Overview: BIRD is looking for a strategic leader to head the Communications & Media function owning brand narrative, media presence, and content strategy, while also representing Comms at the leadership level and building out a high-functioning team.

This role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution: shaping direction at the leadership table before it’s finalized, and translating that direction into clear briefs and priorities for the team. As the single reporting manager for Comms, you’ll hold the full picture of what the team is carrying sequencing workstreams, protecting capacity, and serving as the point of escalation when priorities compete.

You’ll work closely with a team where your ideas directly shape strategy and as we scale, the role may occasionally flex into adjacent business areas.

This role requires travel to PlanetRead’s multiple office locations. A good fit includes:

• Experience: 10-12 years in communications, media, or production within the nonprofit/social sector, including demonstrated experience managing a team directly.
• Education: Postgraduate qualification in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, English, Business Administration, Production, or a related field. Graduate qualification may also be considered.
• Expertise: Demonstrated understanding of the media space, with strong creative thinking, writing, and problem-solving skills, plus strong proofreading, editing, and copywriting ability. An interest in literacy, gender, and disability rights is ideal.
• Leadership: Proven experience managing a team directly, workload planning, capacity management, and growth conversations.
• Stakeholder & Partnership Management: Experience managing external vendors, agencies, partners and talent, alongside experience navigating internal leadership and strategy-level conversations.
• Donor & Fundraising Communications: Experience crafting donor-facing narratives, impact stories, or case studies is a strong plus.
• Digital & Social Media Fluency: Working knowledge of social media strategy, content calendars, and platform performance across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
• Work Style: High attention to detail, an ethical approach, self-driven, and comfortable working in evolving organisational environments.
• Language: Fluency in English, Hindi, and Marathi preferred.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Organisational Leadership:

1. Lead BIRD’s communications strategy aligned with its systems change goals, driving mass awareness, policy adoption, and implementation through targeted, evidence-based campaigns
2. Anchor organisational planning, annual goal-setting and annual budget planning across campaigns, vendors, and platforms, and reporting on utilisation
3. Define and track metrics for communications performance, reporting progress as needed
4. Anticipate and manage reputational risk, acting as the point person for crisis or sensitive communications

Team Leadership & Capacity Management

Hire, onboard, and build out the team as the function scales

1. Own workload planning: what’s live, queued, and blocked across parallel projects, growth conversations, and performance reviews
2. Set priorities when workstreams collide, plan timelines directly with project owners across teams
3. Escalate resourcing gaps early and maintain delivery timelines

Brand & Content Oversight

1. Strengthen BIRD’s brand and visibility across key audiences, including enhancing the website and digital platforms as core communication channels
2. Translate research and evidence into compelling, accessible narratives to enable partnerships and scale, working closely with internal teams to showcase BIRD’s verticals
3. Support fundraising through high-quality donor communications, including impact stories, case studies, and system change narratives across channels
4. Oversee content creation and social media strategy, guiding partner agencies on content and calendars, and managing shoots end-to-end in collaboration with production teams
5. Ensure quality and consistency across all communications, including editing key publications and external materials

Partnerships & Industry Engagement

1. Build strategic partnerships with media, press, and celebrity ambassadors across sports, literature, film, and music to expand reach and visibility
2. Engage industry stakeholders (broadcasters, OTT platforms, and content producers) to advocate for and strengthen the adoption of high-quality SLS
3. Own vendor and agency relationships where Comms is the point of contact, including contracting, briefing, and reviewing deliverables
4. Represent BIRD at external events, media engagements, and donor forums as required