Job Description
The IRC’s work throughout Africa and in Yemen is amongst our most challenging and innovative. We are responding to several urgent emergencies and supporting refugees in twenty countries throughout the region. We offer integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work touches on some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, conflict sensitivity, coordination, and impact.
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
The Communications team is working with partners in Marketing and Advocacy to grow the public profile of the IRC and grow our international supporter base. This urgent mandate requires a close connection to our field programs, which are the source of critical newsworthy and compelling stories and our unique expertise about aid delivery. Our regional communications and content staff are attuned to local news and content opportunities. They are also positioned to move quickly to capture and produce relevant information, perspective, and stories for distribution across the IRC’s global channels.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Regional Content and Information Officer produces outstanding content that brings the IRC’s life-saving work in the Africa Region to life for external audiences. He/she covers breaking humanitarian emergencies and also develops information and content assets that showcase the IRC’s on the ground impact. He/she will also seek out information from country teams to develop feature pitches and land earned media coverage in top-tier international news outlets.
This role calls for an extremely organized, savvy journalist/content gatherer who is comfortable operating in fluid and complex field situations. You should have a knack for spotting unique subjects and identifying intriguing and new story angles. We are looking for a strong multimedia producer who brings solid writing and media engagement skills.
This role reports to the IRC’s Senior Global Communications Officer for Africa and Yemen. You’ll gather content yourself, organize information about IRC programs, write stories and pitch to media.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Content
• Understand content needs and goals for upcoming communications and marketing campaigns, and work with field staff to identify our best subjects and content gathering opportunities.
• Execute content-gathering trips in your region: Work with communications, marketing and program contacts to shape trip requirements and determine what is feasible. Then work independently and/or with freelance staff to gather rich case studies and high-quality assets (interviews, videos, photos, etc.).
• Track donor visibility funds for use in content trips. Draw up budgets for content trips; manage spending within budgets. Recruit and maintain a pool of freelance content talent in the region.
• Produce and package content: Collaborate with social media managers, to produce quick turnaround social assets (i.e. Instagram Stories, etc); partner with marketers and editors to produce more polished stories and features (for the site and email).
• Ensure assets are prepped and distributed for broad use: Manage translations for interviews and videos. Upload to content systems and share with others who may use them to produce additional stories, ads, etc.
Information management
• Gather and package information about IRC programs in the region including major reports, assessments, success stories, case studies, factsheets, media pitches and other resources, and work with internal stakeholders to use this information to promote IRC’s work to external target audiences.
• Draft, edit and review information products including press releases, messaging, talking points, website content, etc as needed, and upload and distribute products as required.
• Pitch stories about the IRC’s work to top-tier international media outlets.
• Work with Communications Generalists and global content staff to ensure content is in line with messaging and brand guidelines.
• Support global communications requests for information about Africa and Yemen programs, as needed.
• Identify gaps in information and assets and propose ways to fill those gaps.
• Work with Senior Global Communications Officer on other communications initiatives as required.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Position Reports to: Senior Global Communications Officers
Key internal relationships: Local country and program staff in Africa and Yemen (Country communications and Advocacy Officers, Grants Managers and Coordinators, Africa and Yemen Country Directors and country program staff) with key communications and content gathering staff on the global team (i.e. Officer Digital Content, Digital Editorial Director; Executive Producer; Communications Generalists).
Key external relationships: With in-country freelancers; international reporters and foreign correspondents and some IRC corporate partners.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or related field; 2 – 4 years of experience producing content for consumer audiences (as a professional journalist, or in some other content-focused role).
• Superb interviewing, writing and storytelling skills. Able to unpack complex situations and synthesize large amounts of information to produce user-friendly content.
• Photography and video skills. Fluent in social media formats – comfortable packaging raw, short-format video pieces.
• Experience working with international media outlets and proven record of landing top-tier media coverage.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities and produce high-quality outcomes on a short deadline.
• Must be willing and able to travel throughout the region, occasionally at short notice and sometimes under strenuous conditions.
PREFERRED:
• Masters degree in journalism.
• In addition to English, fluency in another language that is relevant for the region.
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign); ability to create graphical content.
Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.
Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.
Attention National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position.
Other information: This is a 6-month temporary position with potential for extension depending on budget requirements and restrictions.
If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact Talent Acquisitions at [email protected]. As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
IRC leading the way from harm to home.
More Information
- Job City Nairobi