IGAD Communications Officer

Introduction

Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a Regional Economic Community of the African Union, has received some assistance from the USAID and other development partners towards the development and implementation of the Drought Disaster Resilience and initiative. As part of the agenda for establishing the coordinating mechanism for the initiative - the Drought Resilience and Sustainability Platform, IGAD will apply part of the funds towards strengthening institutional development and capacity building efforts to ensure that the requisite skills and support structures are in place that IGAD will play its expected role in providing leadership to the initiative. The purpose of this advert is to invite skilled personnel from the IGAD region who ably satisfy the attached criteria and competences to apply for the available posts that are expected to contribute substantially to the Drought resilience agenda in the region." It is important to note that IGAD is a equal opportunity employer and women and young candidates are especially encouraged to apply. Canvassing will lead to a disqualification without further reference to the applicant.

Job Description

Position Title: Senior Communication Officer
Job Group: Professional
Duty Station: IGAD Secretariat Djibouti
Accountable to: Program Manager Information Documentation

I. Job Summary

Under the overall supervision of the PM Information Documentation the Communication officer will be responsible to scale up IGAD’s impact through communication and advocacy. The communications Officer is responsible for setting annual communication targets and contributing to, and monitoring their implementation. In particular, s/he will produce and disseminate materials for communicating information about IGAD and its activities and Programs; coordinate the content of the IGAD website and the production of a quarterly newsletter; and maintain an updated database of contacts and an effective communication system within the Secretariat.

II. Core Duties and Responsibilities

1. Develop and maintain a suite of materials using diverse media to effectively communicate IGAD’s mission, vision and main messages to key global audiences and stakeholders including IGAD member States UN agencies, donors;
2. Contribute to the development and implementation of a plan to successfully promote IGAD’s organizational development and capacity building activities ;
3. Package and disseminate IGAD’s standards, reports, case studies, tools and other materials to maximize their use;
4. Coordinate the production of IGAD’s quarterly newsletter and other general updates according to the communication and advocacy objectives;
5. Gather information (including interviews) with IGAD MS, partners and beneficiaries;
6. Establish translation guidelines and monitor their implementation;
7. Identify key materials and manage their translation in languages relevant to the main countries of operation;
8. Maintain an updated database and internal communication system;
9. Work collaboratively and develop other appropriate approaches towards the achievement of IGAD’s strategic targets;
10. Coordinate advocacy and communication activities with Member States ;
11. Participation in the development and maintenance of the IGAD intranet
12. Participate in the management of the IGAD portal and website and ensure IGAD’s presence on the World Wide Web;
13. Monitor the implementation of content and style guidelines;
14. Ensure that structure meets the needs of users and page managers;
15. Perform any other related duties as assigned

III. Minimum Qualifications and Experience

1. At least an advanced university degree in communication or equivalent professional qualification in the field of communication, journalism, public relation or any other related field;
2. At least five years experience in communications, information-based work, or advocacy-related communication;
3. Evidence of good and quality writing and editing ability;
4. Experience in editing and proofreading corporate communication documents for public dissemination;
5. Familiarity with relevant information technology, including website content management experience.
6. Computer literate skilled and confident user of office applications such as MS
a. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, e-mail and calendar applications.

IV. Key Skills and Competencies

1. Good written and oral communication skills,
2. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with stakeholders from various institutional Arrangements;
3. Ability to deal with discretion on sensitive issues and to respond positively to challenges;
4. Ability to work under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality is crucial;
5. Ability to maintain, nurture and develop existing and new media contacts;
6. Ability to analyze complex information from different sources and to synthesize into coherent briefs and communication documents;
7. Proactive approach to meeting deadlines and delivering results with limited supervision;
8. Flexibility, creativity and effectiveness in working collaboratively in a multicultural team;
9. Demonstrated ability to make recommendations and use independent judgment;
10. Ability to interact and collaborate with professionals at all levels within and external to the organization;
11. Excellent written and oral communication skills;
12. Ability to communicate and generate reports
13. Experience in at least two IGAD member states will be an added advantage
14. Proficiency in English and French will be a definite advantage

How to apply

1. Send your Applications to the Following Addresses:
Division, Administration & Finance
IGAD Secretariat
P.O.Box 2653
Tel: 253 354050
Fax: (253) 356994,353520
E-mail: hr@igad.int

2. In the Subject line, please write: Ref: HR1210 Communications Officer