Public Relations & Press Officer

Our mission

We're making Africa the first cashless continent.

In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That's for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.

We're solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don't always work, you can still send money with Wave. In 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across 9 countries and are growing fast.

Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that's where you come in...

How you'll help us achieve it:

We are looking to hire a passionate communication officer who is dynamic about building stories and excited about Wave’s mission. As Communications Officer, you will be part of the Communications and Public Affairs team, reporting to the Public Relations & Press Lead. You will contribute to ensuring the execution of the communication roadmap outputs at the country level. Maintain the development of joint initiatives with the company’s stakeholders and contribute to the company’s positive brand opinion narrative.

In this role, you’ll:

• Execute and roll out communication work plans that build on Wave’s values, people, branding and public affairs strategy.

• Coordinate strategic communication pathways to strengthen the company's positioning in Côte d’Ivoire

• Own the communications calendar portfolio for Côte d’Ivoire; This includes:

• Drafting and preparing communications action plans

• Assisting with communications to release for external audiences

• Supporting press enquiries according to public speaking guidelines

• Effectively coordinate events/activities to maintain branding standards in Côte d’Ivoire

• Work includes supporting relevant individuals to participate in panels.

• Supporting press and media engagements, including handling inquiries, interviews, and coordinating responses.

• Be in charge of the conception of educational corporate communications materials for internal and external audiences yearly.

• Collaborate with the brand team in the production and delivery of print & digital communications materials that will support corporate communication and PR projects.

• Be in charge of copywriting, editing and proofreading communication materials.

• Coordinate and plan events for the Communications and External Affairs team for Côte d'Ivoire.

Key details:

• The location is based in Abidjan, with frequent travel across Côte d’Ivoire's regions. Be flexible to work beyond regular working hours when needed.

• Work authorisation in Côte d’Ivoire is required.

Requirements

• A degree in communications, marketing, journalism or relevant subjects.

• Fluency in French and English is required

• A minimum of 5 years of experience

• Excellent oral and written communication skills are highly desired & it will be assessed.

• Deep understanding of Ivorian's social, economic and cultural context, media landscape and overall stakeholder management framework for organisations

• A good knowledge of the Ivorian market

You might be a good fit if you:

• Have strong written and verbal skills, passionate about writing, editing, and planning.

• Are excited and motivated by the technology as a path to financial inclusion for Côte d’Ivoire.

• Are entrepreneurial by nature, can think out of the box, and are proactive in finding solutions to blockers.

• Are an excellent planner and coordinator who is rigorous and organised

• Are a good team player who is intellectually curious and defaults to over-communicating

• Are excessively detail-oriented and seek to achieve excellence in everything they do.

Bonus points if

• You have worked in financial services, a communications agency or a PR agency

• Are experienced in customer relationship management, public relations, risk mitigation, and press management.

Our team

• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon plus remote team members spread across the world.

• We're deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.

• We foster autonomy for our employees. You'll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.

• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.

• We are on Y Combinator's top companies by revenue.

How to apply

Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.

We review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.

Wave is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.