Summary
Date Posted: Monday, November 28, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Communication Officer
Description
The Program
Present in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps Uganda’s aim is to catalyze change through the Ugandan private sector, civil society, and government to create resilient, economically inclusive, healthy, and secure communities.
REVIVE is the Climate Smart Land Management and Services component of the FCDO-funded Climate Smart Jobs (CSJ) programme implemented in Northern Uganda by Mercy Corps and its partners: Mandulis Energy, Viamo, Uganda Landcare Network and Uganda Cooperative Alliance.
The four-year programme will be realized through three outputs:
1. Viable and climate impactful sustainable land management products and services are identified and prepared for investment (stimulate supply);
2. Smallholder farmers, (including women and refugees within host communities) have increased information access and skills needed to adapt to, and increased resilience against climate shocks and stresses through sustained uptake of effective sustainable land management practices (stimulate demand);
3. Key barriers which confront the enabling environment and therefore the success of this programme are overcome (for both SMEs and smallholder farmers) with a focus on improving advocacy capacity at community level (improve the enabling environment).
The outputs will ensure that regenerated and improved ecosystem services at landscape/ watershed level are able to support smallholder farmers’, refugee communities’ and women’s resilience and climate adaptive capacity.
The Position
The Communications Officer will be responsible to implement the REVIVE project communication strategy and plan, facilitate the development and dissemination of internal and external communications products for the project among key audiences and events, and ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements. S/he will work closely with project team members and utilize program data to develop a variety of communications materials including success stories, case studies, learning briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, brochures, social media posts, photos and videos. S/he will be responsible for documenting stories from the field and delivering these to target audiences through publications on our website, through social media and other channels of dissemination. The Communications Officer will further organize (public) events, such as donor visits, showcases and learning events

Essential Responsibilities
Project implementation
• Develops, adapts and follows project communication plan and strategy to gather and share learnings and stories.
• Specify appropriate communication channels, dissemination methods and media such as video, print, online media, traditional media, and social media, among others to effectively communicate key messages to specific audiences.
• Design standard publication layouts for the REVIVE project.
• Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the project team in communication matters.
• Enable appropriate access to information, visibility materials and proper storage/management of such materials/equipment.
• Maintain professional relationships with local media.
• Stay up-to-date on all program activities to develop, review and coordinate communications plans.
• In coordination with Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, and Technical Leads, conceptualize, design and develop materials for the REVIVE project with appropriate and relevant messages tailored for key audiences using various formats as appropriate such as text, graphics, imageries, infographics, video, printed materials, etc.
• Participate and contribute to on-going learning, adaptive management sessions and support teams to identify learning and documentation.
• Plan and coordinate events for REVIVE partners and Mercy Corps staff.
• Conduct regular visits to project operational areas to collect stories both independently and in teams.
• Ensure all communications products adhere to donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements.
• Help prepare for external-facing events and meetings, including preparation of document packages, talking points, etc. Maintain close working relationships with the donor, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local meetings as required.

Supervisory Responsibility
None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Team Lead
Works Directly With: Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Technical Leads and other REVIVE project team members, PaQ unit and support departments including People and Culture, Finance and Operations teams.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Mass Communication, Journalism, Development Communication, Organizational Communications, or another relevant fields
• At least 3-4 years of relevant experience in developing, designing, producing and publishing/disseminating communication products using various media
• Experience in organizing and coordinating public events
• Professional-level fluency of English. He/she should have written and oral communications skills, with good content editing and proofreading abilities to ensure materials are of high quality and accurate
• Comfortable working on a geographically dispersed team, including working independently at times
• Ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment
• Ability to be flexible, resourceful and innovative in a variety of situations.
• A can-do, team player attitude
• Great interpersonal skills
• Comfortable working with all levels of an organization including senior management
Success Factors
The successful Communications Officer is dynamic and proactive with a demonstrated ability to identify compelling stories and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and audiences, from community members to government and donor representatives. S/he will combine very good documentation, writing, planning and communication skills to develop and disseminate stories and learning. S/he has the proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results and deadlines. Willingness to travel frequently to remote locations. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail, as well as strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Disclaimer: This job description is NOT an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV saved in 1 document as PDF of no more than 5 pages by 4th December 2022.
Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.
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