Regional Content Manager

Role overview

This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya and is a full-time role. The compensation level will be discussed during the hiring process. The role is classified as Risk Level 3, which means it may involve frequent interaction with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive information, and/or a high degree of accountability.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian and development organization driven by the belief that a better future is achievable. Across more than 35 countries, the organization works in difficult and crisis-affected settings to help communities overcome adversity and build lasting resilience.

Team context

The Global Communications Team strengthens Mercy Corps’ visibility and influence through strategic storytelling and media engagement. The team works across global platforms to raise awareness of the organization’s work, build credibility, and position leaders and subject-matter experts as trusted voices. It operates within the Philanthropic Growth & Engagement department, which focuses on growing flexible funding, expanding donor relationships, and protecting the organization’s reputation through strong communications, fundraising, and digital engagement.

Role summary

The Regional Content Manager will act as Mercy Corps’ lead storyteller for Africa, translating field realities into compelling, community-centered content. Based in the region, the role will gather and produce high-quality stories, photos, videos, and digital-first assets that support fundraising, marketing, media outreach, and brand-building goals. The position works closely with country teams, regional leadership, and global communications and fundraising colleagues to keep a steady flow of timely content, strengthen storytelling capability across the region, and respond quickly to urgent opportunities or crises.

Key responsibilities

The role combines strategy, content production, coordination, and capacity building. It requires shaping a regional content approach, leading multimedia storytelling, managing content requests and field coordination, coaching country teams, and collaborating across departments to ensure content supports organizational priorities and audience engagement goals.

Content strategy and planning

• Design and implement a regional content approach that supports organizational priorities, fundraising aims, media opportunities, and the Prosper Global brand.
• Spot and develop storytelling opportunities across country programs, campaigns, emergencies, and strategic initiatives.
• Maintain a content pipeline that serves marketing, communications, fundraising, media, and donor engagement needs.
• Work with global communications, marketing, fundraising, and creative teams to forecast content needs and prioritize collection efforts.
• Assist in planning content for major organizational milestones, campaigns, crises, and brand activities.

Content creation and storytelling

• Lead the gathering and production of strong multimedia assets, including photographs, videos, written stories, interviews, and social-first materials.
• Capture stories that are timely, impactful, and centered on the voices of communities and program participants.
• Create content tailored for digital channels, social media, fundraising, donor communications, media, and brand awareness.
• Coordinate freelance photographers, videographers, writers, and other creative contributors when needed.
• Ensure all outputs meet Mercy Corps’ standards for quality, ethics, consent, safeguarding, and brand consistency.

Regional content pipeline and support

• Serve as the main regional contact for content requests and field-based content collection.
• Work with country teams to find story opportunities, arrange access, secure permissions, and organize field visits.
• Support global photography, media, and creative projects through advance planning, logistics, and on-the-ground assistance.
• Respond quickly to emergencies and fast-moving opportunities that require real-time content capture.
• Organize and maintain regional content assets for reuse across organizational platforms.

Capacity building and community storytelling

• Train and support country teams in identifying strong stories and producing user-generated content.
• Strengthen storytelling capability among program staff, communications focal points, and local partners.
• Promote approaches that respect dignity, agency, and local leadership in community storytelling.
• Create tools, guidance, and practical standards that improve content generation across the region.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Partner with marketing, fundraising, media relations, brand, and creative teams to increase the value of regional content.
• Contribute to donor communications, campaign development, media outreach, and thought leadership work.
• Help track content performance and improve storytelling effectiveness and audience engagement over time.

Safeguarding and ethics

This role requires active attention to safeguarding, consent, and ethical content practices. The selected candidate will be expected to understand safeguarding risks, apply mitigation measures in day-to-day work, and ensure that storytelling and media collection are aligned with Mercy Corps’ standards. The role also calls for respectful behavior, open communication, and use of reporting channels when concerns arise.

Accountability and reporting lines

The position reports to the Senior Manager, Africa Communications & Media. It works closely with the Global Communications Team, country and regional teams, and the Philanthropic Growth & Engagement team, including creative and marketing colleagues, as well as external content consultants and freelancers when required.

Participant accountability

Mercy Corps expects all team members to support accountability to program participants, community partners, stakeholders, and international standards that guide humanitarian and development work. The organization emphasizes community participation as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of field projects.

Qualifications and experience

A bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Media Production, International Development, or a related discipline is preferred. The role calls for at least five years of professional experience in communications, journalism, content production, storytelling, digital media, or a similar area. Candidates should bring strong multimedia production ability, including video, photography, and written storytelling, along with excellent interviewing, editing, and narrative-development skills. Experience in complex international settings, preferably in humanitarian or development environments, is important. Prior responsibility for managing freelancers, vendors, or creative projects is also expected. Familiarity with social media, digital content strategy, audience engagement, and performance measurement is beneficial. Experience with photography, video tools, editing software, and digital content management systems is preferred. Frequent travel within the region, including to remote and difficult operating environments, is required.

Success profile

The right candidate will be a proactive storyteller with strong relationship-building skills and the ability to turn complex program work into clear, audience-focused content for media and supporters. They should be organized, collaborative, creative, and comfortable working in fast-changing environments. Strong editorial judgment, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to ethical storytelling are essential. Success in this role depends on balancing strategic planning with hands-on production while consistently elevating community voices and supporting Mercy Corps’ growth objectives through authentic storytelling.

Working conditions

The role is based in Nairobi and involves up to 40% travel. Travel may include locations with security risks, restricted movement, and limited amenities.

Learning and development

Mercy Corps encourages continuous learning and expects team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that support personal and professional growth.

Team culture

The organization values collaboration, trust, respect, inclusion, and continuous improvement. It seeks to build strong teams by bringing together people with diverse experience and perspectives.

Equal opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants without discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Safeguarding, conduct, and ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to treating all individuals it works with respectfully and with dignity. The organization does not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment. Team members must follow local laws, respect customs, and comply with the Code of Conduct and related policies. Mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning must be completed on joining and again every year. Anyone who experiences or witnesses sexual misconduct during recruitment should report it through the Integrity Hotline.