Communications Public Relations Jobs at Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africaand other companies

Specific responsibilities
• Under the guidance of the Regional Director , define the advocacy strategy and policy priorities for SIHA based on our Strategic Action plan; lead strategy implementation in the field and advise and support colleagues in advocacy;
• Produce high quality public and private communications and advocacy materials informed by the GHoA context and SIHA members and partners reflections including talking points, letters, briefing notes, position papers, and advocacy reports.
• Work closely with SIHA Research and advocacy officer in drafting and publications designing and reviewing of concern, including , donor representatives, diplomatic missions, local civil society and peer agencies, and grow the SIHA’s bilateral relationships with government counterparts.
• Conduct a robust member mapping and maintain an updated contact list of key targets in-country.
• Promote a principled approach to advocacy, policy and communications on the region among relevant internal stakeholders and ensure that external messaging is evidence-based and driven by field realities.
• Serve as a member of the Management Team to ensure a strategic approach to advocacy engagement.
• In conjunction with country program staff, closely monitor policy debates and media pertaining to the region, ensuring that relevant information is analyzed and disseminated in a timely and effective manner.
• Provide analysis for the Regional Director and Regional Programme Manager and inputs for meetings, as well as key cluster meetings.
• Represent the SIHA in development coordination fora including conferences, lobby meetings, and other events as requested; or provide talking points for other representatives, including the Regional Director.
• Respond to external inquiries on policy issues, including briefing policymakers and media.
• Provide trainings on advocacy to SIHA staff and develop the capacity of staff to implement impactful advocacy and policy interventions.

For this position, you report to the Regional Director.

Requirements
• Strong experience in Advocacy , communication and campaigning with civil society , humanitarian organizations and /or human rights is a pre-request for this post.
• At least 3 years of direct experience with masters degree in communication, human rights or 5 years experience with under graduate degree
• Experience in advocating on behalf of marginalized groups in conflict settings
• Demonstrated creativity, ability to apply innovative thinking and problem-solving skills;
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, and in Arabic preferable, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing skills
• Ability to work well in unstable security environments, and under significant administrative and programmatic pressures;
• Flexible to adapt to changing requirements;
• Culturally sensitive, able and interested in working with a multi-ethnic team;
• Strong commitment to the SIHA’s mission, purpose and values;
• Must be able to work independently while being a team player;

Travel: This position is based in the Regional Office (Uganda). Regular travel across the region
Reporting Line: Regional Program Manager
Starting Date: As soon as Possible
Contract Length : An annual contract subject to 3 months and six months evaluations

Duties & Responsibilities:
Assist the SIHA Network Communications and Advocacy Working Group in the following tasks:
• Assist with the preparation and production of communication materials, including fast facts brochures, newsletters and publications;
• Update SIHA Network social media on a regular basis with relevant material, highlighting key events and achievements;
• Assist in executing any campaigns and events that the SIHA Network Communications and Advocacy division undertake;
• Provide support in developing press and public statements capturing key messages of SIHA Network’s work;
• Contribute towards the development of new vectors of communication to support the Communications and Advocacy division;
• Assist in planning and implementing new initiatives from the division;
• Assist in writing press releases and feature articles related to activities/events;
• Assist the rest of the division and programme with any other duties as may be assigned;

Qualifications and Experience
• Strong combination of studies and work experience in the fields of women, human rights and development in the African context, East and Horn of Africa;
• Have at least 2 to 4 years of work experience in the field of gender and/or development cooperation preferably within civil society, human rights NGO organizations, with preference being focused on work in the human rights field and similar sectors;
• University degree in the field of social studies and gender, public relations communications, journalism or equivalent;
• Strong knowledge of content management systems like WordPress; digital tools and social media platforms;
• Proven experience and interest in the field of advocacy and communication, especially new media;
• Strong editing skills;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English is mandatory;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Ability to write clearly and concisely;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;

Key Competencies
• Proactive and practical-minded
• Team Player
• Excellent writing skills
• Quick learner
• Self-reliant
• Good computer skills
• Creative

MISSIONS/JOB DIMENSIONS
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Project involves the construction and operation of a buried, cross-border pipeline to transport crude oil from the Lake Albert area in Uganda to the eastern coast of Tanzania for export to international markets.
The pipeline will run from Kabaale in Hoima District, Uganda, to Chongoleani, TangaRegion, in Tanzania. The length of the pipeline is 1,443 kilometres (km) of which 296km will be in Uganda. In Uganda the pipeline will traverse ten (10) Districts, comprising Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule,Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera.
The Communications Officer is responsible for coordinating and implementing both internal and external communications and activities and contributes to the planning and implementation of the EACOP project communication plan. The role holder
coordinates and oversees the day-to-day communication activities and manages relationships and activities with project stakeholders.
The Jobholder reports to the Communications Lead and works closely with all other departments.

ACTIVITIES
• Manage the Companies External Communications regarding mainstream media, and alternative media.
• Work with the technical teams to plan and Implement the Communications Documentations Calendar for the purpose of Knowledge management.
• Coordinate documentation of activities in multimedia formats and oversee the whole process of content production and lead contractors in the process.
• Oversee the development of project content by all stakeholders and partners.
• Participate in strategizing with the Communications team innovative and creative ways of documenting and disseminating knowledge.
• Coordinate documentation trainings using mobile tools to field personnel.
• Assist in strategizing the flow of pro-active dissemination of information.
• Compile a key contact person list for the respective ongoing Project activities that require knowledge management.
• Provide support on any internal communication objective.
• Attend regular planning/update sessions with external communications agencies to ensure successful execution of communications strategies.
• Work closely with other communications team members, to ensure a cohesive communications approach.
• Designing and implementing effective learning activities,
• Managing knowledge-sharing events, activities, and campaigns.
• Collecting and Structuring Information, Digitizing Information and Encrypting Information.


CONTEXT AND ENVIRONMENT
The main objective during the current stage is to ensure that all the conditions are in place for a smooth and efficient restart of the project in line with the established project standards whilst protecting the project’s technical achievements from the past 3 years.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Contribute to essentially have a smooth and effective running of the EACOP Projectin all matters highlighted in the present Service Description.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
• Bachelors Degree in communications, journalism, public relations, or a related field.
• 5 years of working experience in the respective field.
• Be an excellent communicator who can initiate and continue interactions with thepeople who share their insights and knowledge
• Know how to record and store information in a physical and digital format
• Have experience in journalism and creative writing skills.
• Skills in multimedia production.
• Be attentive to detail
• Ability to work both in a collaborative team environment, as well as independentlywith minimal supervision.
• Ability to distil complex information into clear, actionable communication
• Clear understanding of how to reach stakeholder audiences through targetedmessaging and effective use of communications tools.
• Ability to visualize, gather, analyse, and organize information
• Requires advanced writing skills; ability to write clear and concise standardoperating procedures, work instructions and knowledge articles for complexprocesses to a varied audience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Experience in internal and external communications management.
• Ability to translate complex business information into engaging content.
• Multitasker and capable of simultaneously managing multiple projects with different deadlines.
• Fluency in English (Written and Spoken)