Communication and Reporting Officer

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 mainly on Somalis who are affected by displacement, but also oversees programmes for internally displaced persons in Kenya, Yemen and Ethiopia. The Somalia programme currently has more than 250 staff working in eight main field offices, which include Hargeisa, Bossaso, Galkacyo, Garowe, Mogadishu, Dollow, Baidoa and Beletweyne. DRC Somalia implements broad emergency and recovery programming including protection, livelihoods and food security, shelter/NFIs, water and sanitation and governance.

Purpose

The Communication and Reporting Officer 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 Communication and Reporting Officer is responsible to develop communication materials on DRC activities in Somalia for external audience.

He/she assists the Country Director and the Programme Development unit in developing a country communications strategy, both internal and external. S/he is in charge of maintaining an in-depth insight on donors and other stakeholders’ strategies, activities and opportunities in-country, in line with DRC’s overall programme strategy

Key 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.
• Provide through progress reporting, a continuous analysis of the achievements, facilitate project reviews, evaluation and audits.
• Develop donors 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.
• Drafting and editing reports and communications materials to be submitted to donors and the head office in Copenhagen.
• Ensuring that internal and external reporting deadlines are respected.
• Cross check data with other program staff to ensure that reporting generated accurately reflects program activities.
• Maintain updated project-wise fact sheets and project success stories.
• Support program staff in organizing and managing seminars, workshops, and donor field visits as required.
• Other duties as needed.

Communication

• Ensure effective communications, visibility and knowledge management within DRC Somalia and to external publics.
• Develop, implement and monitor a communication and visibility plan to facilitate better understanding among partners 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 and the Program Development and Quality Manager.
• Develop communication standards and ensure adherence to the same in all external communications
• Play a key role in coaching and mentoring of Country Office program staff in communications.
• Prepare periodic 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 web-site where appropriate.

Reporting Arrangements

The Communication and Reporting Officer will report to the Program Development and Quality Manager. The successful candidate will work closely with the Grants Manager, the Country Director and the Deputy Country Director. S/he will provide technical supervision in communication and reporting to the Somalia country programme team and the monitoring and evaluation staff.

Person specification:

Essential:

• Master’s degree in Mass communications, journalism, social sciences or related areas.
• Five years relevant working experience.
• Knowledge of relevant thematic areas (protection/human rights, shelter, wash, food security and livelihoods, durable solutions, migration, advocacy, among others).
• S/he should have an extensive experience in communication and diffusion strategies and techniques, reporting, documentation, publication, and audio-visual material preparation in relation to relief, recovery and development fields.
• S/he should possess excellent writing, editing, and speaking skills in English.
• S/he should be well versed in the latest electronic publishing and graphics methods.
• Priority will be given to candidates who demonstrate a high level of motivation and good communication, social, and interpersonal skills
• S/he must be well versed in desktop publishing, MS Word, Excel, Access, the latest presentation packages including PowerPoint.
• Communication skills: excellent written and articulate oral communication skills, particularly in English.
• You have demonstrated ability or experience in finding new creative media angles and new platforms to present communications work.
• 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.

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.
• Work style: well planned and organized and has a 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 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, SIDA, CHF, UNHCR among others.
• Ability to work rapidly with staff in the field directly and remotely in writing, and where necessary, revising concepts, proposals and reports.

General commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability committments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework into the work of DRC

DRC is commmitted to integrate age, gender and diversity concerns at all levels of project/programme analysis and planning; strategy development; implementation; monitoring and evaluation; and policy and advocacy work.

Conditions

Availability: 1st December, 2014
Duty station: Bossaso, Puntland - Somalia with frequent travel to the other offices
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 rated as A13 on the DRC salary scale available atwww.drc.dk or the DRC national staff salary scale, as applicable.

About DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more than twenty five countries throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.
The protection and assistance to conflict affected population is provided within a long-term, regional and rights-based approach in order to constitute a coherent and effective response to the challenges posed by today’s conflicts. Assistance consists of relief and other humanitarian aid, rehabilitation, support to return and repatriation as well as promotion of long-term solutions to displacement and its causes. In addition, support and capacity building of local and national authorities and NGOs form an integral part of DRC’s work.

How to apply:

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updatedCV 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.

CV-only applications will not 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 1 October, 2014.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contactjob@drc.dk

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.