Communication Officer at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary  The Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) Programme is an initiative to improve learning outcomes and the economic status of marginalized adolescent girls aged 16-19 in the Northern Nigerian states of Kano and Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria.

ENGINE through funding from the UK Department for International Development’s Girls Education Challenge, the Coca-Cola Company and other stakeholders supported over 18,000 marginalized girls to reduce education and financial barriers in its first implementation phase. In its second phase, ENGINE 11 will facilitate transition of these girls into functional literacy, numeracy and scale up their business opportunities and linkages.

ENGINE 11 will further increase girls’ and young women’s access to (1) financial education and life skills; (2) peer to peer networks and mentoring; and (3) direct assets (materials and savings). Beneficiaries will be integrated into value chains as well as conduct other market-driven employment opportunities. ENGINE 11 will also work with girls in formal and informal education to increase their learning opportunities and outcomes to prepare them for future economic activities and work in the policy environment to provide an enabling environment for girls to flourish in their chosen pathways.

Mercy Corps Nigeria is leading the implementation of ENGINE 11 project with new and innovative solutions to scale up existing interventions to deliver quality education and skills to the hardest to reach girls. Mercy Corps will collaborate with other stakeholders for the implementation of the ENGINE 11 program, including the Nigerian Ministry of Education, Central Bank, National Youth Service Corps and as well as private sector actors.

General Position Summary

• The Communication Officer will support the development of a communication strategy for the ENGINE 2 program including developing BCC/IEC materials, newsletters, footages, advocacy guides, and other messaging required for various phases of the project.
• Throughout the lifecycle of the program, s/he will responsible for a) cross-cutting programmatic information management within the framework of the program; b) ensuring that information is shared and used for continuous improvement of ongoing programs. S/he will support the development of high quality reports and success stories for dissemination and documentation

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Work closely with the Communication Advisor to plan and implement activities that ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ and DFID standards and ensure effective dissemination of project materials to different stakeholders.
• Work with the Communication Advisor to develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support. 

Communication:

• Lead the development of all communication materials including success stories, quarterly Newsletters, State Advisory Group bulletin, leaflets, factsheet etc.
• Develop scripts for documentary videos/short films and drama skits for community engagement events.
• Design communication items such as illustrative pathways, storyboards and banners etc.
• Utilize internal Mercy Corps global online information-sharing resources to enhance organizational learning.
• Participate and support in the preparation of high-quality quarterly and annual reports.
• Coordinate internal and external reviews of information collected.
• Participate in communications-related working groups and maintain close working relationships with other communications counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, local NGOs, and associations in Nigeria.
• Proven experience in supporting teams link the project theory of change to develop a communication objective and plan and coordinate its implementation.

Knowledge Management

• Conduct field visit to uncover interesting and significant stories
• Gather, corroborate and interpret data from the field
• Interview key persons (beneficiaries, stakeholders etc.) to obtain more information
• Use findings to construct a well-written article
• Retain awareness of the readers’ point of view
• Maintain notes and audio recordings
• Work with other team members to disseminate communications materials widely among stakeholders.
• Partner with other journalists, editors, producers etc to disseminate project results

Team Management:

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation:

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience 

• Strong, compelling, innovative and audience-sensitive writing and communication skills
• At least a Bachelor in Communication, Knowledge management, Journalism or any related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of Communication work or Journalism experience required; ideal candidate will have both theoretical and practical background in communications.
• Familiarity and experience on large-scale secondary education or school to work and especially targeting marginalized girls or young women programs preferred. 
• Strong familiarity with photography, video and audio content gathering and editing skills
• Excellent computer skills, including experience with communication software
• Experience interfacing with media, corporations and key stakeholders highly desired
• Ability to work within a tight deadline and multitask
• Ability to delve deeper and produce excellent stories writing
• Good communication skills, both written and oral
• Strong editing and proofreading skills
• Attention to details
• Must be able to work well alone or in a team.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will combine exceptional leadership, management and technical skills with a focus on innovative interventions to engage adolescent girls in informal education and skills building linked with private sector entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in a culturally and religiously conservative environment. 
• S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative and complex programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. 
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours .Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.