Terms of Reference: Communication and Media Officer
Location: ACORD Headquarter, Nairobi,
Kenya
Some travelling within Africa and
internationally. National position.
Background
ACORD has
decentralised country offices in 17 African countries that work with
communities on livelihoods and food sovereignty, HIV/AIDS and the right to
health, peace building and women’s rights. ACORD also campaigns and engages in
advocacy on these issues at Pan African and international level.
ACORD believes
that people have a right to a just and equal society and is committed to making
that right a reality for people on the margins of African societies. We work in
common cause with people who are poor and those who have been denied their
rights to obtain social justice and development and be part of locally rooted
citizen movements.
Job Summary
ACORD is a
registered charity no.283302 in the UK with its Secretariat split between
Nairobi and London.
ACORD is
entirely grant funded with an average annual budget of GBP9 million per year.
ACORD was
created as a consortium of non-governmental development organisations in Europe
and Canada and the founding member organisations remain strategic partners of
ACORD.
The large
majority of ACORD funds are in the form of project restricted grants from
institutional donors, which we aim to evolve into multi-country strategic
grants.
ACORD has an
online donation facility on its website and aim to increase the number of
individual supporters. Work is also
underway to explore fundraising from corporations.
Communications
and dissemination lie at the heart of ACORD activities and Improving External
Communication is one of the 4 pillars of the 2011-2015 ACORD strategic
plan:ACORD will foster a robust communication strategy for ACORD’s impact and
added value underpinning its advocacy work and supporting fundraising.
More specific communication objectives is
to:
i) Enhance the
efficiency of ACORD’s people-centred advocacy campaigns;
ii) Increase
traffic on ACORD’s website, one of our most important and cost effective
communication tools;
iii) Get our
messages across on mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio or
television and new social media;
iv) Enhance the
visibility and image of ACORD, and help increase public awareness on the issues
we are working on;
v) Build
consistent and powerful branding at local, national, regional, Pan African and
international levels and increase ACORD brand awareness.
ACORD publishes
a wide range of materials every year for which the Communication and Media
Officer will be largely responsible.
ACORD also
relies on its website – www.acordinternational.org - and social media pages to
help the organisation achieve its mission with 3 main objectives for our online
communication: e-campaigning, e-fundraising and e-resource for civil society
and development practitioners.
ACORD works with
the media to disseminate information and contribute to changing attitudes and
policies towards achieving social justice.
The
Communication and Media Officer is responsible for ensuring successful
strategic media partnerships and for increasing visibility in the print and
online media at national and Pan African levels.
He/she will
collaborate extensively with colleagues across the organisation.
The role of the
Communication and Media Officer falls within ACORD’s Partnership Development
team and the post is reporting to the Communication Coordinator.
The position is
designed for an experienced and self-motivated person with a background in
editing/ writing and production of communications materials for international
development organisations, and experience of working with a corporate brand.
Under the direct supervision of the
Communication Coordinator:
·
Assist
ACORD with all its written (print and online) communications, including
adaptation of style in order to achieve maximum impact of messages
·
Assist
ACORD with developing and managing media relations and the organizational media
database at country and Pan African levels
·
Specifically
·
Edit,
finalise, oversee production, and ensure overall quality and consistency of a
range of publications including technical reports, annual reports, general and
targeted audience articles, information sheets, posters, thematic brochures,
presentations, and others, including rewriting and tailoring language for
different users, and supervision of editing consultants.
·
Edit/write
press releases and media background material
·
Support
country media work and develop a national and Pan African media database
·
Write/edit
material to enrich and update the ACORD website – primary responsible for ACORD
website updated content (news, country/thematic pages, blogs…)
·
Write
summaries and syntheses of ACORD countries and partners work for dissemination
·
Help
in evaluating material proposed for publication, and suggesting appropriate
forms for dissemination
·
Evaluate
branded items and ensure consistency of brand application
·
Offer
training to ACORD staff – in particular country staff - to support development
of writing and communication skills and in branding applications
·
Support
the development of new communications instruments
·
Contribute
to a culture of information sharing and organisational learning in partnership
development and communication
·
Any
emerging tasks within the Funding and Partnership Unit
·
Because
of the dynamic environment there might be a need to take on any emerging tasks
in agreement with the supervisor and as ACORD’s work in relation to Partnership
development, funding and communication keeps on evolving.
Required qualifications
·
Master’s
degree in journalism, mass communications or equivalent
·
Excellent
written and spoken English. French would be an advantage
·
At
least five years experience in editing and writing for development organisations
for a variety of media
·
Knowledge
of African media houses and preferably strong networks among African and
international press senior editors
·
Familiarity
with production and layout approaches
·
Familiarity
with the concept and application of a corporate design (brand) and of working
with brand guidelines
·
Excellent
inter-personal skills, and ability to work as a team member with colleagues of
different nationalities/cultural backgrounds
·
Fully
conversant with ICT and Microsoft or Mac applications
·
Ability
to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
·
Relevant
Knowledge and Skills
·
Excellent
collaboration and team work
·
Excellent
networking skills
·
Creativity,
innovation and ability to take initiative
·
Ability
to work well in a multicultural environment across different geographical
locations
·
Ability
to handle change and unpredictability
·
Ability
to deliver under pressure and to multi-task
·
Attention
to detail
·
Ability
to conceptualize and present ideas in a clear and convincing manner
·
Good
analytical and strategic skills
·
Good
understanding of the development challenges in Africa and trends in
communication, social media, advocacy and fundraising
Time Frame
The contract
will be for two years with possibility for extension.
On the basis of
this broad TORs an individual operating plan with specific deliverables within
the team and organisational workplan will be agreed with the supervisor
Remuneration: A
competitive national package
How to apply
Are you the one
for this job?
Submit your
application by completing the application form available at
www.acordinternational.org and e-mail it with a detailed Curriculum Vitae and
cover letter to recruit@acordinternational.org with the Job Title in the Subject
Box. A detailed Job Description is also available on the website.
Closing Date:
2nd August 2013
Thank you for
your interest in ACORD’s work!
ACORD. Defending
rights. Promoting justice.
