Job Title: Communications Officer
Organisation: Mercy Corps
Duty Station: Gulu, Uganda
About US:
Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which implements high-quality, analytical development programmes in very difficult places. Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006. It has and continues to implement programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub regions. Mercy Corps is taking a community-led, market driven approach to address poverty and food insecurity needs through interventions that get to the root causes and contributing factors of economic vulnerability.
Job Summary: The Communications Officer will be responsible to implement the REVIVE project communication strategy and plan, facilitate the development and dissemination of internal and external communications products for the project among key audiences and events, and ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements. S/he will work closely with project team members and utilize program data to develop a variety of communications materials including success stories, case studies, learning briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, brochures, social media posts, photos and videos. S/he will be responsible for documenting stories from the field and delivering these to target audiences through publications on our website, through social media and other channels of dissemination. The Communications Officer will further organize (public) events, such as donor visits, showcases and learning events
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develops, adapts and follows project communication plan and strategy to gather and share learnings and stories.
- Specify appropriate communication channels, dissemination methods and media such as video, print, online media, traditional media, and social media, among others to effectively communicate key messages to specific audiences.
- Design standard publication layouts for the REVIVE project.
- Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the project team in communication matters.
- Enable appropriate access to information, visibility materials and proper storage/management of such materials/equipment.
- Maintain professional relationships with local media.
- Stay up-to-date on all program activities to develop, review and coordinate communications plans.
- In coordination with Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, and Technical Leads, conceptualize, design and develop materials for the REVIVE project with appropriate and relevant messages tailored for key audiences using various formats as appropriate such as text, graphics, imageries, infographics, video, printed materials, etc.
- Participate and contribute to on-going learning, adaptive management sessions and support teams to identify learning and documentation.
- Plan and coordinate events for REVIVE partners and Mercy Corps staff.
- Conduct regular visits to project operational areas to collect stories both independently and in teams.
- Ensure all communications products adhere to donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements.
- Help prepare for external-facing events and meetings, including preparation of document packages, talking points, etc.
- Build and maintain close working relationships with the donor, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local meetings as required.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Mass Communication, Journalism, Development Communication, Organizational Communications, or another relevant fields
- At least three to four years of relevant experience in developing, designing, producing and publishing/disseminating communication products using various media
- Experience in organizing and coordinating public events
- Professional-level fluency of English.
- He/she should have written and oral communications skills, with good content editing and proofreading abilities to ensure materials are of high quality and accurate
- Comfortable working on a geographically dispersed team, including working independently at times
- Ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment
- Ability to be flexible, resourceful and innovative in a variety of situations.
- A can-do, team player attitude
- Great interpersonal skills
- Comfortable working with all levels of an organization including senior management
- The successful Communications Officer is dynamic and proactive with a demonstrated ability to identify compelling stories and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and audiences, from community members to government and donor representatives.
- S/he will combine very good documentation, writing, planning and communication skills to develop and disseminate stories and learning.
- S/he has the proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results and deadlines.
- Willingness to travel frequently to remote locations.
- Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail, as well as strategic vision are essential.
- The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
- A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!
How to Apply:
All interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV (saved in 1 document as a PDF) of no more than 5 pages at the link below.
NB: Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded.
Deadline: 4th December 2022