Consultancy Firm: Strategic Science Communications and Knowledge Management Lead

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a research-for-development (R4D) organization with the vision of “a water-secure world.” IWMI works with governments, civil society, and the private sector to solve water-related challenges in developing countries and to scale up effective solutions. Through strategic partnerships, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources with knowledge services and capacity-strengthening products. These efforts support dialogue and policy analysis to ensure the sustainable implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change, and inclusive economic growth. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI has offices in 13 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 30 countries. IWMI is a member of CGIAR.

IWMI seeks to contract a qualified firm to provide strategic science communications and knowledge management services to support its strategic science program in Africa under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program. The S4I Program encompasses five interconnected Areas of Work (AoWs) that guide research and scaling efforts to drive inclusive development impact.

CGIAR Scaling for Impact Program (S4I):

The S4I Program supports research and scaling across CGIAR’s entire portfolio, addressing food-land-water systems in the context of the Anthropocene. The program comprises five interconnected AoWs, which provide a framework for delivering substantial and inclusive development impact:

AoW 1: Stakeholder Engagement and Empowerment - Focuses on mapping and aligning innovation supply and demand by prioritizing locally led innovation processes. This ensures that CGIAR Programs, Accelerators, and bilateral projects address the most relevant needs of governments and stakeholders.

AoW 2: Innovation Bundling and Scaling Pathways - Co-designs tailored innovation bundles, packages, and scaling pathways to accelerate the transition from research outputs to large-scale development impact.

AoW 3: Policy and Market Environment - Strengthens policy and market ecosystems to ensure that innovations are accessible, inclusive, and effectively adopted.

AoW 4: Catalytic Finance for Scaling - Supports governments and investors with ready-to-deploy solutions and technical assistance, unlocking catalytic finance to enhance impact.

AoW 5: Learning, Adaptation, and Portfolio Management - Promotes continuous learning and adaptation across CGIAR Programs, Accelerators, and bilateral initiatives. This includes innovation portfolio management, South–South knowledge sharing, and learning from both successes and failures.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The contracted firm will provide comprehensive science communications support to enhance the Program’s visibility, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and facilitate the dissemination of research findings and development impact stories. The Provider will work in close collaboration with the program’s existing communications team, taking the lead in executing the communications strategy, producing content, and monitoring outreach and uptake.

The Provider will be responsible for writing, editing, and creating content—such as blogs, newsletters, and reports from conferences, workshops, and webinars—based on meetings with the Scaling Program team and drawing from scientific outputs, scaling tools, and products developed by the Program’s technical team. This content will be disseminated across CGIAR’s communication channels, with a strong emphasis on social media.

Excellent skills in interpreting scientific content, a solid understanding of innovation scaling, and the ability to translate complex information for a general audience are essential for this role. Finally, the Provider will work closely with journalists in target countries and support national communications teams as needed.

The selected firm will be responsible for providing end-to-end communications support across five main areas:

1. Content Development and Management

• Produce multimedia content (e.g., blogs, videos, infographics) aligned with S4I branding and messaging.
• Develop press releases, presentations, newsletters, social media posts, and other communication materials.
• Write and edit content related to scientific and development topics in the context of innovation and scaling, including thought pieces, blogs, op-eds, and social media posts.
• Distribute content across CGIAR and Center communication channels in a timely manner.
• Develop comprehensive and engaging PowerPoint presentations about the Scaling for Impact Program, tailored to internal and external audiences. Ensure regular updates and content revisions.
  

2. Media Relations and Outreach

• Build and maintain a media contact database and engage with key journalists in relevant regions.
• Organize media participation in strategic events and field visits.
• Support the Scaling for Impact communications team in managing media relationships and facilitating media coverage on behalf of the Program.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Track and report on the impact of communication strategies and outreach efforts.
• Use analytics and audience insights to inform adjustments to strategy and improve stakeholder engagement.
• Collaborate with the Program’s MELIA (Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Impact Assessment) team by providing communication-related inputs for annual reporting and learning processes.

4. Event Coordination

• Plan and implement strategic communications for three key annual events:

- Asia Scaling Event (02–05 September, Kathmandu, Nepal)

- Week of Scaling (27–31 October, Nairobi, Kenya)

- World Water Congress (01–05 December, Marrakesh, Morocco)

• Ensure live communication updates during events and develop comprehensive post-event communications.
• Produce strategic communication products for IWMI-led activities under the S4I Program.
• Design and execute five targeted social media campaigns, one for each Area of Work (AoW).

5. Resource Management

• Manage subcontractors (e.g., graphic designers, videographers, printers) to produce high-quality communication materials.
• Ensure timely delivery, consistency, and quality control of all outputs.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE:

• A registered and legally compliant organization with a proven track record in strategic communications.
• At least 5 years of experience supporting international development or research organizations, with a strong portfolio of communications materials.
• Demonstrated capacity in content production, knowledge systems, stakeholder engagement, and media relations.
• Familiarity with gender and inclusion principles in communication strategies.
• Proven experience in managing subcontractors.
• Experience working in or with partners across global regions, particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Team Expertise:

• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Proficiency in multimedia production (video, graphics, social media).
• Language fluency in English; working proficiency in Spanish and French is an asset.

Benefits

This is an Internationally hired consultancy; therefore, firms with relevant abilities are encouraged to apply. The duration of the contract will be for a period of six (06) months. 

HOW TO APPLY: Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. We will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on July 31, 2025 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Your application must include the following:

• Technical Proposal – Outline of the proposed approach and methodology (maximum 3 pages).
• Organizational Profile – Brief overview of the organization and relevant experience, including office location(s) (maximum 2 pages).
• Team CVs – One-page CVs of proposed team members (CVs may only be shared upon prior agreement with CGIAR).
• Financial Proposal – Summary of costs and fee structure (maximum 1 page).
• Work Samples – Three samples of past work demonstrating capacity in: Scientific writing, Event coverage and Strategic communication.

Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.