Communications officer

Title:

Communications officer

Duty station:

Nairobi, Kenya

Contract type:

Fixed-term national contract

Duration:

2 years with possibility for renewal

Target starting date:

01/01/2025

Worktime:

100 %

Reports to:

Director of communications as a line manager, and to Africa regional representative and climate justice programme manager as matrix managers

Travel:

Occasional

Languages required:

English

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of experience in in a communications role, with international experience in a network.

Application deadline:

5/October/2024

About ACT Alliance

ACT Alliance is one of the world’s largest coalition of churches and church-related organisations engaged in humanitarian, development and advocacy work. It consists of 150+ members working together in over 120 countries, whose aim is to create positive and sustainable changes in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality and in keeping with the highest international codes and standards. Headquartered in over 73 countries, 64% of our members are based in the Global South, 30% in the Global North, and 6% are Global members. For more details about the general work of ACT, please refer to http://www.actalliance.org/.

Job Summary

ACT Alliance is looking for a Communications Officer to implement the communications for the ACT Alliance’s Global Climate Projects and other ACT communications. He/she will work with the ACT Climate Justice Programme team. He/she takes the lead on and implements a number of initiatives and projects:

• They will provide internal and external communications for the ACT Global Climate Programme, supporting the various structures at global, regional and national levels in the implementation of climate change and sustainable development projects (50%).
• They will contribute to building the ACT brand visibility and the organisation’s reputation both at the secretariat and members’ level through working as part of the communications team of the ACT Secretariat supporting and ensuring excellence in communications.
• They will work with ACT Alliance forums, members and partners at regional and national levels to help build ACT forum, member and group capacities, to facilitate increased collaboration and joint initiatives.

Duties and responsibilities

The Communications Officer will significantly contribute to the implementation of communications and advocacy strategies for ACT Alliance Secretariat in the context of the climate justice and sustainable development agenda. This includes:

1. Internal communication: Ensure that all the relevant colleagues, members and partners receive timely and appropriate communication and information. This involves:
2. Supporting the drafting, editing and layout of policy briefs, toolkits, newsletters and messages to the alliance and other actors;
3. Assisting with communications work within the regions;
4. Creating relevant and quality social media and website content,
5. Developing and maintaining climate justice related networks and relationships within ACT Alliance and externally with key partners where that work is focused on communications and campaigns
6. Ensuring relevant member and partners’ enquiries are handled effectively and professionally.
7. Media relations: Building and maintaining media relations within the climate justice programme; undertaking media work and monitoring coverage in traditional and online media outlets.
8. Event communications coordination and visibility: Identifying opportunities and ensuring visibility of ACT Alliance at key events; project managing communication aspects related to ACT’s presence at UNFCCC and other climate justice events.
9. Materials development: Contributing to ACT Alliance Secretariat’s materials including publications, brochures and materials, including the Annual Report, for use in a variety of contexts, and ensuring their appropriate and timely dissemination.
10. Writing/editing/production: Writing, producing and editing quality stories for the ACT website, and editing relevant climate policy and/or other documents; drafting newsletters and reports.
11. Fieldwork: Carrying out fieldwork and partner visits when required.

Competences and behaviours

• Committed to the values of the ACT Alliance and takes pride in delivering on agreed priorities according to the highest standards individually and as part of a global team.
• Proactively finds innovative and creative solutions, is efficient and reliable, adapts to change and uncertainty, is decisive and acts with integrity.
• Builds effective internal and external relationships, involves others when solving problems and treats others with consideration and respect in an alliance where faith is a key ingredient of people’s lives.
• Works well as part of teams, balancing needs and capacity between competing priorities.
• Passion for building and developing core skills for the role and contributes knowledge outside of immediate own role.

Working relationships

The candidate will be required to establish and cultivate relations with ACT secretariat staff in all ACT offices, as well as with member organisations.

• Internally: the Officer will report to the Director of Communications and collaborate closely with the Climate Justice team and Communications Team as well as the Regional Representatives and Humanitarian Programme Officers in the regions, to identify appropriate humanitarian, development and advocacy work for profiling in ACT communications and across the membership.
• Externally: the Officer will liaise with relevant ACT forums and members, ecumenical actors and other partners to build relationships across the alliance, increase member capacity and foster trust and allegiance among members.

Qualifications, Skills, and required experience

• At least 3 years’ experience in a communications role, with international experience in a network setting being an asset
• Fluent in English, both written and verbal. Good knowledge of Spanish and/or French an asset.
• Proven social media and social media campaign skills, including the production of internal newsletters and relevant website content.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud and/or other design and editing programmes.
• Experience in working with media, capacity building and strategic communications and campaigns.
• Understanding of global civil society working on environment and multilateral processes within the UN with a particular focus on UNFCCC and the UN sustainable development and disaster risk reduction agenda an asset.
• Experience engaging with governments, working within the faith sector and facilitating multi-stakeholder communications and dialogues an asset.
• Degree in communications, journalism, public relations or relevant discipline an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multi-cultural situations and/or multi-locational settings using a flexible, collaborative approach.
• Demonstrated competency to build and maintain trust among diverse groups towards consistent collaborative work.
• Highly organised, with strong project management skills.
• Ability to manage own work and time within the context of multiple responsibilities and projects, and a demonstrated capacity to work under pressure to meet deadlines.