Background

RwandAir Ltd is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda. It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East from its main base at Kigali International Airport. Our mission is to provide unsurpassed, safe, and reliable services in air transportation, including strategically linking Rwanda with the outside world while ensuring a fair return on investment. As part of the expansion strategy, we are looking for interested, qualified, and competent candidates to fill the following position:

Job Purpose

The Senior Manager, Communications owns everything RwandAir says about itself and everywhere it shows up in person. The sub-function carries three things the airline cannot outsource: the corporate narrative and the reputation behind it, the media and content that carry it, and the events and exhibitions where the brand is met face to face. It also carries the crisis obligation — when the Emergency Response Plan activates, this is the chain that speaks.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic

• Collaborate with internal teams and external agencies to create high-impact campaigns that align with the airline’s transformation objectives.
• Ensure brand consistency across all communication channels (internally and externally).
• Manage external agencies, media partners, and corporate sponsors to amplify brand impact.
• Owns the RwandAir corporate narrative and the messaging house from which all corporate communication derives.
• Owns the reputation strategy and the communications plan for the joint venture, the Bugesera transition and the four-star journey.
• Owns the events and exhibitions strategy — which platforms RwandAir appears on, and to what commercial end.
• Owns the content creation proposition: the editorial, photographic and video assets that carry the corporate story.
• Accountable for share of voice and earned media value in core markets.
• Accountable for qualified commercial leads generated through trade events and exhibitions, passed to Sales.
• Owns the PR agency, content production and events budgets and the return delivered on them.

Operational - Communication and Public Relations

• Develop and implement a comprehensive corporate communications strategy to enhance RwandAir’s reputation and stakeholder engagement.
• Oversee media relations, crisis communication, and executive messaging, ensuring positive public perception.
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on corporate messaging and external communications.
• Monitor media coverage, social sentiment, and industry trends to proactively manage RwandAir’s brand.
• Owns media and press relations — proactive placement, reactive handling and the media relationship itself. RwandAir speaks to media through this unit only.
• Owns executive communications: speeches, briefing notes, interview preparation and platform appearances for the CEO and ExCo.
• Owns internal and employee communications, including transformation and change communication.
• Owns PR agency management and content creation — editorial, photography and video production.
• Delivers inaugural flights, trade shows, exhibitions, roadshows, corporate hospitality and sponsorship activations to Marketing's brief.
• Owns issues management — spotting and handling reputational matters before they become crises.
• Owns the communications limb of the Emergency Response Plan. On ERP activation this role reports directly to the CEO and the Accountable Manager except if communicated otherwise.
• Owns the approvals matrix and spokesperson accreditation; no RwandAir employee speaks to media outside it.
• Ensures event supplier contracting, insurance and duty-of-care obligations are met at RwandAir-hosted events.
• Holds the line against commercially convenient statements that create reputational or regulatory exposure.
• Perform all other duties assigned by Line Manager.

Management & Leadership

• Establish the department or teams objectives and priorities to align with and support business objectives.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Communications, and Events, fostering innovation and excellence.
• Work cross-functionally with Commercial, Customer Experience, and Operations teams to ensure a seamless brand experience.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in customer experience.
• Oversee budgeting, performance tracking, and ROI measurement for all marketing and communication initiatives.
• Train and develop other employees, to ensure succession planning is in place.
• Commit to and contribute towards the development of Rwandan National talent, by coaching the Rwandan National developees, preparing them for a career with boundless potential.

Minimum Standard Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or a related field.or Equivalent 8 years of job-related experience.

Essential

• Minimum 8 years in corporate communications, public relations or journalism, of which at least 3 leading a team.
• Demonstrable experience of a live reputational event or crisis, in a role of responsibility.
• Event or exhibition programme ownership at scale.
• Aviation, transport, FMCG, Hospitality, or another safety-critical regulated sector strongly preferred.
• Strong expertise in integrated marketing, media relations, and customer engagement strategies.
• Proven ability to lead high-impact initiatives in an organization undergoing transformation and expansion.
• Knowledge of digital marketing, customer loyalty trends, and crisis communication.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving airline environment and drive strategic initiatives.

Preferred

• Masters Degree is a plus.

Other Desired Competencies & Skills

Job Specific Skills:

Essential

• Media relations at national and international level, including reactive handling under pressure.
• Crisis communications and emergency response practice — trained and exercised, not theoretical.
• Corporate and executive writing: speeches, statements, briefing notes, board narrative.
• Internal and change communications for a distributed, multilingual workforce.
• Content production oversight — editorial, photography and video.
• Event programme management, from inaugural flights to international trade exhibitions.
• Composure and judgement during a live occurrence — the single most important quality in this post.
• Credible with the CCO, CEO and the ExCo as an adviser, not a press-release writer.
• Delivers flagship events attended by government and shareholder principals without escalating every problem on the day.
• The communications limb of an airline Emergency Response Plan, and the role of the Accountable Manager.
• What may never be said publicly about an occurrence, incident or investigation.
• The political sensitivity of a state-owned flag carrier, and where communications ends and government relations begins.
• Inaugural flight protocol and the aviation trade calendar — Routes, WTM, ITB and regional shows

• Collaborate with internal teams and external agencies to create high-impact campaigns that align with the airline’s transformation objectives.
• Ensure brand consistency across all communication channels (internally and externally).
• Manage external agencies, media partners, and corporate sponsors to amplify brand impact.
• Owns the RwandAir corporate narrative and the messaging house from which all corporate communication derives.
• Owns the reputation strategy and the communications plan for the joint venture, the Bugesera transition and the four-star journey.
• Owns the events and exhibitions strategy — which platforms RwandAir appears on, and to what commercial end.
• Owns the content creation proposition: the editorial, photographic and video assets that carry the corporate story.
• Accountable for share of voice and earned media value in core markets.
• Accountable for qualified commercial leads generated through trade events and exhibitions, passed to Sales.
• Owns the PR agency, content production and events budgets and the return delivered on them.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive corporate communications strategy to enhance RwandAir’s reputation and stakeholder engagement.
• Oversee media relations, crisis communication, and executive messaging, ensuring positive public perception.
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on corporate messaging and external communications.
• Monitor media coverage, social sentiment, and industry trends to proactively manage RwandAir’s brand.
• Owns media and press relations — proactive placement, reactive handling and the media relationship itself. RwandAir speaks to media through this unit only.
• Owns executive communications: speeches, briefing notes, interview preparation and platform appearances for the CEO and ExCo.
• Owns internal and employee communications, including transformation and change communication.
• Owns PR agency management and content creation — editorial, photography and video production.
• Delivers inaugural flights, trade shows, exhibitions, roadshows, corporate hospitality and sponsorship activations to Marketing's brief.
• Owns issues management — spotting and handling reputational matters before they become crises.
• Owns the communications limb of the Emergency Response Plan. On ERP activation this role reports directly to the CEO and the Accountable Manager except if communicated otherwise.
• Owns the approvals matrix and spokesperson accreditation; no RwandAir employee speaks to media outside it.
• Ensures event supplier contracting, insurance and duty-of-care obligations are met at RwandAir-hosted events.
• Holds the line against commercially convenient statements that create reputational or regulatory exposure.
• Perform all other duties assigned by Line Manager.
• Establish the department or teams objectives and priorities to align with and support business objectives.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Communications, and Events, fostering innovation and excellence.
• Work cross-functionally with Commercial, Customer Experience, and Operations teams to ensure a seamless brand experience.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in customer experience.
• Oversee budgeting, performance tracking, and ROI measurement for all marketing and communication initiatives.
• Train and develop other employees, to ensure succession planning is in place.
• Commit to and contribute towards the development of Rwandan National talent, by coaching the Rwandan National developees, preparing them for a career with boundless potential.

• Media relations at national and international level, including reactive handling under pressure.
• Crisis communications and emergency response practice — trained and exercised, not theoretical.
• Corporate and executive writing: speeches, statements, briefing notes, board narrative.
• Internal and change communications for a distributed, multilingual workforce.
• Content production oversight — editorial, photography and video.
• Event programme management, from inaugural flights to international trade exhibitions.
• Composure and judgement during a live occurrence — the single most important quality in this post.
• Credible with the CCO, CEO and the ExCo as an adviser, not a press-release writer.
• Delivers flagship events attended by government and shareholder principals without escalating every problem on the day.
• The communications limb of an airline Emergency Response Plan, and the role of the Accountable Manager.
• What may never be said publicly about an occurrence, incident or investigation.
• The political sensitivity of a state-owned flag carrier, and where communications ends and government relations begins.
• Inaugural flight protocol and the aviation trade calendar — Routes, WTM, ITB and regional shows
• Integrated marketing
• Customer engagement strategies
• Digital marketing
• Customer loyalty trends

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or a related field.or Equivalent 8 years of job-related experience.
• Minimum 8 years in corporate communications, public relations or journalism, of which at least 3 leading a team.
• Demonstrable experience of a live reputational event or crisis, in a role of responsibility.
• Event or exhibition programme ownership at scale.
• Aviation, transport, FMCG, Hospitality, or another safety-critical regulated sector strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to lead high-impact initiatives in an organization undergoing transformation and expansion.
• Knowledge of crisis communication.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving airline environment and drive strategic initiatives.
• Masters Degree is a plus.