Senior Communication and Advocacy Coordinator - Save the Children - Lebanon

Save the Children is seeking qualified candidates to fulfill the following positions, for its Lebanon Country Office, in the following locations Beirut,

ROLE PURPOSE
To strengthen communication activities by developing and facilitating communications which support communications and advocacy objectives of programmes and projects.

The main focus of the job is
to strengthen LCO external communication in order to promote the rights of the child and to contribute to Save the Children International as a child rights organisation
to strengthen internal communications within LCO
to strengthen the competence and capacity in advocacy and communications of staff and to facilitate the support to partner organisations within advocacy and communications

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Support the delivery of effective Programmes, in both development and humanitarian contexts, by:

Core responsibilities: Communications support to programme, advocacy and fundraising

Contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of a country communications strategy, Plan of Action, and communications budget for SCI in Lebanon to strengthen SCI reputation as an advocate for children’s rights.

Support in the development and implementation of advocacy and communication plans to maximise programme impact, minimise brand risk, and support programmes’ advocacy objectives. Contribute to the development of media, communication and advocacy strategy and related policies and procedures.

Advise and support programme staff with communication activities in Emergency response situations, according to Emergency Preparedness Plans

Work with programme staff and partner staff to plan and develop communications and campaigns’ materials in print, audio visual, and electronic to achieve country programme and corporate communications’ objectives.

Advise and support programme and fundraising staff in preparing and reviewing documentation and other material to be used for fundraising and relations with donors and other stakeholders regionally.

Collect stories and document impact of SCI’s work in the field to support fundraising, awareness-raising, and advocacy’s country objectives.

Report stories and examples of results according to annual plans and deadlines. Stories should also be reported on a regular basis to be published on the OneNet and in the news letters/ Update and feed into the Lebanon OneNet page.

Capacity Building
Strengthen the capacity of Save the Children and partner staff on advocacy media and communication, including regular media training of relevant spokespersons in the country.

Ensure training and capacity building of staff in the national staff and the field on SCI standard tools for media and communication.

Web
Contribute to, update and promote SCI website, once developed, to raise awareness on children’s rights to general public about country activities.

Develop and explore appropriate use of social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and Flickr) to ensure a higher visibility for SC in Lebanon.

Branding
Advise the office on planning and production of new publications and visibility material. Proactively develop a high profile for Save the Children in the Lebanon through the production of high quality, well researched, and well written products (in a variety of mediums) reflective of the dual mandate portfolio, responding quickly and appropriately to external requests for information, especially in emergencies

Advise that the materials follow SCI brand guidelines, sign-off procedures and checklists for publications, including publishing agreements. Ensure that the branding and communication guidelines of Save the Children are uniformly and consistently followed across the Lebanon Country Office.

Review and edit proposed and on-going communication activities, publications, and relationships to assess potential brand and organizational risks and alert regional and country director or senior management staff of these.

Visibility
Ensure appropriate branding and visibility for donors, be fully aware of the donors’ requirements, and coordinate with budget holders to have clear communication budgets and plan accordingly.

Plan and organize launching events, press conferences and others related to SC in country office.

Coordinate with Security manager in terms of visibility and branding and assess any risks in areas of operation.

Media
Follow-up and maintain relationships with media based Lebanon, pitch stories as appropriate, write press releases, and respond to (refer) media requests as needed, alternatively encourage and support partner organisations to facilitate media related activities.

Liaise and maintain contact with members and implement communication activities including facilitating media visits and working within incoming media & communications surge support during emergencies.

Monitor coverage of key child related issues in media, SC coverage on national, regional and international levels and keep track in a database.

Networking
Networking with other media, communications and advocacy teams within Save the Children and sharing est best practices and tools.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Advocacy/communication work experience.
Working with children’s rights in developing countries.
Training on children’s rights and communications.
Master’s degree and working experience in journalism or information/communications, including
strategic communications planning, or related field.

Advanced English and Arabic written and spoken language skills are essential (and other relevant language).
Ability to work in a team, both as leader and participant.
Ability to manage different and multiple tasks and to deliver in a short period of time.
Sound knowledge of publishing, design and printing process and related information and communications technologies including budget follow up
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment.
Experience in website development and maintenance is an asset.
Advocacy/communication work experience.
Working with children’s rights in developing countries.
Training on children’s rights and communications.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Please note that the closing date for applications is:
For External applicants on April 07th.
The selection committee will review all applications as they are received. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above, and those unable to meet these requirements will not be considered. No further information will be given over the phone.

Please note: due to the critical nature of this recruitment, applications will be reviewed as they are received and successful candidates contacted on an on-going basis. Internal Applicants are given priority in the recruitment process.

STARTING DATE: Immediate. We’re looking for people who can start as soon as possible or within the next few weeks.

Each application package should include the following:
- Job title for the role you are applying for in subject header of the email
- Cover letter with the applicant’s current contact information
- CV (including detailed work experience, education/degrees) – 3pages maximum
- Professional References (minimum of three, with complete contact information)
- Kindly do not send supporting certificates and documents at this stage
- Letter and CV should be saved into one Word or PDF document and sent to Lebanon.vacancies@savethechildren.org

Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. All applicants will also be subject to Save the Children’s usual Child Safeguarding Policy and reference checking process.

Deadline 07 April 2013