Communication Officer

BACKGROUND

LAW is an independent, non-profit organization comprised of human rights lawyers working in fragile and conflict affected areas in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. We have a particular focus on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, natural resource exploitation, rule of law and accountability, and transformative justice, working to bring justice to those who need it most. LAW’s ground-breaking work has received international and local media coverage, and recognition.

LA’s Programme in Lebanon:

Legal Action was set up in Beirut in 2018. The organisation provides legal assistance and representation to individuals in the governorates of Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, Akkar and the Bekaa.

Legal Action’s legal aid lawyers work closely with LAW Network’s international lawyers to develop innovative legal strategies designed to increase access to justice for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), the stateless, and other groups who have suffered human rights violations and abuses.

Role Overview and Responsibility:   

The Communications Officer will work collaboratively to support the Programme Manager and the Team to promote LAW's work and to increase visibility, profile key events and advocacy activities in country and globally. The post holder will perform duties in accordance with the responsibilities outlined below:  

Communications:

• Develop activity calendar for the projects covering plans for social media; website, press, exhibitions. events, awards and external communication;
• Monitor, track indicators and evaluate media coverage; campaigns, publication prints and digital to maximize efficiency;
• Draft regular press releases articulating project impact and achievements effectively; 
• Support preparation of key messaging, LAW’s research reports and legal filings and concept notes for events;
• Establish strong relationships and maintain list of national and regional network and journalistic contacts;
• Provide biweekly reports of deliverables detailing progress against workplan;
• Conduct field visits and take professional photos for championing and profiling successful stories and social media posts;
• Any other task requested from the line manager

Social Media and Digital:

• Maintain a strong coordination mechanism with the graphic designer and make sure to provide them with the required content;
• Ensure all visual materials developed by the graphic designer meet the expectations, match LAW visual identity and its vision;
• Develop a social media plan and identify various audiences for our social media channels, and plan how to increase LAW’s engagement in country;
• Design and implement a social media schedule, ensuring content is planned well in advance for key activities, and proactively respond to breaking news.
• Design, deliver and maintain engaging content across our key social media channels, including Twitter, to create impactful stories, case studies, and other content to engage with our audiences;
• Assist in the creation, designing of innovative, information toolkits (audio, digital) that will be used by Survivor Advocates for their field work;
• Maintain and update the website content, collating inputs from the county programme; 
• Research and analyze performance on the various platforms and make recommendations on how to improve our communications.

Skills and Qualifications Required:

• Bachelors degree in communications, marketing, media relations, journalism or relevant  field; 
• Minimum 3 years demonstrated experience working in journalism, media relations, advocacy or communications in a similar role;
• 3 years proven experience in a similar role of developing and implementing traditional and social media content development and dissemination;
• Relevant experience working with international NGOs is preferred, ideally in human rights or humanitarian field;
• Track record of highly effective content production and social media management;
• Excellent knowledge of video editing; 
• Excellent written and oral skills in English and Arabic required; with the ability to clearly articulate information to various audiences and stakeholders
• Ability to work on own initiative and part of the wider team; 
• Experience in photography; ideally with DSLR cameras or similar (desirable) 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and strong technical literacy.

Child Safeguarding Statement

LAW will uphold the highest consideration for the safety and protection of children are in place whereby all applicants will be require to undergo relevant vetting processes (which may include police criminal background checks, subject to local jurisdiction) and when starting employment with LAW, to sign a declaration stating there in no reason or event that would render them unsuitable for the post and declaring ant criminal conviction or ongoing criminal prosecutions against them.

LAW reserves the right to follow up on references with any previous employer to seek referees considered view and opinion on the candidate’s suitability to be contacted with children. The successful applicant will only be offered a position subject to: (a) satisfactory and suitable references; (b) proof of qualifications; (c) relevant vetting/clearance procedures; and (d) positive proof of identification.

All staff joining LAW, agrees to families themselves with the safeguarding policies and comply fully with its standard and code of conduct. Staff are required to be vigilant and aware of risk to children. Staff are also responsible to report and suspected or known concerns and also to participate fully in any safeguarding investigation if requested. Furthermore, staff are required to participate in annual training on safeguarding/child protection.