Communication Senior Officer

Job title:	Senior Officer, Communication
Unit/dept/delegation:	Communication Department, Eastern Africa Regional Representation, Nairobi
Reports to:	Advocacy advisor Communications Manager, Africa – technical line manager

Purpose

Reporting to the Advocacy advisor for Eastern Africa, with a technical reporting line to the communications manager for Africa, this position will:

·         be responsible for media relations, proactively pitching stories, not only during emergencies but also regarding ‘silent disasters’, and by providing media kits and briefs on key humanitarian issues relevant to International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and NS work

·         support the communications needs and capacity building of the fifteen Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies (NS) served by the Nairobi regional office (covering East Africa, the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean Islands)

·         help profile the work of the NS while positioning the IFRC as a trusted source of information and opinion on our global and African priorities

·         work closely with the IFRC East Africa program team to support their work and highlight impacts

·         support the regional representative in writing briefs, talking points, Q&A and speeches

·         support colleagues on various pan-African communications projects and liaise with Geneva, through the IFRC Communications Manager, Africa, on global projects and campaigns

·         serve as an agent of innovation and social mobilization with a focus on youth and beneficiaries.

·         develop and coordinate IFRC publications including situation reports, regional monthly newsletter for an external audience, Africa Reportage, annual reports, policy briefs, key messages, case studies and any other communication materials as required

·         coordinate with communication counterparts in other organisations through regional communication meetings and other opportunities

·         support the coordination and organization of events for IFRC and NS, as required.

The post holder will support emergency response situations as they arise with fast, accurate media work with strategic impact, in close collaboration with the Africa Zone Communications Manager, producing  multimedia stories for IFRC’s website.

Key duties and responsibilities

Develop a regional communication strategy that will address the following:

Media Relations -Reacting and responding/ taking a proactive approach/ networking

·         Build and sustain relationships with members of the international press and other professional communications networks in the region. Maintain a database of national and international journalists and media contacts; ensure they receive press releases etc

·         Monitor media trends in the region

·         Pitch stories and identify media needs and offer adequate options for media tours to IFRC and NS operations/programmes

·         Assist in the development and maintenance of a roster of credible Red Cross and Red Crescent spokespersons

Capacity building and support to NS

·         Provide support to National Societies communications teams in the production of their own plans and budgets

·         Work closely with information and communications colleagues in the National Societies to facilitate the development of their relationship with the media, production of communications materials etc

·         Support NS in time of emergencies

Raise IFRC and NS in East Africa profile and serve as an agent of innovation and social mobilization with a focus on youth and beneficiaries

• Use innovative methods and new communication technologies to deliver a multimedia strategy that communicates on IFRC’s work and impacts while giving youth and beneficiaries a voice

·         Design and create high quality communications materials that result in broad visibility of IFRC and NS humanitarian impacts, based on evidence from the field

·         Reach out to a wide audience, especially youth, through the use of the latest communication technologies such as web communications, social media and virtual communities, in line with IFRC's Strategy 2020

·         Liaise with the IFRC Communications Manager, Africa to support global campaigns

·         Coordinate with communication counterparts in other organisations

·         Maintain a database on key stakeholders, communications and advocacy working groups, donors and decisions makers in east Africa and ensure key messages are communicated in the right forums

Internal communication and support

• Develop regional plans and budget to provide communications support

·         Support the Regional Representative in matters of official communication, speeches, and communication material for meeting with key stakeholders and donors

·         Develop a communication calendar with key regional and international dates and events

·         Respond in a timely fashion to routine enquiries from the press and requests from other parts of the Movement for information

·         Write articles for internal and external Red Cross publications, including Africa Reportage, online channels such as www.ifrc.org or other corporate/internal platforms

·         During field trips write case studies and take photographs to document the IFRC/NS programmes and share these with the media as appropriate

·         Work closely with programme teams, secure and use their resources efficiently to ensure that quality promotional/marketing materials are produced to highlight our actions and impacts to partners and the general public

·         Maintain a database of publishers, designers, videographers, photographers and other specialist technical communications contacts. When appropriate propose the services of these freelancers to the various departments, IFRC representations and/or NS

·         Inform Federation colleagues of their responsibilities in relation to the media, corporate communication and disseminate guidance on this

  

Duties applicable to all staff

• Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation's goals
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross Red Crescent principles
• Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

               

Impact of Results: Through identifying and supporting the communication needs of National Societies in IFRC East Africa region, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, donors and beneficiaries, IFRC’s profile, as well as that of the NS, will be raised especially after promoting IFRC’s key issues, and promoting the voices of the communities in which IFRC works.

Required Qualifications

Education

• University degree, preferably in media studies, public relations and/or communication related

Experience

·         Minimum 5 years experience of working in communication in a similar position

·         Professional experience working for the Red Cross/Red Crescent

Skills and Knowledge

·         Sound knowledge and proven experience in office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), web based management systems

·         Proven experience with web communications, social media and virtual communities

·         Proven experience in large and complex emergencies response

·         Experience of working in a cross-cultural and cross-functional environment

·         Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing communications strategies

·         Strong interpersonal and problem solving skills and good understanding of the global organization

·         Ability to manage and deliver communication strategies in a challenging environment.

·         Excellent communication skills, writing skills and ability to provide authoritative advice

·         Good understanding of humanitarian challenges affecting East Africa

·         Sensitivity to challenging political contexts

·         Knowledge of video gathering and editing, an asset

Language

·         Fluency in both spoken and written English

·         Working knowledge of French

Competencies

·         Ability to work in a team and coordinate with others

·         Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple tasks

·         High degree of integrity, discretion, and personal conduct

·         Flexible and adaptable to changing working conditions

·         Self-motivated, with good judgment and initiative

·         Good verbal and written communication skills

·         Good interpersonal skills

·         Ability and willingness to support and help others

·         Sensitivity to diversity

·         Good level of attention to detail

• Innovation
• Demonstrates commitment to IFRC’s mission, vision and values.

·         Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Submission of applications:

Applications, CV and cover letter should be submitted by email to hr.eastafrica@ifrc.org; to be received not later than March 29^th 2013.

Kindly note that due to the large volumes of applications received;

1. Only e-mail applications will be accepted

2. Received applications will be short-listed on an on-gong basis

3. Only short listed candidates will be contacted