Communications & Advocacy Officer (Re-advertised)

Job title: Communications & Advocacy Officer

Location: Head Office, Kampala

Department: Communications, Advocacy and Fundraising

Reports to: Communications & Advocacy Manager

JOB PURPOSE:

Support the planning and implementation of the Foundation’s communications, advocacy, media and digital media strategies that continually raise the Foundation’s public profile, visibility, and innovation in Alternative Care aligned with the Foundation’s mission, vision and strategic plan.

KEY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Communications

• Support the implementation of the media engagement strategy. Takes the lead in organising media outreach; arranges all media contacts, appearances, press briefings and interviews.
• Develop communications and advocacy material and support the coordination and production of a diverse range of information products which highlight Child’s i work.
• Contribute to the development of graphics, images and videos for communications, advocacy and fundraising purposes.

Advocacy; Outreach and influence

• Support the development, review and implementation of Child’s i advocacy strategy.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders so as to create a movement to maximise the impact of Child’s i strategic objectives.
• Liaise with programmes teams for effective implementation of advocacy related activities.
• Offer technical support in the organisation’s events planning and management

Reporting and evaluation

• Monitor, evaluate and report on the impact of communications activities.
• Provide bi-monthly updates to the Advocacy Manager for the monthly key performance indicator monitoring and contribute to the Child’s i annual report.

Internal communications

• Regularly update Workplace and encourage other staff to share exciting stories.
• Communicate progress and any exciting news on a regular basis with pictures and updates on children and other Child’s i progress.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS (CONTACTS):

Internal Contacts

• Work closely with the Communications, Advocacy, and Fundraising Department team.
• Work closely with the Social Work team

External Contacts

• Government Officials
• Media
• Policy Makers
• NGOs
• Donors
• Child’s i’s project and program beneficiaries

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

Education & Working experience

• University Degree in Mass Communication, Public Relations, Journalism or other relative fields (undergraduate)
• Minimum of 2 years of previous experience in a communications/Advocacy position.
• In-depth understanding of the Uganda political and social context and familiarity with key stakeholders in the Child Care Institutions sector.
• Ability to grasp complex information and accurately translate these into briefings and other forms of advocacy communication.
• Demonstrable experience of effectively engaging with government
• Experience writing press releases
• Previous experience with Ugandan media and civil society
• Demonstrable experience of effectively mobilising and working with civil society networks and organisations to generate momentum on a common agenda
• Demonstrable advocacy/stakeholder management experience

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal & influencing skills
• Proven ability in fostering relations with stakeholders
• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload and to work under pressure
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written
• Presentation and Public Speaking Skills
• Good computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, PPT, and WordPress
• Ability to develop and implement advocacy strategies
• Ability to support local, national and international advocacy initiatives of others.

Personal Attributes (can be related to company core values)

• Outgoing and proactive personality
• Self-starter
• Ability to work as a member of a team
• Ability to work independently and with minimal direction or supervision
• Interest in Alternative Care and Child Protection
• Ability to motivate/inspire others with ideas
• Innovative, energetic, solution-orientated approach to work.