Background of the assignment
Addis Ababa is home to the African Union, a regional institution with a global impact that plays a critical role in shaping children’s lives and helping to ensure their rights are fulfilled. The AU has a direct role in helping to safeguard the rights of children in Africa who are vulnerable, marginalized, socially excluded, and affected by poverty.
Save the Children has a small global advocacy office in Addis Ababa (alongside offices in Brussels, Geneva, and New York) that influences the AU institutions on issues that affect children’s rights and wellbeing in Africa.
The Communications Officer will be responsible for implementing the SCI PAO strategy for communications including coordinating major events, leading their design and execution, holding media events, managing digital and Social media presence, producing press releases, maintaining close relations with key media contacts, overseeing standard and quality representation of Save the Children during external events, and organizing major visits. S/he will also be responsible for content generating including multimedia content.
S/he represents Save the Children’s values and principles in interactions with staff and external audiences, including frequent interaction with member technical staff. These values and principles include a commitment to the mission of Save the Children, team orientation, accountability, integrity, and ambition. It is expected that the Communications Officer will demonstrate initiative and leadership including introducing systems and procedures to strengthen the public image of Save the Children PAO. It is also expected that the person in this position will also have a deep understanding of the political situation of the country to be able to successfully raise the external profile of Save the Children while reducing the overall risk to the organization. S/he will work very closely with the Humanitarian and Education Team and the Child Rights Governance Team and the rest of the program implementation team.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Director and AU Representative
Staff directly reporting to this post: None
KEY DELIVERABLES OF THE ROLE:
- Ownership of external communication processes and delivery
- Develop external communications strategies including parameters for the delivery of effective events and media engagement
- Generate content (print and multimedia) intended for external use
- Ensure the quality of all external communications including events and media engagements that meet global standards
- Develop and implement a proactive strategy for media engagement for the Addis Advocacy Office (AAO).
- Media and external stakeholder engagement
- Develop a media strategy for the AAO including identifying key dates and global moments, such as launch of documents, and external channels for communication
- Identify and maintain diverse contacts in the national and international media
- Produce high-quality, accurate, concise press releases on different topics that support specific projects or AAO priorities
- Maintain contacts with other external communications persons in collaborating organizations including UN organizations, donors, and other NGO
- Ensure that relevant Save the Children staff members have media training
- Support for external events and visitors
- Develop guidelines and parameters for running external events
- Support the execution of major external events
- Maintain photos, presentations, banners, and other materials to support external events
- Document external events and communicate them as appropriate through internal and external channels
- Support major AAO visits including producing background information, supporting planning processes, and facilitating logistics
- Maintain lists of external visitors and ensure that they have adequate information on security and safety, transportation, and other background information about Ethiopia.
- Maintain a database of resources related to events, visits, and media engagements
- Develop and maintain a database for all external communications materials and strategies
- Keep external communications support materials for use in future activities
- Share summaries of relevant external media engagements internally within Save the Children
- Capacity building of communications and other staff
- Communicate the external engagement strategy within the AAO
- As appropriate, include communications activities into new projects
- Build the capacity of AAO and regional-level leadership in assisting in implementing the external communications strategy.
- Build the capacity of communications, administrative, and other staff to support external communications.
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Save the Children values
- Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance, and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Ambition:
- Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development, and encourages others to do the same
- Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- Future orientated thinks strategically
Collaboration:
- Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members, and external partners and supporters
- Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
Creativity:
- Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- Willing to take disciplined risks
Integrity:
- Honest, encourages openness and transparency
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- At least two years of relevant experience in a credible media organization OR equivalent experience in Communications and/or Media in government, media agency, private sector, or humanitarian or development agency.
- University degree in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience.
- Experience in leading communications and media activities in a challenging environment and a good knowledge of the Ethiopia media scene, networks, and media contacts
- Strong knowledge and understanding of the external media situation in Ethiopia as it pertains to international NGO
- Evidence of excellent verbal and written communication skills producing high-quality English-language materials for a wide range of different audiences including donors, journalists, and the ‘general public’
- Excellent writing skills, and the ability to produce compelling media products in English, such as press releases, key messages, speaking points, and Q&As
- The ability to digest complex information, quickly, and express this crisply and clearly
- Highly organized and able to solve problems quickly
- Excellent relationship-building skills within and outside of Save the Children
- An initiative-taking, proactive, inspiring attitude with the ability to manage and prioritize an unpredictable workload and solve problems quickly with limited support
- Experience in delivering training, presentations, and other capacity-building activities to varied audiences, ideally within a country program.
- Excellent IT skills with an understanding of effective visual communications for diverse audiences
- Excellent understanding of communications, media, and campaigning activities
- Experience in multimedia content development; photography and video production and editing
- Strong influencing skills
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy, and the ability to advise on sensitive issues
- Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus, and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support
COMPETENCIES
- Save the Children Values are: Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity, and Integrity. To meet the value system, the post holder is expected to demonstrate the following Competencies on an ongoing basis:
Leading
Leading and Inspiring Others: Demonstrate leadership in all our work, role models our values, and articulates a compiling vision to inspire to achieve our goals for children
Delivering results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others to account to deliver our ambitious goals for children, continually improving our own performance or that of the team/ organization.
Developing Self and Others: Invest time and energy to actively develop self and others to help realize their full potential and to build the organization’s capability for the further.
Thinking
Problem-solving and decision Making: Takes effective, considered, and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organization and making appropriate judgments.
Innovating and Adapting: Develop and implement innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in an ever-changing uncertain work and global environment.
Applying technical and professional expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practices within and outside the organization.
Engaging: Align with Collaboration, Creativity,
Networking: Builds and use the sustainable relationship to support the work of save the children
Working effectively with others Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives; knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.
Communicating with Impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.