Background
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. Using a human rights framework, DRC’s Horn and Africa and Yemen (HOAY) operation focuses broadly on Somalis who are affected by displacement, but also oversees programmes for internally displaced persons and refugees in Kenya, Uganda, Yemen, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The Somalia programme currently has more than 200 staff working in several field offices, which include Hargeisa, Bossaso, Galkacyo, Garowe, Mogadishu, Dollow, Baidoa and Beletweyne and host of sub-offices across the country. DRC Somalia implements a wide-range of emergency and recovery programming including protection, livelihoods and food security, shelter/NFIs, water and sanitation and governance.
Purpose
The Communication, Reporting and Advocacy Coordinator is fully responsible to ensure that all information and data from the field is captured, documented, analyzed and reported in a results-based and timely manner for donors and internal purposes for DRC Somalia. The Coordinator is responsible to develop communication materials on DRC activities in Somalia for external audiences. In addition, the Coordinator will shape the emerging work in advocacy by contributing to the design and implementation of an advocacy plan tied to key agenda and themes identified.
With input from the Country Director, Head of Program and the Program Development unit s/he leads on developing and implementing a country communications and advocacy strategy. S/he is in charge of maintaining an in-depth insight and follow up on select donors and other stakeholders’ strategies, activities and opportunities in-country through concise reporting, in line with the DRC overall program strategy.
Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting
- With input from the Area Managers, the Grants Manager and the ME&L Manager, help produce high quality program progress reports as per donor and DRC requirements.
- Provide high quality editing and formatting for all program related documents (reports, evaluations, assessments, photographs).
- Provide through progress reporting, a continuous analysis of the achievements, facilitate project reviews, evaluation and audits.
- Develop donor reporting timelines and requirements template; ensure it is updated at all times.
- Collecting and collating information from field teams, supporting teams and management in documenting ongoing activities in each project/thematic area.
- Ensuring that internal and external reporting deadlines are respected.
- Maintain updated project-wise fact sheets and project success stories.
- Support program staff with appropriate communication and visibility materials as part of the organizing and managing of seminars, workshops, RO visits and donor field visits.
- Organize training forums to build the capacity of staff in reporting. Mentor specific reporting focal persons at area level to lead on quality of reporting at that level.
- Coordinate grant kick off and close out meetings for all awards, including following up on status of each, ensuring all documents have been submitted to the PDQ Unit and RO.
- Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Communication
- Ensure effective communications, visibility and knowledge management within DRC Somalia and to external audiences.
- Develop, implement and monitor a communication and visibility plan to facilitate better understanding among partners, donors, beneficiaries and host communities, media, the general public and government about DRC as an organization and program progress.
- Ensure visibility as per donor and DRC requirements in all project sites
- Undertake field visits to gather the information and results related to the program.
- Capture (through written, audio and visual methods) all key programmatic issues, events and developments of DRC work in Somalia.
- Develop a robust and interactive social media campaign profiling DRC’s work and its engagement with all key donors.
- Ensure that DRC’s branding strategy is in place and all key staff involved in generating communication items are well versed with the strategy and complying with its requirements.
- Develop visibility material such as DRC leaflets, success stories, photographs, video clips and share stories with DRC Somalia for special events.
- Prepare press briefings and releases as needed, in close consultation with the Country Director(s) and the Program Development and Quality Manager.
- Develop communication guidelines and standards in compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and ensure adherence to the same in all external communications
- Organize communication training forums and play a key role in coaching and mentoring of junior expat staff and national staff in communications processes.
- Prepare monthly reports and summaries for the management on country media activities.
- Ensure that communication documents/materials are archived appropriately in an easily retrievable electronic based filing system, including the DRC websites where appropriate.
- Develop/Maintain a resource centre for the Somalia program (in Nairobi and/or Hargeisa) from which staff can access programming and communications prototype materials, as needed.
Advocacy
- Monitor current discourse on reintegration, returns, migration, durable solutions and development policies and identify opportunities to shape these policies
- Lead in the design and delivery of DRC Somalia advocacy plan including developing influencing strategies and advocacy messages for opinion-formers
- Deliver advocacy training as needed to DRC staff, partners and beneficiaries
- Link with the Regional Office, to ensure that relevant experiences and insights arising out of DRC Somalia programs feed into RO advocacy work and support regional programs to advance their advocacy strategies as appropriate
- Support senior management in building and maintaining DRC’s relationships with key advocacy targets, their staff, and civil society actors
- Contribute in the drafting of policy briefings, letters, submissions and other advocacy products directed at priority targets
- Contribute in the development and review of Somalia’s political-economic and humanitarian analysis and keep the organization, informed of humanitarian trends and opportunities
- Build and maintain contacts with relevant networks working on protection, humanitarian and resilience issues to ensure the inclusion of DRC’s key messages into joint policy documents, meetings and events as appropriate
- Lead the delivery of DRC Somalia advocacy events and liaise with other non-state and state actors where appropriate in their design and preparation
- Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Reporting Arrangements
The Communications and Reporting Coordinator will report to the DRC Program Development and Quality Manager. The successful candidate will work closely with the Regional Office Communications Officer, DRC Grants and Compliance Coordinator, ME&L Manager and DRC Country Director and Deputy Country Director.
Qualifications
To be successful in this role you must have a master’s degree in Mass Communications, Journalism, Social Sciences or related areas and five years relevant working experience. You should have extensive experience in communication and diffusion strategies and techniques, advocacy, reporting, documentation, publications, and audio-visual material preparation in relation to relief, recovery and development fields. Furthermore, you are expected to:
Essential:
- Have knowledge of relevant thematic areas (protection/human rights, shelter, WASH, food security and livelihoods, durable solutions, migration, advocacy, among others).
- Possess excellent writing, editing, and articulate oral communication skills in English.
- Are well versed in the latest electronic publishing and graphics methods.
- Demonstrate a high level of motivation and good communication, social, and interpersonal skills
- Are well versed in desktop publishing (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, the latest presentation packages)
- Have demonstrated ability or experience in finding new creative media angles and new platforms to present communications work.
- Have experience in developing and using a variety of social media platforms
- Significant relevant field experience is an added advantage, especially in Somalia or similar contexts.
- Have previous experience in advocacy work or program.
Preferable:
- Ability to work independently and as a team player with demonstrated leadership and participatory manner.
- Resourcefulness, initiative, maturity and the ability to work with minimum direction.
- Well planned and organized work style and capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem solving skills.
- Resilience/adaptability and flexibility: ability to operate effectively under strict deadlines.
- Ability to work rapidly with staff in the field directly and remotely in writing, and where necessary, revising concepts, proposals and reports.
- Ability to work and handle insecure environments.
- Natural networker with substantial experience of building relationships.
- Familiarity with requirements of key humanitarian donors and capacity to work in a multi-donor environment, including DANIDA, EU/ECHO, OFDA, FFP, DFID, SDC, SIDA, CHF, UNHCR among others.
We offer
Contract: 1 year renewable contract dependent on both funding and performance
Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Global Expatriates (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies). This position is graded as A16. For qualified National staff the terms of employment will be in accordance with DRC terms for National staff.
Availability: October, 2016
Duty station: Bosaso, Puntland - Somalia with frequent travel to the other offices
For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk
HOW TO APPLY:
Application and CV
Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post. Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered.
We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.dk under Vacancies.
Please forward the application and CV, in English through the online application on www.drc.dk under vacancies no later than 31 August, 2016.
If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk
