On 14 March 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall near Mozambique Beira City, leaving devastating loss of life and large-scale destruction of assets and infrastructure in its wake. In the following days, some entire villages were submerged as flood waters rose across the central region of the country in the provinces of Sofala, Zambezia, and Manica. An estimated 1.85 million people have been affected by the cyclone and the subsequent floods within the three provinces. World Vision has established an Emergency Management Structure based in Beira (Sofala Province) for the Mozambique response in order to effectively coordinate efforts across multiple levels of the organization and through the UN Cluster system.
The Communication Manager - SAFCER (Southern Africa Flood & Cyclone Emergency Response) will be strategically and operationally responsible for managing and coordinating the internal and external communications of emergency projects under the direct supervision and guidance of the Emergency Response Manager and in close coordination with the Regional Communications and Public Engagement team in Southern Africa. The incumbent will be responsible for defining strategies, collecting content (stories, photos and videos) to support fundraising and enabling the World Vision Partnership to effectively engage with its target audience, creating greater impact, influence and credibility at the same time protect and promote your reputation.
An outgoing personality, the ability to speak with people of various backgrounds, and a strong eye for detail are important traits for the communication specialist.
We are look for candidates with the following skill set:
- Technical skills – communication specialists must have knowledge of various hardware and software applications and programs. It is also helpful for communication specialists to have knowledge of digital platforms and tools
- Project management – communication specialists should have a strong understanding of several project management stages, such as scheduling and team building.
- Communication and interpersonal skills – communication specialists need strong verbal and written communication as well as above-average listening skills because they often interface with diverse groups of people.
- Time management – communication specialists often work in fast-paced environments and are consistently called upon to meet deadlines.
- Detail-oriented – communication specialists must ensure that all information being presented to the public is accurate and up-to-date.
Communications Leadership and Coordination:
- Increase awareness of the SAFCER response relief efforts.
- Active contribution to the SAFCER Senior Leadership Team – discussion, priorities, shared planning.
- Aligning core content objectives to Response strategy.
- Completed, clear, and detailed communications planning.
- Increased digital communications content for funding, positioning, advocacy.
- Branding and marking of interventions is clear, detailed, and representative of donor / partner efforts.
- Uniformity of SAFCER documentation.
- Raising awareness of the SAFCER response and increase credibility with key donors.
- Booking targeted interviews with media to ensure exposure of programme.
- Active and consistent engagement with core media.
- Active and consistent discussion with Support Offices to ensure that SAFCER is attracting key visits and visitors.
- Leading key visits to ensure quality, clarity, and specificity of media engagement.
- Creating and owning a SAFCER and Mozambique communications business plan.
- Active discussion with WV Zimbabwe and WV Malawi communications leads for coordinated messaging and content.
- Ensure systems are in place to mitigate risk, and improve response and recovery time from response-related risks.
Content Management:
- Producing high quality content (Short videos, interviews, success stories, key fact sheets, etc.) available for the partnership, targeted donors.
- Ensuring Support Offices are given access to current and past content.
- Content is uploaded to social media – and in line with core WV and SAFCER messaging.
- Social media monitoring to capture key hits, trends, and feedback.
- Uploading, sharing, and acting as a “content champion” for SAFCER team.
- In partnership with Programmes, ensuring high quality communication materials are available for SAFCER team.
Advocacy Management and Coordination:
- Ensure clear and targeted advocacy messaging for SAFCER.
- In line with the SAFCER strategy, support a national and intentional framework for national-level advocacy and policy change efforts for children and their families with WV Mozambique.
- Push adoption of child welfare priorities into the national public agenda.
- Coordinate specific influencing opportunities related to national priorities, within key networks and coalitions working with government stakeholders, national and local authorities, and representatives of the international community and civil society.
- Give strategic direction to campaign activities (walking, mobilization, petition, influence, sensitization, implementation etc.) related to advocacy strategies for technical approaches.
Quality Assurance and Capacity Building:
- Provide targeted capacity-building support to staff members to improve both the quality and quantity of field-level content capture and management.
- Overview of key communications materials to meet WV Communications and SAFCER standards.
- Proven experience in the area of Communication in emergency situations.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Excellent journalistic skills with technical skills in photography, videos and social media.
- Demonstrated ability to strategically think, manage, plan and meet deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills.
- Bachelor Degree in Communications, Journalism, Organizational Communications, or other related courses.
- 5-7 years’ experience in Communications.
- Proven track record of people management.
- Minimum 3 years professional experience in media and communications, journalism, and/or public relations in a multi-cultural, child-focused, non-profit/corporate, and/or humanitarian organization.
- Effective in written and verbal communication in English and Portuguese.
Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
- Desktop publishing/basic design and layout (Adobe design).
- Disaster communications.
- Management of video productions in English and emergency context.
- Media relations and receiving recorded or live TV/radio interviews during emergencies.
- Digital photography/videography (emphasis on photojournalistic compositions and mastery of video production process).
- Preparing monthly and post- emergency response reports.
- News/feature writing.
- Social media.
- Operation of mobile/smart phones.
- MS Offices and Image applications (Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premier Pro, etc.)
- Media relations, networking and interpersonal skills.
- Purposive branding and messaging.
Work Environment/Travel:
- The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 50% of the time.