FIELD COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Direct Reports: HEAD OF MISSION

Location: Dar es Salaam, with regular field visits to Kigoma Region

Job Summary:

To define, implement, coordinate and supervise all operational communication activities according to MSF standards in the mission/ or during an emergency. The FCM aims at building MSF visibility, acceptance and leverage inside the mission country. For any large scale emergencies, an Emergency Field Communications Manager EFCM with the same responsibilities as the FCM may be sent to the mission.

Required Criteria

Minimum Educational Qualification: Degree in Journalism, Communications, Humanitarian affairs, Political Sciences or related university degree.

Experience:

• Essential: previous working experience of at least 4 years in communications, journalism or public relations.
• Essential: previous working experience in producing communications content production
• Essential: experience with MSF or other international NGOs in developing countries. Experience working in an international environment
• Languages: English and Swahili (speak, read and write), French will be an asset

Competences:

• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and digital media),
• People Management,
• Commitment,
• Flexibility,
• Results,
• Teamwork.

Accountabilities

Strategy Building:

• Under supervision of the HOM(s) and in cooperation with the Communications Advisor in HQ the FCM defines the communications strategy for the mission, advising on public positioning and remaining reactive to emergencies and crisis communications.
• The FCM promotes the visibility of the organisation, improving awareness of its principles and work, reinforcing information on MSF activities among communities.
• The FCM should have the capacity to identify key cross cutting issues across MSF operations which are relevant to communications and to advise on public positioning.
• He /she will develop guidelines for dealing with crisis communications through local media and have the capacity to remain reactive to emergencies.

Media Management/ Alert:

• The FCM maintains close contact with key local media and foreign correspondents.
• The FCM liaises with communications staff from other organisations and institutions, and will monitor / analyse communication lines developed by actors of importance for MSF (authorities, armed groups, other NGOs…).
• The FCM facilitates media visit to MSF projects and he/she organizes media events (Press conference, Press briefing…) in collaboration with MSF international communication network.
• The FCM briefs spokespersons and assesses media training needs for key staff.
• He/she can play the role of a spokesperson when seen as opportune and necessary.
• The FCM produces strategic reports on the local media landscape and regularly reports on new developments. He/she provides guidance on how to deal with local media at time of crisis, and will develop guidelines for dealing with such crises through in-country media.
• Organising exhibitions and other awareness raising campaigns – such as the Photo exhibition for MSF publicity.

Content Production

• The FCM advises on which communications tools to choose according to objective, message and audience at local and national levels. He/she then produces – or supervises the production of – local comms contents (leaflets, brochures, posters, radio spots, articles, photos, videos.) according to strategy and budget.)
• The FCM helps producing international comms content by providing data, information, quotes, testimonies, pictures, videos and other means to the CA or the com person in charge of writing international comms contents at headquarter level.
• The FCM tracks and archives communications production on the country to build institutional memory.

Content Diffusion

• The FCM actively promotes the diffusion of MSF content in the country. Under the supervision of the Head(s) of Mission, the FCM identifies communications opportunities using MSF comms network production (from List_Press) or returning staff to pitch content on MSF activities in the country and other countries.
• When judged opportune and strategic, he/ she uses social media (twitter, blogs, Facebook….) to promote MSF contents and visibility.
• Collaborate with the Nairobi field commnuication office in terms of social media production.
• Reporting
• The FCM produces regular reports on achieved results and future priorities.

Budget Management

The FCM will produce a yearly communications budget meant to support identified and agreed com priorities. This budget will be submitted for approval to the Head of Mission(s) and coms department at HQ.

Advocacy

• Draft ad hoc lobbying points and internal/external reports in relation to main medical-humanitarian concerns while strengthening the integration of humanitarian affairs (analysis, critical reflection, contextual understanding) and operational communications.
• Drafts regular situation reports for mission/HQ as well as reports for external use in line with mission advocacy strategy.
• Design and support the implementation of data collection systems with regards to the mission context (focus on national level with potential regional/global repercussions, and local developments in project locations), and medical-humanitarian issues, in order to provide reliable information for operational and strategic decision-making.
• Define, draft and review advocacy messages and targeting (including communications and dissemination strategies) to raise awareness of medical-humanitarian issues across MSF projects and at national level (traversal thematic).submitted for approval to the Head of Mission(s) and coms department at HQ.

APPLICATION DETAILS

All interested candidates shall submit their motivation letter, CV and copy of relevant professional certificates not later than Friday February 7th 2020 at 4.00 pm. Please quote the job title on the email subject “FIELD COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER”.

Please send your application to the email address [email protected] . The applications can also be submitted at MSF offices situated at Hamza Aziz Street, Kahama Court, Masaki, Dar es Salaam OR in Nduta Refugees Camp, Kibondo District.

Note: previous applicants do not need to hand in their application again.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.