Job Description

Readvertisement for Senior Communication and Advocacy Officer, Mogadishu – Somalia-National Position (1 Position)-

Position Title:

Senior Communication and Advocacy Officer

Reporting to:

Head of Programs and Business Development

Duty Station:

Mogadishu-Somalia

Position Status:

locally hired position- National position

Area of Operation:

Somalia

Employment period

Starting in Jan 2024, 1 Year with the possibility of extension

Background:

FCA works to enable people to break the circle of poverty and violence. We are a rights-based actor, a Finnish organization with 70 years of experience, with operations in 15 countries. FCA is Finland’s largest NGO in development cooperation and second largest provider of disaster relief. Our action is guided by international human rights standards and principles. We realize our mission and vision through development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy work. We contribute to positive change by supporting people in the most vulnerable situations within fragile and disaster-affected areas. We consider three thematic areas as central to sustainable change: the right to peace (R2P), livelihood (R2L) and quality education (R2QE).

In Somalia FCA has been working under a right to peace thematic areas since 2008 including governance and reconciliation projects and later has expanded in quality education (R2QE) thematic area.

Primary purpose of the position:

Under the supervision of the Head of Programs and Business Development, the Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer is responsible for pushing forward the design and implementation of the FCA Somalia’s advocacy strategy and for further development of advocacy, policy, and communications work (both internal and external). The role is to support the development of and in collaboration with program teams coordinate the implementation of communications, advocacy and campaign strategies, media engagement plans, digital and social media strategies, visibility and communications plans for programs and building FCA’s brand. The post holder will lead the production and development of communications materials that are necessary for communication with donors, stakeholders, government, beneficiaries, and HQ in addition to supporting program teams on advocacy initiatives.

Main tasks:

Campaign and Advocacy

• Lead on FCA Somalia efforts through raising public awareness on the impact of Interventions through producing social media materials, supporting programs in the organization of high-level advocacy events and media collaboration.
• Coordinate with all Project and Program Managers in planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on Advocacy initiatives as well as coordination with the program team.
• Coordinate with Program and Project Managers in development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of advocacy plans for Somalia country office
• Work with the MEAL team in communicating the program evidence and best practices to support and inform the implementation of advocacy plan and achievement of program results at scale.
• Support Program/Project Managers to plan and utilize advocacy and campaigns budgets.
• Produce high quality public and private policy and advocacy materials including talking points, letters, briefing notes, position papers, and advocacy reports.
• Provide trainings on advocacy to field staff and develop the capacity of national staff to implement impactful advocacy interventions.

Communications

• Produce accurate, clear, and consistent information and communications outputs that highlight Somalia’s situation and FCA’s work in Somalia, including case studies, feature stories, and online platforms.
• Produce visually appealing and brand-aligned external marketing materials for all sectors and programs, including for fundraising purposes.
• Review and approve TORs for printing and production of all communication materials.
• Lead in the development of a social media plan as well as production of multimedia materials, including photos, videos, infographics, animation, etc.
• In collaboration with Program Managers, develop specific communications plans for each thematic area and ensure roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the plan are agreed upon and clear.
• Keep all social media and websites updated, including FCA Office sites and all related project sites.
• Ensure high-quality internal communications materials across our internal channels. Promote sharing, learning, and interactive dialogue among staff.
• Obtain approval for publishing materials as per relevant FCA procedures and protocols, and in line with International and local laws.

Capacity Building

• Build capacity of program staff to understand advocacy, campaign, and communications approaches, tools, and requirements.
• Manage and ensure capacity building of Communications and Advocacy Partner staff, interns assigned to support advocacy, campaigns, and communications work.
• To coordinate with the Country Office Team and other relevant departments in support Advocacy and Communication FCA work.

Experiences and Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in public relations, Journalism, Communications, Media Studies, or related field.
• Work Experience: Five (5) years or more relevant work experience. (Experience in a Non-profit sector is an added advantage)
• At least 5-year experience in advertising, communications, social media, media management, marketing, public relations, or related field.
• Strong experience in leading or implementing strategic Advocacy and communications campaigns.
• Ability to speak confidently in front of the media, donors, and senior staff
• Good eye for page layouts and design
• Good understanding of social media engagement
• Good understanding of the key components in brand management
• Excellent personal organizational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Experience of working in related human development issues, especially one or more of FCA (i.e., Right to Peace, Quality education and Livelihood) is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel to field offices and work in the difficult environment according to travel requirements.
• Knowledge and working experience in Governance, Reconciliation, Peace building, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion is an asset.
• Fluency in English and Somali (written and spoken) is essential, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing and presentation skills.

FCA practices zero tolerance against concerning aid diversion and illegal actions and may screen [contractor/external party name] (i.e., applicants, contracts, suppliers, consultants, etc.) against international lists to ensure due diligence and compliance with Anti-money laundering and Combating the Financing of terrorism requirements). FCA’s Child Safeguarding Policy applies to all FCA staff.

Skills Required

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