Media Manager at Save The Children

Job ID: 190000OG
Location: Abuja
Employee Status: Fixed Term

Role Purpose

• The Media Manager role is an exciting new position at Save the Children Nigeria aimed at candidates with prior experience of leading media outreach for an international organisation.  
• The post-holder will manage Save the Children’s media work in Nigeria, harnessing the power of national and international media to help us to achieve our advocacy, campaign, branding, programmatic and fundraising goals. Equally important will be raising awareness of humanitarian crises affecting children.
• The Media Manager will be a key part of the new Advocacy and Campaign Department and will report to the Director of Advocacy and Campaign. The post-holder will also liaise, as necessary, with the Country Director and the Regional Media Manager for West and Central Africa. In humanitarian settings, the Media Manager will work closely with the Humanitarian Programmes Director. The Media Manager will supervise Social Media and Communication Officer; Information and Communications Coordinator; Volunteers and Intern/s. The Media Manager will be a member of Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT).
• The primary task, carried-out under the guidance of the Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, will be to develop a new national media strategy with a focus on our campaign, advocacy, programmatic, and humanitarian work. The day-to-day roles of the Media Manager will include handling media enquiries, drafting comments and media releases, developing and maintaining a network of key media contacts, hosting media visits to field programmes and acting as a focal point for media requests from Save the Children offices around the world. The post-holder will support the function of risk mitigation, in cooperation with senior management and advocacy colleagues, and proactively spot opportunities for brand development.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and implement a new media strategy aligned to Save the Children’s national, regional and global advocacy, campaign and humanitarian priorities.
• Act as a focal point for media requests from Save the Children member organisations around the world, working closely with the Regional Media Manager for West and Central Africa and Save the Children International’s Global Media Unit.
• Work closely with the heads of thematic areas to develop key messages and promote programmatic goals in the media.
• Draft newsworthy media releases aligned to advocacy, campaigns and humanitarian priorities, and reactive statements as necessary.
• Develop core materials including Q&A, key messages, case studies, blogs, and talking points.
• Build and maintain relationships with key national and international journalists and media outlets.
• Arrange media briefings and act as a spokesperson when required.
• Coach and brief colleagues ahead of media interviews and build the communications capacity of staff in the Country Office for effective media engagement.
• Undertake effective media monitoring for the Country Office and maintain an up to date media database.
• Stay up to date on developments on media tools and trends, including social media, and train colleagues on these as needed.
• Work internally with social media, humanitarian communications and programmatic teams to ensure consistent messaging.
• Work to ensure maximum visibility of the Every Last Child Campaign, Girls Education Campaign and Centenary Commitment in the media in line with campaign objectives.
• Support CO internal communications, including producing newsletters and other materials, as appropriate.
• Facilitate national and international media visits showcasing issues relevant to advocacy, campaigns and humanitarian priorities, including to the North East when appropriate.
• Assist in the preparation of crisis communications plans, including risk mitigation strategies around sensitive issues affecting children, and recognise red lines for messaging.
• Plan, commission and carry out the collection of multimedia content for Save the Children media teams around the world as well as national and international media outlets.
• Ensure proper sign off of all media materials by the Country Director, and the Global / Regional Media Unit where appropriate.
• Does content management of the SCI Nigeria website and all social media channels.
• Support Social Media, Information and Communications Officer/Coordinator and Intern/s to enhance and maintain the quality and consistency of internal and external communications.

Qualifications & Experience
Essential

• Minimum three years of experience working as a media specialist for an international organisation.
• University qualification in Journalism, Public Relations, Media and Mass Communication or a related field with Masters and Bachelor Degree level study completed.
• Experience in using media as a tool for advocacy, campaign and/or humanitarian needs.
• Experience in people management, strategic planning and networking in the media and communications sector.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and implementing strategic and impactful media strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate complex issues in a compelling way for a variety of audiences.
• An excellent understanding of the Nigerian media environment and a first-rate network of media contacts in Nigeria.
• Ability to identify key influencers and media targets, network and build relationships.
• An innate ‘news’ sense and a proven ability to produce crisp, punchy media copy to tight deadlines.
• Strong computer skills, especially Microsoft Word, power point and pdf.

The Media Manager is also expected to:

• Have extensive understanding of global communications, media relations and new media.
• Have a professional understanding of commissioning and gathering multimedia content such as film, and photography.
• Show enthusiasm for and commitment to Save the Children’s values and mission.
• Have the capacity to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Desirable:

• Experience of working with international media outlets and/or working as a journalist would be a considerable advantage.
• Fluent and nuanced written and verbal skills in local languages, particularly Hausa.
• A strong understanding of NGO policy/ advocacy work in the context of development, and considerable experience working through the media on advocacy and campaigns.