Communication Team Leader

Communications Team Leader – Area South - South Africa

Organisation
World Vision
S
ector
Communication and Media

Job Level
Senior

Location
South Africa

Opportunity Details

As a child focused organization, World Vision is committed to the protection of children and does not employ staff whose background is not suitable for working with children. All employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible.

Position Start Date: 01 Feb 2009
Position End Date: 31 Jan 2011
Program/Office Name: SAAOEmployee Type: Contract

This position is part of the Africa communications leadership team. Its primary purpose is to provide strong and strategic communications direction and support to National Offices (NOs) in Southern Africa, as and where needed for the successful building of high-performance NO communications functions that are managed, structured, resourced and staffed for productive and quality work. It also identifies key communications needs of NOs and effectively manages them while ensuring that the WV Partnership is provided with quality communications resources and services for:

internal communications;
media relations;
emergency communications;
public advocacy communications; and
donor/public engagement communications.

Team Leadership

Lead the Southern Africa Communications team in alignment with the Africa Communications Redesign Project strategy for FY08-10 -- doing so in areas and ways that ensure that the core communications capabilities of NOs are built and sustained in all five focus areas of the this strategy.
Analyse/evaluate NO communications structures, capabilities and strategies in order to recommend and lead the changes needed to fulfill WV’s communications mission in Southern Africa.
Work with Area Directors (ADs) and National Directors (NDs) to help them understand the critical importance of communications; and to ensure that NO communicators are employed appropriately, with agreed reporting responsibilities to the NO and Area Office (AO).
Identify and lead key actions required to improve the status and performance of NO communications functions.
Team Management

Guide NOs and NDs in the recruitment and retention of quality communicators – developing/ utilizing standardized job descriptions, leading performance reviews, and promoting career development.
Ensure that NO communications departments are appropriately resourced with headcount and budgets required to move them to increasingly higher levels of performance.
Manage the Southern Africa Communications budget while pursuing resources needed for special projects.
Advise NDs and their communications departments on a range of strategic issues and projects for: media donor/public engagement; media relations; public advocacy; internal communications; and emergency communications.
Manage rapid and comprehensive national communications responses to Category II and III emergencies in Southern Africa, through well-coordinated programme information, media engagement and fundraising resource production by NOs.
Support, track and evaluate the development and alignment of NO communications strategies with the Africa Regional communications strategy.
Assign NO communications tasks and monitor and evaluate their key activities as appropriate.

Team Capacity Building

Assess and build the skills of national communicators in Southern Africa while facilitating their professional growth through: one-on-one capacity building programs, full briefings and orientation, and facilitation of secondments.
Recruit, train, advise and support 3-5 communications positions in every NO of Southern Africa, with a view to achieving fully functional communications departments with all core capabilities by FY10.
Develop and implement national capacity-building programmes in Category II/III emergency communications, media relations, crisis communications and public advocacy.

Focus Areas

Internal Communications Management

Coordinate and review important NO statements, reports, publications, media releases and other communications initiatives/resources, ensuring that they are consistently and appropriately packaged and messaged so that WV’s work is understood, trusted and influential – both nationally and internationally.
Serve as a primary information source to the WV Partnership on key issues and programming in Southern Africa.
Coordinate the strong and consistent engagement of Southern Africa NOs in key initiatives, tools and platforms for communications, marketing and public advocacy by the WV Partnership and Support Offices (SOs).
Ensure a consistent, creative and timely flow of information to the WV Partnership related to NO programs, issues and humanitarian emergencies in Southern Africa.
Consult and network with relevant communications “stakeholders” around the WV Partnership as needed to ensure that their key needs are being met by NO communicators, in compliance with established standards, policies and priorities.
Media Relations Management

Develop and facilitate new media training, outreach activities and tools with appropriate leadership, managers and staff of the Southern region and NOs.
Cultivate contacts and news coverage with key media organizations and correspondents (broadcast, print and electronic) throughout Southern Africa.
Build the capacity of NO communications departments to serve as proactive and productive information sources for national and regional media contacts.
Facilitate media campaigns around key regional issues.
Ensure that every NO has a crisis communications plan, with capacity to prepare for and respond to negative media reporting while protecting its public image.

Emergency Communications Management

Lead communications planning and activities for the Southern Africa Area Office and its NOs during “Category II and III” humanitarian emergencies and NO responses to them, in accordance with established protocols and procedures.
Prepare and position managers and staff of the East Africa region and NOs as preferred information and interview sources for key media on humanitarian events and issues.
Ensure a quick and comprehensive communications response in/to Cat. II and III emergencies, commensurate with international media attention and SO fundraising opportunities.
Guide national communicators in all critical phases and steps of emergency communications, including their equipping, rapid deployments and prioritized activities.

Public Advocacy Management

Work with communications and advocacy staff in Southern Africa and around the WV Partnership as appropriate for supporting the development and implementation of new plans and activities for public advocacy.
Manage, coordinate and support key public advocacy initiatives in Southern Africa, while building NO communications capacity in this area.
Define and/or review key public advocacy messaging for content, distribution and impact.
Ensure that Southern Africa and NO advocacy campaigns engage the media and utilize diverse communications channels to gain exposure and credibility, increase public discussion and fundraising.
Donor/Public Engagement Communications Management
Oversee the development and production of compelling and issues-oriented web-based products, websites/pages, print materials, videos and other resources as appropriate for donor/public engagement by NOs in Southern Africa;
Ensure consistency and quality in the production by Southern Africa NOs of stories and photos for the Scribe, Share, SO magazines and websites, and other key platforms and tools for donor/public engagement.
Position and support the Southern Africa Area Director (AD) in important media interviews and international and regional fora, commensurate with emerging opportunities for effective donor/public engagement.
Other
Travel as necessary for meeting the above responsibilities.
Be available for other assignments if/as deemed necessary by the Africa Communications Director.
Represent Southern Africa in strategic international communications conferences/fora.
Participate in Africa region staff meetings.

Required

A university degree or equivalent in journalism or communications/media (Master’s degree preferred).
At least 7 years of professional experience in areas of international communications, media and journalism.
Excellent writing and journalism skills, as well as advanced photojournalism and international media relations skills.
English language fluency (written and verbal). Other international language skills are advantageous.

Preferred

Previous communications experience in Africa
Submission Instructions
Click here for further information about this position or to apply online.
Application Deadline
January 19, 2009