Communication Officer

Finn Church Aid (FCA) is the largest Finnish organization for development cooperation and the second largest provider of humanitarian assistance. FCA operates in twelve countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and has over 70 years of experience from international aid. FCA specializes in supporting local communities in three priority areas: Right to Livelihood, Right to Quality Education and Right to Peace. Our operations include long-term development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. FCA has been working in Jordan since 2012 with focus on mitigating the impact of the regional refugee crisis especially among youth and young adults. Over the years, the priorities of the country program have gradually shifted from Education in Emergencies to long-term resilience and reduced aid dependency of both refugees and vulnerable host communities. These goals are promoted especially through various livelihood interventions.

Starting 2022, FCA is planning to implement the COOL-YA projects which seeks to attract more youth to the agriculture sector by making it more appealing and interesting for the young people through bringing elements that excite young people – technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, startups, IT and mentorship. The project will investigate ways on how young people can be involved in agro business and bring in new blood to this very traditional sector which is considered less prestigious for young people. To tackle these issues, the project will support young farmers and cooperatives with infrastructure and equipment as well as with training (including TVET, entrepreneurship, foundational skills, new pre and post-harvest techniques etc.) and hands-on technical support. The project will support cooperatives and agro businesses in order to increase their productivity and create new job opportunities for youth. The project pays special attention to innovation and integrating technology and IT solutions through supporting innovative thinking among students, supporting IT startups, as well as running an online platform that supports direct connection/sales between farmers and consumers. Given extremely low participation of women in the agricultural sector and poor working conditions the project will systematically work on reducing barriers for women to join the sector; at the same time, seek to promote a decent job agenda in agriculture to improve working conditions and ensure rights of the workers.

The project is funded by the Ministry of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and strongly rooted locally with JEPA, JAEA and a Jordanian university being local technical and training partners.

Through various interventions, the project will reach over 750 beneficiaries and farm holders, engaging additionally 1750 youth in trainings and directly creating job opportunities for around 500 young women and men.

Under the direct supervision of COOL-YA Project Manager, and in close collaboration with the COOL-YA team, the Communication Officer (CO) is responsible for support the implementation of the projects’ communication plan. the C-O must have a passion for raising the voices of vulnerable communities living in crisis. Furthermore, It is expected to be engaged in delivering soft skills trainings and fill the gaps of self-employment officers during absence.

Main tasks

Communication

· Produce/ assist in the production of all forms of communication materials in English and Arabic.

· Monitor and review media reporting, analyze and brief them to line manager

· Draft press briefs and coordinate the release with line manager and donor when applicable

· Maintain the documentation of all media related materials including videos, photos, blogs, success stories and others.

· Monitor and respond to the organization different social media channels

· Support preparing presentations and public speeches

· Organize formal meetings, events, info sessions related to the project.

· Organize introductory meeting for partnership with international and local actors whenever possible

· Draft minutes of meeting with partners and project stakeholders.

· Develop and organize digital outreach tools in close coordination with project team.

· Regularly promote project activities and results via social media and press channels.

· Expand the organization social and media networks to increase the exposure to local communities.

· Accompany project team during the activities to capture progress and success.

· Provide technical support for the selection of service providers related to organizing events.

· Ensure that all communications and marketing material aligns with brand standards

· To liaise and coordinate with communication department in S.A.C when needed and upon request.

Special tasks and fixed term projects.

· Conduct entrepreneurship, youth leadership, career guidance and counseling training courses

· Provide coaching and technical assistance to small business beneficiaries, which includes:

· Developing business, marketing and financial plans.

· Providing resources and information on how to start or grow businesses, how to access procurement opportunities and getting registered to do business in Jordan.

· Assisting businesses in the creation of marketing materials, recordkeeping systems and other tools necessary to small businesses.

· Monitor accounting and finance systems use, providing support as needed;

· Follow up with course participations and collect data for M&E;

· Liaise with project stakeholders to ensure lessons learned are gathered and disseminated to project stakeholders.

· Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings.

· Attend trainings and workshops for personal development purposes.

Competence, experience, skills, knowledge needed

· BA in any related field.

· Experience of handling communications campaigns

· Wide breadth of multi-channel communications

· Experience of producing a range of marketing materials

· Relevant degree of equivalent experience

· A capable organizer, used to meeting deadlines

· Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal

· Ability to work as part of a team

· Knowledge and a good understanding of Microsoft Office