Communications Manager

Task title: Communications Manager
PO number: 4500023022

Location:

• Brussels
• Remote location possible (this over-rules the stipulation in the Framework contract that “The Freelancer undertakes to provide the Services at the premises of the Customer …”)

Task objectives:

• The communications manager develops and implements a cohesive communications strategy to amplify AREA42’s mission, enhance its visibility, and engage key stakeholders effectively.
• The communications manager translates the AREA42 vision and strategy into publicly available content (website, social media profiles, blog posts, …) and uses these to increase awareness and recognition of AREA42 and its products.
• The communications manager oversees communications initiatives across digital, physical, and event platforms, ensuring consistency, quality, and alignment with company objectives.
• For the objectives above, the communications manager in the first instance relies on their own skills and experience but engages external suppliers when necessary.

Task responsibilities:
The communications manager works closely together with the Head of Operations in order to prioritise tasks and get approval for budgets.

The communications manager  is responsible for:

• Effectively translating AREA42’s (and its products) intended message to a specified audience.
• Formulating content strategies for AREA42 and its products’ websites and social media presence.
• Managing content accordingly by planning, researching, and writing clear, high quality, error-free and engaging content (blog posts, social media posts, presentations, event announcements,…) for online and offline presence.
• Following up on results of research and campaigns.
• Ensuring quality maintenance and timely evolution of the AREA42 and its products’ webpages.
• Ensuring the basic SEO standards are included in the written texts (blog, websites, social media, landing page copy, etc.) for AREA42 and its products.
• Tracking and following up on social media engagement.
• Input and review of AREA42’s marketing budget.
• Understanding the AREA42 target audience (users) and following up on trade and financial market trends. Sharing relevant insights with AREA42 in general and product, sales and/or innovations teams specifically.
• Acting as the main point of contact and liaison with AREA42’s external communications partnerships (e.g. relevant organisations, associations,..). Maintaining, seeking out, and evaluating quality mutually beneficial relationships.
• Leading on digital communications and/or marketing campaigns (e.g. ads campaigns) that support the objectives of AREA42 products.
• Following up on quality in delivery of existing marketing partners (i.e. agencies) and tools. Researching and testing new communications and marketing partnerships and tools.
• Managing the creation of physical-digital communications and marketing materials, including flyers, pitch decks, and other digital-physical assets.
• Researching, writing, reviewing, and/or distributing press releases/news announcements to media outlets to support AREA42 and its products’ brand awareness.
• Planning, organising, and managing AREA42’s participation in networking events. Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the AREA42’s presence is impactful and well-coordinated.
• Supporting the Office Manager in AREA42 recruitment and onboarding exercises.
  Investigating and planning a B2B payments training course for SMEs to be offered via business associations to increase AREA42 brand awareness and thought leadership.
• Collaborating with internal experts to ensure content is practical, impactful and deliverable.

Task deliverables & milestones: 

• Internal best practices for communications and/or marketing campaigns/tools are documented and shared with project/product leaders.
• Communications exercises and experiments  are set up in coordination with product, sales and/or innovations teams, and outcomes and learnings are documented and shared internally with relevant stakeholders.
• AREA42’s and its products website and social media profiles:
  • are well maintained and up to date.
  • have a clearly defined content strategy.
  • publish content according to the strategy.
• Content distributed by AREA42 and its products is:
  • written in (or translated into) error-free native-writer-level English, with approved exceptions documented in the content strategy.
  • in line with AREA42 vision and values (especially if produced by external partners).
  • Industry trends are researched and shared in a regularly distributed internal newsletter and through other relevant formats.

Next to all of the above, the communications manager is expected to:.

• Promote the vision and values of AREA42
• Lead by example

Desired experience:

• We prefer team culture over individual performance. This being said, here are a few qualities we may be looking for:
• Somebody who gets the job done.
• A passion for innovation and start-ups with a good understanding of the corporate world.
• 5+ years of experience in marketing and content, ideally in a mix of start-up and corporate environments.
• Native English writer (or equal by experience)
• Adaptable, with a good sense of priorities (and of humour)
• Proven project management skills.
• Excellent human relations, networker and team-player.
• Can handle success and failure, positive feedback as well as critiques.
• Understanding of B2B trade is a plus, experience with trade credit insurance is nice to have.

Salary range: 

• 250-900€/day
• Job subject to contract via proUnity (AREA42 procurement platform), with monthly timesheets and invoicing
• Invoices should be CC to invoices@area42.tech

Work hours, travel requirements, etc.:

• Work up to 230 days for this SoW. As a freelancer, you are free to choose when you wish to work with AREA42 or to take holidays.
• Travels to support the development of the SoW (occasionally when requested by AREA42).
• For administrative simplicity all travel assignments are arranged by AREA42 and also the costs are carried directly by AREA42.

Company description: AREA42
AREA42 vision: 
We work in a smooth B2B trade environment empowered by new technologies

At AREA42, we create, innovate, and manage solutions for a fluid, risk-savvy trade environment. We support companies who want to recode trade for the digital era.

Together with disruptors, technologists and visionaries, we build a more fertile trade environment. We co-design ambitious visions. We experiment and launch new solutions. We turn innovations into new growth engines.

We are backed by Credendo, the Export Credit Agency from Belgium and the most trusted leader in trade credit insurance and surety bonds.

​AREA42 Focus:
Our current investment thesis revolves around big untapped opportunities related to:

·      Platforms and marketplaces,

·      SMEs and freelancers,

·      Innovative credit data and machine learning,

·      Blockchain and other new trade paradigms. 

For us, success can be measured in the upgrades we offer to trade ecosystems. We do not see technology as an objective in itself, but we believe it is key to unlock radical improvements for trade and accompanying risk. We take inspiration from diverse universes. We try to hack things, fail sometimes, learn always, and thrive when we co-innovate with partners who share our passion.

AREA42 Structure:
AREA42 is an ecosystem with 2 highly complementary zones: AREA42 innovation lab and AREA42 accelerator. Each zone contributes to a successful AREA42 innovation ecosystem. 

·      Our innovation lab aims at growing a high-quality network of trusted partners, open to co-innovation and passionate about upgrading trade; it takes a lean start-up approach to experiment with new ideas and incubate them to become validated product concepts with a market fit. The learnings, successes and failures contribute to the feedback-loop and are shared with our network.

·      Our accelerator works like a growth factory. We take validated product concepts and turn them into new lines of business. Our accelerator team works with the same powerful means as the best high-growth start-ups in order to scale the most ambitious ventures in trade.

Our first basecamp is Brussels, but our playground is Europe and the world.

AREA42 Culture:
We are a diverse team based on 3 important values: respect, curiosity, and boldness. We believe in mutual trust, entrepreneurship, collective creativity, technological excellence and solid execution. For us, these values are essential to creating high-impact innovations, which we need to deliver successful long-term growth, which will help spread an innovation culture in trade.

Often, we do not know exactly what we are building. However, we always start with an exciting vision and we iterate as fast as possible to confront it with reality. We have faith in the science of experimentation and in the lean start-up approach. We invite and welcome innovators of all kinds to contribute and to have an impact. We share together the benefits of our successes.