BBC Media Action Humanitarian Coordinator

BBC Media Action (BBCMA) uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries. To achieve this, BBCMA partners with civil society, local media and governments to: 1. Produce creative programmes in multi-media formats which inform and engage audiences around key development and humanitarian issues. 2. Strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure.

Job Purpose: The Humanitarian Coordinator will be responsible for the development and delivery of BBCMA’s response to humanitarian crises in Kenya and Somalia. S/he will build BBCMA’s readiness to respond to rapid and chronic humanitarian emergencies and advise humanitarian aid agencies in developing effective communications in their responses. Lastly, the position will establish excellent working relationships with a wide range of figures within the media sector and the humanitarian relief community.

Main Duties: 1. Serve as the key point of contact for BBCMA’s work on humanitarian response, developing working relationships with the humanitarian community, media and technology professionals. 2. Develop a strategy to enhance BBCMA’s readiness to respond to emergencies in Kenya and Somalia. 3. Map media landscapes and access to radios and mobile phones, and if required, develop broadcast partnerships, gaining pre-approval from media regulators and Information Ministries. 4. Develop emergency preparedness plans for BBCMA in Kenya and Somalia to meet the information and communication needs of affected populations. 5. Play a lead role in the implementation of Lifeline Programming and serve as a focal point for information exchange with the humanitarian sector. 6. Inform training plans and facilitate training workshops for media professionals to deliver humanitarian communication programming. 7. Provide training and consultation to humanitarian actors to support the development of coordinated communication strategies for beneficiary populations. 8. Lead on developing message briefs in local languages for future programming during the acute phase of an emergency (e.g. cholera, family tracing, food distribution, etc.).

Required Skills and Experience: • At least five years experience with an INGO in a similar role, ideally with specialisation in humanitarian communications and relevant higher education qualifications • Strong interpersonal skills, a capacity to engage with diverse internal and external stakeholders and an aptitude for creating connections across teams
• Strong project management, time management and leadership skills • Experience developing and delivering training plans with an emphasis on interactive learning • Strong writing skills and proven capacity to provide clear written analysis on relevant issues

How to apply: 

Candidates must be Kenyan nationals, and the position is offered on local terms and conditions. Candidates who meet the specifications should submit a covering letter and CV in one document to infokenya@bbcmediaaction.org. Please note that applications which do not include both the covering letter and CV in one document will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Closing date: 12 Nov 2012