recommend and implement improvements to the department’s operating model.
Qualifications and Experience
Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, Development Studies, Wildlife Management, Conservation, Knowledge Management or another relevant field.
- Candidates from conservation, development or technical backgrounds must demonstrate strong communications, management and research capabilities.
Professional Experience
- Between five and seven years of professional experience in communications, knowledge management, fundraising support, policy, development or a related field.
- At least two to three years of experience managing or coordinating teams.
- Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects and competing deadlines.
- Experience in a non-profit, conservation, development, research or similar environment is desirable.
- Experience with donor communications, grant management or fundraising processes is desirable.
- Demonstrated interest in or practical experience with artificial intelligence and digital tools.
Skills and Competencies
- Strong multidisciplinary team leadership and people-management capability.
- Ability to manage performance constructively and create accountability.
- Strong coaching, mentoring and capacity-development skills.
- Excellent organizational and project-management ability.
- Ability to translate strategy into practical workplans.
- Ability to manage deadlines, dependencies and competing priorities.
- Strong research, information-gathering and synthesis skills.
- Understanding of donor communications, fundraising and grant-development processes.
- Good English writing and editing ability.
- Strong understanding of digital, visual and organizational communications.
- Ability to learn, test and responsibly apply emerging digital tools.
- Excellent English and excellent Kiswahili.
Why Join Honeyguide?
- Lead a multidisciplinary communications and grant-support team.
- Contribute to community-led conservation and institutional development in Tanzania.
- Shape systems connecting communications, evidence, fundraising and donor confidence.
- Develop future team leaders through coaching and structured capacity building.
- Guide the practical adoption of artificial intelligence and digital tools.
- Work closely with senior leadership while building an increasingly autonomous department.
- Gain exposure to conservation, governance, donor engagement, grant processes and community development.
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How to Apply
Applicants must submit:
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A covering letter explaining:
- Why the applicant wants to work with Honeyguide.
- Why the applicant is well suited to the position.
- Relevant experience in strategic communications, team leadership and people management.
- Experience developing systems, coordinating work and managing multiple priorities.
- Experience or interest in using artificial intelligence and digital tools to improve communications and organizational effectiveness.
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A curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience, qualifications and skills.
Send the application by email to job@honeyguide.org.
Email subject: Application – Communications & Development Manager
Application deadline: 20 September 2026
Applicants should attach only the covering letter and curriculum vitae. Certificates, academic transcripts, references and other attachments should not be submitted at this stage. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Important: Follow the stated application instructions carefully. The vacancy document states that deviation from the requirements may result in rejection
