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Youth Capital – Communications Lead

Position:

Communications Lead

Type:

Indefinite term contract

Location

Claremont, Cape Town

Vacancy application deadline:

July 18, 2026

Role

Are you a strategic communicator who understands the power of stories to shift narratives, influence decision-makers, and inspire collective action? Do you thrive at designing campaigns, growing communities, translating complex ideas into simple, relatable but compelling content, and building public support for social change?

Youth Capital is looking for a Communications Lead to strengthen and amplify our growing national voice. This role sits at the intersection of communications, advocacy, and movement-building; ensuring that young people’s experiences, ideas, and solutions are visible in public discourse and influence the decisions that affect their lives. The Communications Lead will be responsible for developing and implementing Youth Capital’s communications strategy, growing our community, strengthening our media presence, and leading a small communications team to deliver impactful campaigns that advance Youth Capital’s advocacy goals.

Minimum requirements

  • A relevant degree related to the work, and its output
  • Strong background in communications, campaigns, advocacy, journalism, public engagement, or brand strategy, with at least 5 – 7 years of relevant experience.
  • Proven track record in designing and implementing integrated communications strategies across digital and offline platforms.
  • Experience working in the development, social justice, public interest, philanthropy, or civil society sector.
  • Experience managing and growing online communities.
  • Excellent writing, storytelling, and narrative-building skills, with the ability to translate complex policy, research, and lived experiences into accessible and compelling content.
  • Experience communicating evidence, research, and policy issues to non-technical audiences.
  • Strong experience in audience research, persona mapping, and designing user journeys.
  • Strong leadership skills, including experience managing small teams, budgets, and external suppliers.
  • Strong understanding of South Africa’s socio-economic and political context, particularly youth unemployment, inequality, education, livelihoods, and economic inclusion.
  • Experience working with advocacy campaigns, public participation initiatives, or movement-building efforts.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including young people, media, policymakers, civil society organisations, and funders.

Responsibilities

Strategic Vision

  • Contribute to the refinement and execution of Youth Capital’s overall communications and advocacy strategy.
  • Lead efforts to shape and strengthen public narratives around youth unemployment, economic inclusion, and young people’s participation in society.
  • Ensure that the team’s culture is informed by Youth Capital’s values and commitment to learning.
  • Share communications insights across the organisation and contribute to strategic decision-making.
  • Promote collaboration, experimentation, and continuous learning within the team.
  • Identify opportunities to strengthen Youth Capital’s visibility, influence, and impact.

Design & Manage Communications Strategy

  • Design and oversee Youth Capital’s communications strategy, ensuring that campaigns, media engagement, digital content, and community-building activities contribute to a coherent national narrative.
  • Work in partnership with the Multimedia Strategist to design and deliver impactful campaigns.
  • Conduct audience and user research to understand motivations, behaviours, and opportunities for engagement.
  • Design user journeys and calls to action that support participation, mobilisation, and advocacy objectives.
  • Collaborate closely with the Advocacy Strategist to ensure alignment between communications and advocacy priorities.
  • Translate complex policy, research, and lived experiences into compelling and accessible communications products.
  • Identify opportunities to elevate youth voices and lived experiences in public discourse.
  • Manage a portfolio of suppliers and service providers to ensure the delivery of high-quality communications products and assets.
  • Lead the monitoring, evaluation, and learning of communications activities.
  • Leverage media opportunities to increase visibility, influence public debate, and strengthen Youth Capital’s profile.

Online Community Development

  • Strategise, manage, and grow Youth Capital’s online community across platforms.
  • Design and map end-to-end user journeys, integrating insights from offline engagement and community organising.
  • Develop and oversee the mailer strategy, including database management, segmentation, POPIA compliance, and campaign implementation.
  • Monitor digital performance and use data and insights to improve engagement and reach.
  • Build meaningful relationships with Youth Capital’s supporters, partners, and broader community.
  • Support the development of a vibrant and engaged movement of young people and allies.

Budget Management

  • Develop and manage the communications budget in line with Youth Capital’s strategy and priorities.
  • Track expenditure and prepare regular budget reports.
  • Ensure value for money across communications activities, suppliers, and campaigns.

How to apply

Interested parties may submit their CVs and motivation letters by clicking here. You will be directed to our recruitment portal. Scroll to the bottom, click apply, complete the form and upload the required documents.

All applications must be received by 18 July 2026.

When you apply for a position at DGMT we collect information directly from you to help us find suitable candidates. We use your personal information to review your application, correspond with you, and arrange travel and accommodation for interviews, if applicable. We use the information about your race, gender, disability, and nationality to implement our employment equity plan under the Employment Equity Act. We may need to use third parties to help us verify some of the information you shared with us by contacting the references you provided and confirming your qualifications. For certain roles, we may do criminal and credit checks. For more information about how the DGMT uses personal information and your rights, see our Data Privacy Policy at www.dgmt.co.za

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