Job Title: Communications Officer
Location: Yumbe, West Nile Region, Uganda
Job Type: Full-time
Deadline: 31/07/2024
Job Summary:
This is a new position for a Communications Officer for the DREAMS program aimed at boosting its profile within the agency and among external stakeholders. The Communications Officer will support DREAMS management in rolling out a communications and influence plan, developing communication products that creatively and innovatively tell the DREAMS story to a wide and diverse audience. He/she will guide team members and partners on effective storytelling, photography, and documenting learning.
Essential Job Responsibilities:
Safeguarding Responsibilities:
- Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
- Practices the values of Mercy Corps, including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
- Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms, e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
Technical Responsibilities:
Strategy and Planning:
- Support DREAMS management to develop a communications strategy & influence strategy that aligns with the country’s overall strategy.
- Collect content for communication products targeting a wide and diverse audience, including staff, partners, government, and donors.
- Support DREAMS programs to develop quality programmatic communications materials, including the design of posters, manuals, and IEC materials.
- Post content on internal communications channels to foster a positive team culture, including Mercy Corps collaborative platform, Workplace, internal newsletter, and bulletins.
- Draft content in line with the communications strategy, including press releases, website content, newsletters, and other communications material such as annual reports, social media, speeches, and editorials.
- Work with regional and global media teams to identify promotional opportunities and draft supporting materials, such as press releases, to secure optimal coverage for the DREAMS program.
Project Products’ Dissemination:
- Create dissemination lists for project products, to be validated by the Grants Management Coordinator.
- Coordinate dissemination of communication products to ensure consistent and wide-reaching dissemination.
Team Engagement:
- Work with the DREAMS and other MCU leadership teams to develop internal communications messages and materials to enhance program visibility.
- Sensitize staff and partner team members on the DREAMS story and communications strategy to ensure consistent and impactful messaging.
- Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps media and communication protocols, including branding and media engagements.
- Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps and donor communication protocols.
Event Management:
- Support the MEL team to deliver a series of learning events that effectively communicate the DREAMS story to diverse stakeholders.
- Support coordination with the media before, during, and after events to ensure comprehensive coverage and engagement.
- Assist in organizing events to support program activities, including drafting invitations, documenting events, and generating materials such as banners, promotional materials, and press releases.
Other:
- Support Mercy Corps Uganda communications team with country-level communication planning and activities from time to time as may be required.
Supervisory Responsibility:
N/A
Accountability:
Reports Directly to: Advocacy and Influence Manager
Works Directly with: DREAMS Team Leader, program officers, DREAMS partner staff, senior management, MC Uganda senior leadership, and Regional Communications team.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders:
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects. All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate the highest level of integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance for any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills:
- At least 3 years of experience in Communications and/or Media Engagement for INGOs.
- A bachelor’s degree in Communications, Media, Marketing, Public Relations, or equivalent.
- Advanced computer skills and administrative experience (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, design applications).
- Excellent writing and editing skills in English.
- Strong ability to efficiently prioritize competing demands with attention to detail.
- Creativity and influencing skills.
- Video production and events management skills are desirable.
- Ability to speak local languages of the areas of operation is desirable.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will be a self-starter with the ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team, able to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, and manage a variety of diverse details. He/she must have the ability to occasionally work evenings or weekend hours.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:
The position is based in Yumbe, West Nile region with over 80% travel to program sites. Travel to other locations for regional representation may be required. At times evening and weekend work may be required to meet deadlines and at times of shocks and stresses.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/STA to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Ongoing Learning:
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status, or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics:
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we meet through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
To Apply:
Interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV saved in 1 PDF document of no more than 5 pages by 31st July 2024.
Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.
About Mercy Corps
Industry: Communication
Location: Yumbe, Uganda
Mercy Corps is an international development organization that works in over 40 countries to promote community-led and market-driven development. With a strategic focus on countries in transition, Mercy Corps takes a progressive approach to supporting communities, entrepreneurs, governments, and the private sector from relief to long-term economic growth. With a network of over 3,700 experienced professionals around the world, we are uniquely positioned to respond to complex environments and the needs of local communities. In Uganda, Mercy Corps has been operating since 2006 in Karamoja specifically in Kotido, Abim, Amudat, Kaabong, and Moroto; in the Northern Region in Gulu; West Nile in Yumbe and the Central region specifically Kampala district. Mercy Corps offers technical expertise in Market Development, Gender, Peace and Conflict Management, Economic Empowerment, Food Security Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Agriculture and Agribusiness. Mercy Corps has implemented and continues to implement multiple donor-funded projects within and outside the West Nile region with major donors including but not limited to DANIDA (Danish Government Overseas Aid), Austrian Development Agency, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and private foundations among others.
