SR OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER

DÉTAILS DE L’ANNONCE

PROFIL

Education

• Advanced degree (MA, MBA or equivalent) in (science) communication or journalism, political sciences, international relations & development, life sciences or other relevant subject from a recognized institution.

Professional Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in operational communication & campaigning in a management and/or advisory capacity working with senior management teams.
• Advanced competencies in establishing communication strategies & team management.
• Proven evaluation experience.
• Extensive experience in training activities and capacity building.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills (oral, written, presentational).
• Multiple language skills are a must (mother tongue level Dutch, excellent French and English).

Core Competencies

• People Skills: Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with local communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Experience as spokesperson for the media. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of VSF-B.
• Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to VSF-B’s core values and humanitarian principles.
• Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner (field experience).
• Work style: Is well planned and organized and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel to Africa (field visits).

DESCRIPTION

Context & role

TheSr Operational Communication Officerwill develop a communication strategy in order to communicate effectively on the work that we do for and with livestock-dependent communities in the South. The incumbent will guarantee that this strategy is aligned with the goals of the organization and s/he will be responsible for its implementation. S/he will co-ordinate a small team.

The position is based in Brussels, but the work will require regular field visits to the African project countries. A team of 20 colleagues work in our head office in Brussels.

Duties & Responsibilities

• S/he will develop communication strategies & action plans for Belgium & the project countries: develop VSF-B’s key messages; identify media opportunities in Belgium and project countries; support communication during major humanitarian emergencies.
• S/he will help to analyze the communication needs of the VSF-B projects & give support with specific communication tools that are consistent with the visual identity of VSF-B. The incumbent will collect written & audiovisual information about the projects, and convert these data into easily understandable and scientifically correct formats (publications, factsheets, infographics, maps, articles, reports, webinars...) to reach target audiences.
• S/he will train and coach VSF-B staff on communication issues (media training etc): give technical advice on communication & awareness raising campaigns; give support in using local, national and international media; help with the development of evaluation & monitoring tools (best practices); produce guidelines on a number of key issues.
• S/he co-ordinates the VSF-B’s OC-team (4 persons),
• S/he will be responsible for the follow-up of the OC-budget. The incumbent will identify potential institutional donors willing to co-finance OC-activities & draft proposals for these institutional donors.
• S/he will act as spokesperson for VSF-B & reference person for the media.
• The Sr Operational Communication Officer will report to the “Director of Communication” who is a member of the Direction Team.