Senior Communications Manager - MENA

Danone; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a talented communications professional to lead their Internal & External communications agenda in the MENA region. This role involves developing strategic communication plans, managing projects, and fostering relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have strong written and verbal skills, a background in project management, and a passion for storytelling. Join a dynamic team that values empowerment and collaboration, and contribute to a mission of bringing health through food to as many people as possible. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the narrative of a leading food company and make a significant impact in the region.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Empowerment and autonomy

Open culture and environment

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years experience in a Communications role.
• Prior experience in people management is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal and external communications for the Specialized Nutrition Business.
• Manage projects and events, ensuring effective communication strategies.

Skills

Exceptional written and verbal skills

Digital / social media planning

Project management

Event management and coordination

Relationship building

Creative and strategic vision

Crisis communications

Photoshop / InDesign / Canva

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Communications

Public Relations or Corporate Affairs degree

Job description

Danone is looking for a talented communications professional based in Dubai, UAE, to lead the Internal & External communications agenda for its Specialized Nutrition Business, in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The person will carry out the below responsibilities :

A- Internal Communication

• Build tailored communications strategy on internal platforms and global / regional channels to keep employees informed of Danone’s business priorities in a clear, effective and cohesive manner.
• Coordinate and communicate with internal stakeholders and MENA leadership team regularly to develop creative communication plans, announcements, and share information / policies / learnings / events, reinforcing the Danone culture, mission and values.
• Conceptualize and implement internal communications plan that inspires and builds employee ambassadorship and strong employer branding.
• Correspond on regional communications and work with global teams on key annual projects like Danone Day, Danone People Survey, and locally on Organizational Announcements, Inclusive Diversity, World Quality Day, Above & Beyond Program, Danone Way.
• Develop strong PowerPoint presentations to visually report business performance, key events and launches, and other business-related announcements.
• Write and animate published materials for email communication, intranet, article production, scripts etc. with an ability to influence and inspire audiences.
• Work closely and collaboratively with multi-functional teams on key reports, dashboards, and GS presentations.

B- External Communication

• Develop Danone MENA brand narratives and storytelling leveraging global and local priorities and deliver PR strategies to support with company announcements.
• Liaise and collaborate with media, key stakeholders, and government authorities accordingly to build company reputation and shape stories.
• Cultivate strong relationships to ensure company reputation and represent Danone to external stakeholders positively.
• Consistently anticipate and introduce communication trends and opportunities (e.g., social media, AI).
• Liaise with creative agency / PR agency for events and materials as required.
• Develop articles for Danone LinkedIn corporate page highlighting MENA stories.

C- Event and project management

• Manage projects against defined project plan (e.g., Danone Way annual sustainability assessment, B Corp certification, etc).
• Manage the largest annual event for all employees with a project team, developing brand theme and agenda, speakers and event flow, all event communication to all employees, and ability to MC at the event.
• Manage all event logistics, budgets, agenda, and speakers for internal events in MENA region (e.g., Town Halls, Danone Day, etc).
• Regular maintenance and development of content for the Danone MENA corporate website.
• Mentor and lead the Communications Coordinator on all upcoming key activations and plans, supporting on animating and developing announcements.
• Ensure the facilitation of team’s career growth and ambitions in line with the GS team objectives.

About You

To be successful in the role you should ideally have :

Education & Experience

• 3-5+ years experience in a Communications role
• Prior experience in people management is a plus
• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Corporate Affairs or a similar degree.

Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal and presentation skills
• Digital / social media planning and activation
• Excellent project management skills
• Excellent event management and coordination
• Strong ability to build strong relationships inside and outside the organization
• Creative, strategic vision and collaborative mindset
• Experienced in crisis communications and management
• Photoshop / InDesign / Canva (basic knowledge advantageous)

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic are mandatory
• Proficiency in French is a plus

Mobility

Candidates should be open to move within the region or outside the region with Danone in 3-4 years if such an opportunity will arise which will contribute to his / her career growth.

Location : Dubai, UAE.

About Us, We offer and What's next

Danone is a world-leading food company operating in three business divisions: Fresh Dairy Products, Specialized Nutrition, and Waters.

Danone’s mission is Bringing health through food to as many people as possible and we want to invite people to join the movement for a healthier world. We recognize the power people have in impacting the world through their daily choices. Each time we eat and drink, we vote for the world we want to live in. We believe a healthy body needs healthy food. And healthy food needs a healthy planet and this is what our new signature One Planet One Health embodies.

We offer Working in Danone MENA is one of the best places to build a strong career through everyday learning, empowerment, and team collaboration in an open culture & environment. Our culture fosters autonomy and empowerment, where your everyday can be a fresh adventure - full of new possibilities and opportunities for your development.

Danone MENA doesn’t just welcome what makes you unique, we value it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, where all hires to our team are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We recruit, employ, train, and promote regardless of race, color, religion, disability, sex, national origin, age, genetic characteristic, or any other protected status. Faithful to our values of openness and humanism, all of our employees share in the commitment to engage one another with dignity and respect.

So, if you are the Communications Manager, MENA we are looking for, Click on “Apply” now!