Under the direct supervision of the SUIDAC Programme Coordinator and the secondary supervision of the Cities Alliance Communications Officer, the Communications Senior Officer will ensure the SUIDAC Programme maintains a consistent flow of high-quality communication products. The Communications Specialist will gather content to produce, store, and maintain a regularly updated repository of materials. 

This position requires regular travel to the SUIDAC project sites.

Functional Responsibilities:

• Support the public visibility of SUIDAC’s work.
• Support the communication of  SUIDAC’s work, including its activities and results, through key products and events.
• Assist managing the  SUIDAC’s communication resources.
• Support the SUIDAC Management Team in key communication tasks, including:

1. The Communications Specialist will support  the Program Coordinator and the Cities Alliance Communications Officer, with  the public visibility of SUIDAC’s work by:

• Initiating, updating, and adapting the communications plan for SUIDAC.

• Supporting the Communications Officer with ensuring the e SUIDAC online program page and the information on the Cities Alliance website is kept up-to-date.

• Identifying and producing feature stories, videos, photography, and other materials related to SUIDAC.

• Developing key messages and positioning SUIDAC on the topic of cities and migration.

• Ensuring the production of high-quality images and videos, possessing technical knowledge to manage, format, edit, and produce visual assets, and providing assistance to others as needed.

• Establishing a system and process for regularly adding photos to a drive accessible to the Cities Alliance and the EU, including filing, organizing, and providing training and support to relevant staff.

• Supporting the Programme Coordinator g with project stakeholders updates (including grantees, governments and beneficiaries) on the latest stories to be shared.

• Providing edits and proofreading for the publication of stories from SUIDAC grantees and beneficiaries to be uploaded on the Cities Alliance website.

2. The Communications Specialist will support the Program Coordinator and the Cities Alliance Communications Officer on the communication of SUIDAc’s results and activities , through key products and events: 

• Prepare, edit, and review materials such as save-the-date notices, agendas, and SUIDAC-related presentations for events, including regional and national dialogues.

• Coordinate with the Program Coordinator and the Cities Alliance Communications Officer to determine key messages for SUIDAC and refine those messages over time based on evidence.

• Support Developing and reviewing high-quality written content for social media and the project website for every event organized by the Program.

• Support learning events, workshops, and international days to showcase and share knowledge, including writing event reports for the EU that include pictures, quotes, and key messages.

• When required, provide support for writing applications to regional and international events.

3. The Communications Specialist will assist the Program Coordinator and the Cities Alliance Communications Officer with managing SUIDAC’s communications resources effectively:

• Under the supervision of the SUIDAC Programme Coordinator, support the Cities Alliance Communications Officer with donor coordination and their regional focal points to ensure that the communication and visibility requirements of the SUIDAC Programme are understood and met.

• Assist the Program Coordinator to liaise with the SUIDAC team members in order  to stay updated on the latest resources and updates.

• Support the Program Coordinator in engaging with SUIDAC grantees and beneficiaries to gather the latest stories to share with relevant stakeholders.

4. To support the SUIDAC Management Team in key communication tasks, the Communications Specialist will:

• Ensure that succinct and accurate minutes are taken during significant meetings to capture important discussions and decisions.

• Develop high-quality briefing kits for visitors before field visits to ensure they are well-informed about SUIDAC’s activities and objectives.

• Participate in SUIDAC events, field missions, and provide support as needed, including conducting communication activities at project sites.

• A Masters degree preferably in communication, media studies, journalism, development studies, international relations, public relations or related fields is required.

• A Bachelor’s degree with an additional two years of similar experience is considered equivalent.

Experience

• A minimum of two years professional in the development and implementation of external communications strategies, external relations and/or other strategic communication roles is required.

• Significant professional experience in Africa is required.

• A working knowledge of producing digital assets, including the project website as well as photo and video shooting and editing, is an asset.

• Experience in developing, producing and editing written materials in different formats (stories, articles, papers) is an asset.

• Experience in development projects, preferably in the area of migration, in a developing country, is an asset.

• Work experience in projects implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa and a good understanding of the sub-regional and local contexts is an asset. 

• UN experience and/or experience of implementing EU-funded projects is an asset.

Language

• Fluency in written and oral English. 
• Working knowledge of French and/or Arabic, Amharic, or Somali is an asset.