Terms of Reference: Communication and Media Officer
Location: ACORD Headquarter,
Nairobi, Kenya
Some travelling within Africa and
internationally. National position.
ACORD
(Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development) is a Pan African
organisation working for social justice and development in Africa, through a
combination of practical interventions on the ground, people-centred research
and policy advocacy.
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.