Communication and Public Information Assistant at International Labour Organization

Introduction

This position will be part-time at 50% and will be located in the ILO Abuja Office, which maintains overall responsibility for the ILO's presence and activities in four Anglophone Countries of West Africa: Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It also serves as the liaison office for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It takes supports its constituents in defining programme priorities, activities, monitoring, and overall programme delivery.

The Communications Specialist will support the implementation of the project on Supporting Regional, National, and Local Action to Address Child Labor in West African Agriculture, funded by the US Department of Labour’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).  The project aims at achieving the following Outcomes:
Outcome 1: Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.
Outcome 2: Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.
Outcome 2.1: Improved legislative, policy, and enforcement environment for enabling national action to address child labor.
Outcome 2.2: Increased action by communities to develop and implement Community Action Plans to reduce child labor in agriculture.
Outcome 2.3: Increased access to education, livelihoods, or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities.

• At the regional level, the project will strengthen ECOWAS to carry out, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate its Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor, and at the national level, it will support the Government of Nigeria to improve the enabling environment to implement its National Action Plan to eliminate child labor. At the community level, the project will support cocoa-growing communities in Ondo State, Nigeria to carry out child labor elimination activities through implementation of Community Action Plans determined by the communities themselves, as well as provision of education, livelihoods, or social protection services.

The Communication and Public Information Assistant will be responsible for coordinating the project’s communication and visibility activities.

2.    Reporting lines:

Under the overall responsibility of the Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone (CO-Abuja), the Communications and Public Information Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the National Project Manager and receive technical guidance and support from the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch (FUNDAMENTALS).
Description of Duties

• Develop and implement a project communication strategy and a social media strategy, including development of content; curating of related content.
• Coordinate and ensure consistent media messaging and uploading of content across various channels of public communication.
• Take a lead on media engagement in the countries covered by the project, including organization of press conferences, and preparation of press kits and talking points. Liaise with media, handle interview requests and draft press releases and statements.
• Develop creative communication, visibility and awareness raising materials to showcase project achievements and document lessons learnt, including compilation of a photo library, audio-visual content, drafting information materials such as human stories, fact sheets, presentations, project flyers, brochures, feature articles, and other relevant material and ensure the dissemination of material using relevant media platforms.  
• Promote different project initiatives and actions before, during and after by uploading engaging content across various channels of public communication.
• Guide the production of publications, print and online, and audio-visual products including the procurement of requisite vendors and coordination with ITC Turin and other similar service providers, wherever needed.
• Provide communication and visibility support with regards to organization of project events, product launches, press conferences, media interviews, meetings, conferences, workshops and promotion of publications/research. Give presentations and respond to a range of inquiries as required.
• Provide documentation services and ensure the maintenance and update of webpages, databases and web content management systems, classifying information and ensuring consistency and compliance with applicable standards. Develop and update a media contacts/distribution list.
• Regularly monitor media output on ILO activities on the works of the projects.
• Analyse campaigns and translate qualitative data into recommendations and plans for the revision of the communication strategy.
• Keep abreast of changes to communication and information management-related techniques, tools, standards, guidelines and best practices and provide guidance and deliver training to staff with a view to building knowledge.
• Perform any other relevant duties requested by the Supervisor

Required qualifications
Education

• Completion of secondary school education plus formal training in a communication, journalism, public relations or information management-related area.
• Experience
• Minimum of six years of office support work experience, the majority of which relates to communication or information management support services. Experience in communication in development projects implemented by national/international NGOs/UN bodies is an advantage.
• Proven experience developing and implementing communications strategies through a variety of means, such as traditional, digital, and social media, and/or storytelling.
• Experience in developing communications strategies using behavioral and social-change ccommunication, including audience segmentation and social mobilization.
• Experience working on challenges related to child labor in the agricultural sector, including cocoa, preferred.

Languages

Excellent command of English (written and spoken) required.
Competencies

• Good knowledge of communication and/or information management principles and concepts.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ability to distil complex topics into simple and compelling formats.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as a member of a team. Demonstrate collaborative and teamwork experience.
• Ability to work independently, quickly, precisely, and take initiative and responsibility.
• Accuracy and attention to detail and skills in the design, layout and formatting documents.
• Ability to work with Microsoft Office applications (including word processor, Publisher, spreadsheet, presentation software and Microsoft Adobe) such as Microsoft Office.
• In-depth awareness and understanding of social media platforms, their respective participants (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) and how each platform can be deployed in different scenarios.
• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including skills in researching and selection of information, and writing and editing skills.
• Excellent knowledge of print, audio-visual and online processes.
• Excellent drafting and editing skills in English.
• Good understanding of the working practices of national and international media.
• Knowledge of modern communication principles, techniques and systems.
• Ability to foster effective two-way communication and understanding and to manage and impart information to a varied audience.