Job Summary
General
Expectations
- The Communications Officer will
be responsible for CICan’s communications activities in Kenya. This
includes communications requests coming from CICan, funders, and other
partners, managing social media and working with other CICan staff on
newsletters/digital briefs and communications products/promotional
materials. In addition, the Communications Officer will provide advice,
analysis of the promotional context and advice to support visibility of
CICan projects in Kenya. The communications officer will, upon request,
participate in events or meetings organised on various topical themes that
relate to CICan projects. In particular, the Communications Officer will
work closely with CICan and its partners to achieve effective visibility
and recognition of the impact of CICan projects.
Reporting
- The Communications Officer will
work under the direction of the Communications Specialist to support the
development, planning and implementation of program activities, and
coordination of day-to-day work. The Officer is also expected to work
closely with all other Kenyan and Canadian-based program staff including
the Manager of Operations, Senior Technical Advisors, Gender and Youth,
Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Specialists, Senior Program Officers,
Program Officers, Partnership Coordinators and Administrative staff. The
employee is expected to work with a high degree of independence and
autonomy.
- The position is expected to
involve some travel within Kenya.
Responsibilities
Social
Media (30%)
- Manage and grow CICan Kenya’s
social media engagement.
- Focus on content creation, basic
online graphics and development of products and messages for public access
and online platforms including project websites, Facebook, X, Instagram,
and other relevant social media platforms.
- Author brief social media
messages with corresponding links and source appropriate images for the
postings.
- Provide analytics, identify
trends and develop creative inputs in response.
- Review daily press and produce
media monitoring reports.
Event
Coverage/ Photography/ Videography (30%)
- Support and coordinate
photography and videography activities for field activities.
- Work closely with the Manager of
Operations, STAs and Communications Specialist to provide communication
and media support to events/workshops/meetings and conferences.
- Support CICan’s participation in
the Kenyan TVET sector coordination/ working groups by providing
communications and coordination support functions as guided and agreed to
by the Communications Specialist and Senior Technical Advisors.
- Engage in media calls and prepare
press kits.
- Take, edit and post photos and
videos.
- Build and maintain a library of
all photos and videos for CICan projects; a database with photos and
videos taken during events, which can be easily accessed by
classification. Update media contact lists.
- Prepare event specific media
monitoring reports.
- Gather content from the field.
- Work with other CICan staff and
partners to undertake field visits and to write impact stories/success
stories/case studies.
- Gather stories/interviews from
implementing partners and beneficiaries via field visits as directed by
the STAs and Manager of Operations.
- Produce stories from the field
projects that reflect CICan projects’ reach and impact with a
human-development interest focus for publishing.
- Prepare content for use in other
publications including annual reports, e-newsletters and brochures and
videos.
Implementation
of CICan Programs’ Communication Strategies (40%)
- Participate in the design and
support implementation of an effective and innovative communications
strategies to further enhance CICan’s profile in Kenya.
- Review and assess CICan project
communications activities using indicators established by the overall
communications strategy.
- Highlight successes and
challenges in implementing the communication strategies and give
recommendations.
- In collaboration with the
Communications specialist, coordinate media engagement and press coverage
of CICan events.
- Pitch potential stories or
identify gaps in content based on field work and research.
- Support coordination of regular
briefings with CICan staff.
- Participate in various meetings
with sectoral teams to help ensure the strategic positioning and
visibility of CICan projects.
- Develop and maintain a network of
strategic contacts.
Qualifications and Competencies
- Full fluency in English and
Swahili.
- Kenyan citizen or legally
permitted to work in Kenya. Note: CICan will not provide a work permit or
sponsor individuals.
- Degree in a related field.
- 3-5 years of related
communications, social marketing, advertising, public relations, or public
outreach experience.
- Demonstrated experience in
drafting, producing, and editing written products such as news/blog
articles, reports, fact sheets, speeches, success stories, and press
releases.
- Expertise in using social media
and other media platforms including drafting and sharing messages on X,
Facebook, etc.
- Expertise in photography and
videography with demonstrated editing and production skills.
- Graphic design experience is
highly desirable.
- Experience conducting interviews
with government officials, project partners, and community members
especially youth, in English and Swahili.
- Superior written English language
skills.
- Familiarity with development
cooperation and working with international organizations.
- Demonstrated experience working
with an international team.
- Excellent organizational,
communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work both
independently and collaboratively on a team.
- Strong writing, computer, and
data skills.
How To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and CV
with three references as one PDF file not exceeding 8 pages to
email address applications@ke.collegesinstitutes.ca with
the title on the subject line, Communications Officer. The deadline for
receiving applications is 18th
March 2024.
Phone calls or in-person visits will not be accepted.
Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.