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Namati
Marketing & Communications, Operations
Nairobi, Kenya · Remote
Seeking a visionary leader to grow the global movement for grassroots justice
About the position
Namati advances a fairer, more sustainable world by building a movement of people who know, use, and shape the law. We work deeply in seven countries—from Myanmar to the United States—and we convene the world’s largest network of justice defenders, with members in 185 countries.
In the face of grave threats to democracy and our planet, we are getting creative and going big. Recent wins include the abolition of a decades-old discriminatory ID system in Kenya and a re-write of the global rules governing carbon projects. This year we’re launching the Grassroots Justice Network Academy, with a goal of strengthening movements in 100 countries.
We are looking for a communications visionary who can help us meet this moment. You will work closely with our CEO, Vivek Maru, and the rest of the Namati team to establish Namati as an unignorable voice in global conversations on democracy and climate. You’ll engage diverse constituencies to invite action, solidarity, and participation in the movement for grassroots justice.
As Managing Director of Strategic Communications, you will lead a growing, values-driven team to drive high-quality execution across all types of content including written, visual, and multimedia. You will be responsible for elevating Namati’s voice, generating meaningful relationships with media and global changemakers, and guiding public-facing strategy for campaigns, thought leadership, and product launches. This role requires balancing decentralized program communications with cohesive organizational storytelling that reflects our collective voice and values. The ideal candidate will bring vision, strategic clarity, and disciplined execution, anchored by direct engagement (and regular travel) with our teams and allies globally.
Who You Are
A strategic architect who connects the dots others can't see. Across borders, movements, and issues, you weave disparate threads into a galvanizing narrative that can move institutions, shift resources, and drive collective action at scale.
A grounded strategist. You value travel for what it enables: trust-building with teams, deeper insight into local realities and external opportunities, and strategy that is informed by and responsive to frontline work.
A collaborator and coach. You lead with humility, confidence, and empathy. You bring out the best in others, and foster a culture of excellence, accountability, curiosity, and joy.
A storyteller with moral conviction. You help us tell the biggest story possible about our work. You bring heart and clarity to complex issues and translate grassroots realities for global audiences without losing nuance. Your stories shift people’s sense of what's possible.
Media savvy and digitally fluent. You have warm relationships that span the media ecosystem. You know what will break through the noise and what will sustain momentum across platforms and news cycles.
Experience & Qualifications
We anticipate the successful candidate will bring these qualifications, but they are not strict requirements. We're looking for vision, dynamism, and a proven track record of bold impact.
12+ years of professional experience, including proven experience leading strategic communications strategies and teams, ideally at a mission-driven organization. Deep expertise in campaigns and media is also required. At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in the responsibilities outlined below.
Experience managing high-performing, diverse teams across wide geographies.
Experience developing and executing media strategy to shape policy and public discourse, proactively securing high-impact placements.
Experience navigating complex political, operational, and interpersonal dynamics. Bonus if you’ve led rapid-response and crisis communications.
You write with clarity, specificity, and moral force. You have published in prominent outlets and you’re an excellent editor.
Experience overseeing digital strategy, building a substantial and aligned social media following, and converting that audience into meaningful engagement. If you have grown an engaged following or membership by an order of magnitude, we are especially interested in speaking with you.
Native or near-native fluency in English; additional languages and visual storytelling skills are a plus.
Prior experience in legal empowerment, human rights, environmental justice, or international development is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
Lead a global strategy grounded in local realities
Architect and drive a communications strategy that establishes Namati and the Grassroots Justice Network as an authoritative voice on community-led solutions to democracy and climate crises, shaping how global institutions, media, and movements understand and invest in grassroots justice
Closely partner with other senior leaders at Namati (including the CEO and COO) to ensure that the communications strategy and organizational strategy are closely aligned and responsive to each other.
Set and drive bold visibility goals that position Namati and the Grassroots Justice Network as leading voices in the global democracy and climate space, including tailored strategies for key audiences such as civic associations, policy makers, funders, businesses, and global institutions.
Develop and lead, where appropriate, strategic initiatives to grow the movement of grassroots justice advocates and its supporters, such as launching a multimedia magazine or a signature global event for grassroots justice.
Collaborate closely with cross-cutting and country program teams to shape the storyline, framing, and presentation of new learning and research about legal empowerment and grassroots justice, ensuring it resonates with diverse audiences and supports the Grassroots Justice Network Academy’s goals.
Lead a high-performing team and build a strong editorial culture
Oversee and grow a world-class, globally distributed communications team of 5 that collaborates with nearly all teams at Namati and covers areas such as media and campaigns, creative and strategic communications, and digital impact and strategy. Foster a culture of excellence, creativity, and accountability. Ensure the team has the resources they need to execute the strategy with excellence.
Set the standard for high-impact writing, personally authoring high-stakes content such as key press releases or features, while guiding teams to craft high-quality written work that reflects Namati’s values and advances strategic goals.
Ensure that systems for collaboration, learning, and performance tracking are aligned with strategic goals–even when you are not in the weeds day-to-day.
Grow the movement for grassroots justice through media and public engagement
Cultivate and manage high-value relationships with journalists, influencers, high-profile advocates, and narrative leaders, to elevate the profile of Vivek, Namati, the Grassroots Justice Network Academy, and legal empowerment.
Lead media strategy and crisis communications, including reputational risk anticipation and response planning.
Serve as a senior spokesperson for the organization. Coach other colleagues – including community paralegals, program leads, and executive leadership – to speak and write publicly with confidence and clarity.
Shape strategy and public narrative for time-bound campaigns and advocacy surges that command public attention, in collaboration with Namati teams and external partners.
Lead audience-specific marketing strategy for the Grassroots Justice Network Academy, including marketing for income-generating products.
Guide the public positioning of Namati’s CEO and executive team, including promotion of the CEO’s forthcoming book.
Partner with our Resource Mobilization team to develop content and messaging that resonates with institutional funders and individual donors, and to secure dedicated funding for strategic communications work.
Here’s what you might have tackled last month:
Provided strategic input on the global land, environment, and climate team’s private sector-facing communications campaign, highlighting the importance of community leadership and rights in carbon projects.
Led a collaborative envisioning session with the Network, Strategic Engagement, Resource Mobilization, and country teams to shape the creative vision for the next phase of the Grassroots Justice Network Academy.
Traveled to Freetown, Sierra Leone to align with program staff and partners on regional and global storytelling priorities and listen for emerging narratives from the field.
Secured a feature in The Guardian highlighting Namati’s carbon justice work, after weeks of relationship-building with a key journalist and coordinating interviews with frontline advocates across multiple countries.
Spoke on a global panel alongside climate and democracy leaders, positioning Namati as a leader in legal empowerment and generating new inquiries from media and funders.
Provided detailed editorial feedback on an op-ed co-authored by a community paralegal and Namati’s CEO, as part of a broader effort to elevate frontline voices in global media.
Location & Travel
We’re looking for a successful candidate to be based in Nairobi, Kenya, or one of the following locations in the United States: CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, or WA.
Please note that US-based candidates must already be legally eligible to work in the United States to be considered for the role; Namati cannot sponsor visas.
If the successful candidate is based in/near Washington DC or Nairobi, they will follow Namati’s hybrid office policy, which calls for staff to report to the office two days per week between Tuesday and Thursday.
The role requires up to 20% travel, including internationally. Travel requirements may change over time based on evolving priorities. The successful candidate will be expected to sometimes work non-standard hours to accommodate the various time zones of Namati’s teams.
Compensation Package
We base our compensation on the markets where our staff operate. Because this position is open in multiple locations, we will communicate transparently with candidates early in the process about the prospective offer range for the candidate’s location. Throughout the hiring process we will seek to understand your specific skills, experience, and abilities as they will fit into our team and our job levels. We will finalize pay and responsibilities based on the qualifications, experience, and country location of the person joining.
We also offer excellent benefits: while the exact terms vary somewhat based on location, they always include health coverage, generous paid time off, retirement or old-age plan contributions, sick leave, and parental leave. All staff also have access to funds for professional development opportunities.
How to Apply
Please apply by completing our online application form. No phone calls, please. Namati is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
About Namati
Since 2012, Namati has worked to build a movement of grassroots justice advocates worldwide. We’ve grown from a small founding group of change-makers to a global staff of 170+ people across 12 time zones in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The Grassroots Justice Network, which we co-founded and convene to this day, has grown from 30 people in one room to the world’s largest community of justice advocates, with membership from 4,200 organizations across 190 countries.
Since our founding, we have supported local communities to take on thousands of justice issues, directly improving the lives of over 5 million people, protecting over 3 million acres of forests and grasslands, and strengthening rights for over 155 million people. Together with communities, partners, and Network members, we’ve envisioned - and won- transformative changes, like the Customary Land Rights and National Land Commission Acts of Sierra Leone, and the world’s first Legal Empowerment Fund.
Namati has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The American Journal of Law and Equality, TED, DW, The Economist, Amanpour & Co., The Baltimore Sun, The Telegraph, and Open Global Rights, among other outlets. We’ve received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Global Pluralism Award, and the 2030 Racial Equity Prize, among other honors. Documentaries about our work have been screened at film festivals, government offices, museums, in communities, and beyond.
As we move into our next phase, we’re growing our global team of passionate, results-oriented, big-hearted advocates, united by a common mission and a strong culture, which you can read more about here.
