Part-time opportunities in SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa (English) regional office

Location: Kenya, South Africa or Nigeria

Organisation: SciDev.Net

Closing Date: 9 June 2013

SciDev.Net is the world's leading source of news and analysis on science and technology for the global South. Our mission is to put science at the heart of global development, allowing decision-makers to draw on evidence and insights from science and technology for more effective policy and programmes.

We are expanding our regional operations in Sub-Saharan Africa to allow greater engagement with networks in the region. To support this expansion, we are creating the following new positions to support our Sub-Saharan Africa (English) office currently based in Nairobi. The positions will either be based in the Nairobi office or will telecommute depending on the location of the successful applicant.

The positions include Assistant News Editor, Sub Editor and User Engagement Coordinator (see below for full job descriptions).
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Assistant News Editor (0.6 FTE, 21 hours per week) £7 - £11/ hour

Assisting the Regional Coordinator in commissioning, writing, editing, subbing and proofreading news, opinion and feature articles, in line with the objectives of the organisation. Responsible for upkeep of the SciDev.Net style guide, and other tasks as required.

The work will involve:
• Commissioning, editing and subediting news, editorials, feature and opinion articles from freelance correspondents and SciDev.Net staff
• Researching and writing news stories
• Assisting the Regional Coordinator in identifying suitable topics for news items through monitoring potential sources including, but not limited to, websites and newspapers, magazines and journals, press releases and personal contacts and Google alerts
• Attending press and scientific conferences as required, and reporting from them
• Undertaking occasional news projects, such as collating background information, links, images and other relevant material for news focuses
• Identifying events and announcements, jobs and grants for listing in our notices section
• Picture researching for images to accompany SciDev.Net articles
• Supporting the production of multimedia content
• Proofreading and subediting other material generated by SciDev.Net team members as required
• Deputising for the Regional Coordinator as required
• Maintaining calendar of events
• Providing other editorial support as might be required

Knowledge required:
• Degree in journalism, science communication or other science/technology subject
• Basic news writing, editing and rewriting experience
• Practical knowledge and experience of daily or weekly news journalism
• A broad interest in science and technology as it relates to the developing world
• A scientific background is desirable but not essential
• Fluency in English is essential

Skills required:
• Ability to summarise complex information concisely and accurately
• Time management skills
• Good Microsoft Office application skills
• Familiarity with multimedia production software is desirable but not essential

Personal attributes:
• Ability to work independently and in a small team
• Attention to detail
• Ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines under pressure
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Sub editor (0.5 FTE, 17.5 hours per week) £9 - £13/hour

We are looking for a Sub Editor to handle articles on a range of topics related to the applications of science and technology to the problems facing the Sub-Saharan Africa region, in fields ranging from agriculture and climate change to health.

This will, in particular, include working on articles written by journalists and other contributors located in the region.

The work will involve:
• Subediting and proofreading articles from staff, freelance journalists and external contributors, including working closely with each when required
• Linking all articles to other related articles and sections on the SciDev.Net website, as well as to external document and organisations
• Writing all headlines and intros to the satisfaction of the Regional Coordinator
• Finding images to accompany articles and writing relevant captions.
• Providing additional editorial support as required
• Post holder will need to be available for subbing materials from other sections (e.g. marketing section)

Knowledge and skills required:

Essential
• At least three years' experience of subbing scientific and/or science-related articles
• Good knowledge and experience of working with Office 2010 software
• Good attention to detail
• Knowledge of technical aspects of English
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines under pressure
• Familiarity with scientific terminology
• Fluency in English

Desirable
• Interest in science, technology and development issues
• Good problem-solving and analytical skills
• Resourceful and able to take initiative
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User Engagement Coordinator (0.6 FTE, 21 hours per week) £5 - £8/hour

The Sub-Saharan Africa region's User Engagement Coordinator is responsible for the implementation of audience engagement activities that support the aims and objectives of the organisation in the region. These include implementing all marketing activity and promotional communications as part of the global user engagement strategy to raise awareness of SciDev.Net among its key audiences.

The work will involve:
• In line with the regional user engagement strategy, implementing a series of campaigns throughout the year in collaboration with the User Engagement Manager and the Regional Coordinator to raise awareness of the content and services that SciDev.Net offers, and measure the impact of these campaigns. Ensure that agreed outcomes and measures of success are met
• Implementing regional social media plans with the regional editorial team, posting content, communicating with audiences, monitoriing SciDev.Net blogs and newsfeeds and ensuring consistent branding across networks
• Using SciDev.Net templates to produce, edit, build and distribute promotional email communications, promotional print materials and supporting materials for regional campaigns to meet the needs of a variety of regional contacts
• Promoting the syndication of SciDev.Net content from the Sub-Saharan Africa edition through a mix of methods and contributing to monitoring uptake
• Performing regular contact-gathering exercises identifying regional websites, online publications, conferences and organisations with shared interests
• Assisting the Head of External Relations and Regional Coordinator in developing relationships and partnerships with media and information networks that might want to syndicate our content, and implement campaigns to drive the syndication partnerships strategy
• Providing regular reports to the User Engagement Manager and Regional Coordinator on all activities undertaken, including monitoring responses and providing feedback on campaigns
• Contributing to the development of regional strategies with the User Engagement Manager, setting annual targets and agreed outcomes
• Assisting with the distribution of the annual review and other materials
• Attending meetings and conferences where necessary
• Managing ad-hoc projects as when they arise in support of the Regional Coordinator

Knowledge required:
• At least three years' experience in online marketing or communication
• Practical experience of writing, editing and proofing promotional materials for a variety of audiences
• Good working knowledge of Internet technology and social media tools
• A working knowledge of English is essential
• Good design sense, with practical experience of providing design briefs relating to a range of formats
• Practical knowledge of the print production process, with experience of briefing designers and printers
• A broad interest in science and technology and/or the developing world
• A marketing qualification is desirable but not essential

Skills required:
• Strong all-round communication skills, including in particular the ability to distil complex ideas into accessible copy for a wide range of audiences and cultures
• Excellent project-management skills
• Strong analytical skills and ability to deal with statistical data
• Excellent Microsoft Office application skills including PowerPoint and Excel
• Word-processing skills and experience of working with the Internet
• Web-based research skills, including soliciting and distributing information by email, subscribing and contributing to listservs and researching relevant information across a wide range of websites
• Ability to deliver tasks to deadline and within budget

Personal attributes required:
• A team player with energy and drive, committed to communicating SciDev.Net's mission and raising our profile
• Ability to build strong working relationships, especially remotely, and ability to engage different audiences and cultures
• Good interpersonal skills and the confidence and enthusiasm to represent SciDev.Net to the public (in person, on the telephone and in email correspondence)
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines under pressure
• A dynamic and creative approach.
• Good problem solving and analytical skills
• Resourceful and demonstrating personal initiative

To Apply:

To apply, please send a CV of no more than three pages with a covering letter explaining how you meet the requirements for the position to jobs@scidev.net. Be sure to indicate clearly in your covering letter and the subject line of your email the post that you are applying for.

Deadline for all applications is 9 June 2013