Communications Officer at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Purpose

The Communications Officer will work to increase local, national and international understanding of DRC’s work and role in Nigeria through high-quality communications products developed in line with DRC guidelines, donor commitments, protection principles and ethical standards.

1. Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the PDQM, develop, implement, and monitor a communication and visibility plan to facilitate better understanding among partners, donors, beneficiaries and host communities, media, the general public, and government stakeholders of DRC Nigeria’s work and role;
• Under the direction of the PDQM, develop DRC Nigeria’s Communications Strategy and update on an annual basis;
• Write, edit and produce communication products promoting the contribution of DRC Nigeria to the humanitarian response;
• Undertake field visits to produce creative and engaging communications products to raise awareness of the crisis in northeast Nigeria and the humanitarian response efforts of DRC;
• Maintain and update DRC Nigeria country profile documents, fact sheets, and presentations for external audiences;
• Engage with NIF Communications Working Group and other relevant working groups and networks to ensure DRC representation and participation;
• Ensure timely publication and distribution of media content on the DRC Nigeria country webpage, DRC Nigeria Twitter account and HQ managed accounts;
• Ensure all DRC and donor visibility requirements and communications commitments are met;
• Provide training on communications and visibility to DRC Nigeria staff to improve contributions to communications initiatives and staff understanding of DRC and donor guidelines;
• Ensure there is appropriate age and gender awareness and considerations in all DRC Nigeria communications;
• Ensure all public multimedia materials have the necessary consent forms on file; 
• Advise DRC Nigeria staff on media, public information, awareness raising and visibility issues in line with DRC and donor guidelines, protection principles and ethical standards;
• Contribute communications inputs to proposal development based on donor guidelines;
• In coordination with Supply Chain, maintain and update framework agreements related to visibility products;
• Provide support to PDQM and SMT on media request and interview opportunities;
• In coordination with the PDQM, liaise with DRC West Africa regional office and headquarters communications focal points as required; and,
• Perform other duties as assigned including support to other components of the Quality Assurance Unit.

Qualifications and Work Experience:

• At least three years of professional experience working in journalism or at least three years of professional experience in social media
• University degree in a relevant field such as English, social sciences, public relations, journalism, communications or similar;
• Certification or equivalent professional experience in graphic design, web, social media and video production, or similar.
• English – fluent with capacity to produce high-quality written products for formal reporting and public communication purposes
• Hausa and other languages used in northeast Nigeria an asset, but not essential to the position

 Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent writing, editing and communications skills in English required.
• Advanced skill in graphic design, web, social media and video production evidenced by a portfolio of communications products produced by the candidate.
• Demonstrated experience in training and coaching.
• Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively in a multi-cultural environment with competing priorities, tight deadlines, and in a complex emergency context.
• Ability to live and work in an insecure and high stress environment.
• Willingness to travel to other DRC bases in Nigeria.

Note: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.