Senior Media, Communication And Advocacy Officer

ROLE PURPOSE:  To strengthen communication activities by developing and facilitating materials, and events which support media, communications and advocacy objectives of programmes and projects.   The main focus of the job is: to liaise with Save the Children International and regional head offices in developing clear messages, planning strategies and  events to strengthen Lebanon Country Office external communications 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 Lebanon Country Office. to strengthen the competence and capacity in advocacy and communications of staff and to facilitate the support to partner organisations within advocacy and communications to work with other groups and agencies in the pursuit of common objectives   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:   Communications support to programme, advocacy and fundraising Contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of a country media, advocacy and communications strategy, Plan of Action, and communications budget for SCI in Lebanon to strengthen Save the Children International’s reputation as an advocate for children’s rights.   Support in the development and implementation of media, 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.   Lead the planning and co-ordination of media visits, in liaison with Save the Children International regional and head offices.   Online and Social Media   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 Save the Children Lebanon Website   Update and feed into the Lebanon OneNet page and the Save the Children Lebanon Website.   Develop and explore appropriate use of social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and Flickr) to ensure a higher visibility for SC in Lebanon.   Update and feed into InterAgency information portals.   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.   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.   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.   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.   Plan and organize launching events, press conferences and others related to SC in country office.   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 At least three years experience working in Media/ Advocacy/Communications.. Master’s degree and working experience in journalism or information/communications, including strategic communications planning, or related field. Excellent English written and spoken language skills are essential. Excellent Arabic written and spoken language skills highly desirable 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. Working with children’s rights in developing countries. Training on children’s rights and communications