COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA SPECIALISTS – CARE INTERNATIONAL ROSTER FOR EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE International is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. In 2020, CARE worked in over 104 countries, reaching more than 92 million people.

Purpose / Role

CARE International’s Roster for Emergency Deployment (CI-RED) is a database for experienced experts across a range of different specializations – both CARE staff and external consultants – located across the globe, who are available to be called on to work for CARE in humanitarian emergencies. In the event of an emergency or humanitarian crisis, staff members who are on the Roster may be asked to deploy to the affected country (or countries) on short notice.

Media/Comms specialists work to maximize positive media coverage and fundraising opportunities and support accountability to key stakeholders by communicating the humanitarian situation and CARE International (CI)’s emergency operations.

Responsibilities and Tasks

1. External Liaison and Communications

• Develop and amend as necessary an initial media strategy for national and international media.
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with key national and international journalists, other CI Communications Officers, and with representatives of other NGOs, etc.
• Act as the main point of contact for media and respond to requests for information from journalists, members of CI, and donors, including arranging interviews and field visits.
• Act as spokesperson for the organization when appropriate.
• Prepare, distribute and log press releases.
• Conduct regular field visits to interview staff and beneficiaries, write human interest stories and take photos and video.
• Work with national communications officer (if available), Country Director and Emergency Team to determine how to liaise with local media.
• Participate in public information working groups if active.

2. Internal Liaison and Communications

• Work with CI Communications Officers to be aware of which journalists are travelling to the region and report contacts of international journalists to respective national CARE offices.
• Disseminate a steady flow of information (updates, human interest stories, talking points and Q&As, blogs etc) to the CI Communications Officers for internal and external dissemination
• Regularly provide high-resolution, good quality digital images of the emergency and CARE’s work.
• Provide video of the emergency and CARE’s work.
• Monitor print and electronic media for mentions of CARE and other topics of interest to the organization, and inform the Country Director, Emergency Team Leader and CI Communications Officers of anything important.
• Identify and create talking points/Q&As for potential sensitive issues and inform the Country Director, Emergency Team Leader and CI Communications Officers.

3. Training

• Give media training for designated spokespeople.
• Offer immediate media coaching for those about to do a media interview.
• Provide communications and media coaching to the national communications officer if available and where appropriate.

Key Internal Contacts: Country Director, Emergency Team, CI Communications Officers, CI Humanitarian Communications Coordinator.

Key external contacts: Journalists, photographers, media/communications officers from other NGOs, government etc.

Selection Criteria

Qualifications:

• Work Experience: 3- 5 years of relevant work experience, particularly in an emergency response setting.
• Proven experience with global and regional media is required. Previous NGO and/or humanitarian experience desirable.
• Languages: Oral and written fluency in English is required. Fluency in French, Spanish or Arabic also highly desirable.

Core Competencies:

• Strong writing and editing skills
• Self-motivated, proactive, independent worker, able to work well with a virtual/dispersed team.
• Excellent communicator, able to manage high stress situations with calm and professionalism
• Flexible and able to adapt through ambiguity
• Highly organized, efficient and results oriented, able to manage a fast pace of work. Accountable
• Creative and dynamic, contributing ideas and suggestions to the team
• Good time management and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to CARE core values, mission and vision
• Competency in photo taking.
• Able to use of Adobe Creative Suite, CANVA, video-editing software, digital content management systems and graphic design skills for social media are desirable.

*We are committed to preventing all unwanted behaviour at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework.

*CARE International has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners. CARE International reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

*By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE International requesting the information specified above.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. We will seek at least two references, one of which must be your most recent employer. We participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, you confirm your understanding and agreement of these checks.