Communications Officer

Location: Global, with travel. Applicants must be resident and possess the legal right to live and work in the country where they are based.

Grade: Grade D (£31,500 per annum), adjusted for local cost of living according to location

Fixed term contract: Part-time; work four days a week (80 per cent level of effort).

This role is a fixed-term project-funded contract for 12 months with possibility of extension, depending on availability of funding and performance..

Responsible To: GAROP Secretariat Coordinator

Background

The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) (http://www.rightsofolderpeople.org/), GAROP, was established in 2011. GAROP was born out of the need to strengthen the rights and voices of older people globally. Through its membership of over 400 NGOs in all regions of the world, GAROP aims to bring about the adoption, ratification, and implementation of a binding UN convention on the rights of older persons. The membership of GAROP is open to civil society organisations.

GAROP’s strategic direction is provided by a global Steering Group elected by its members. The Steering Group is supported by a Secretariat that currently consists of one full-time Coordinator.

Mission: The mission of GAROP is to support and enhance civil society’s and national human rights institutes’ engagement at national, regional and international levels on the need for a new binding international human rights instrument on the rights of older persons.

Vision: GAROP seeks a world in which older persons live free from discrimination and are able to fully enjoy their rights.

Values: The core values are partnership with, inclusion of, and the promotion of the participation by older people in the decisions that affect their lives. We respect the rights of all persons regardless of age, race, colour, disability, gender, language, religion, sexual orientation, political views, national or social origin, class, and birth or property status.

Overall job purpose: Provide communications expertise, support our internal and external communications and deliver on key advocacy and campaigning initiatives within the framework of the Age With Rights campaign.

Main responsibilities

1. Collaborate with GAROP members and partners to curate high-impact digital content with video testimonies from campaign supporters, particularly older people, for the purpose of sensitizing the wider public and encouraging them to think about their rights in older age and multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

2. Strengthen traditional and digital media visibility of older people’s rights and the movement toward a UN Convention through planned and targeted activities, existing and new toolkits, and engaging communication content in order to sustain advocacy impact at key opportunities throughout the year; support national interaction with governments; grow numbers of supporters; and expand social media reach and interaction.

3. Work with stakeholders and web developers to deliver and maintain an interactive online Global Advocacy Map that showcases global advocacy activities aimed at sharing good practice and amplifying our collective global advocacy voice with governments.

4. Plan and organize the Global Rally in early 2023 ahead of the 13th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) in April 2023 by inspiring and empowering new and diverse campaigners; creating a large digital moment where campaigners around the world are mobilised to engage with their governments.

5. Improve and expand the existing suite of campaign assets and graphics, with the support of third-party technical contractors as required, delivering outputs that are in line with and further enhance the Age With Rights campaign branding and identity. For example, including making the campaign assets multi-lingual, accessible, and appealing.

6. Provide expert guidance to campaigners and promote the advocacy activities funded through GAROP’s small local grants. Enhance the advocacy impact and targeted reach of local events through guidance on how to use campaign assets, traditional media, digital media, and social media in engaging and advocating with the public and governments for a UN convention on the rights of older people.

7. Work with the Secretariat Coordinator to support the organisation of thematic events with key partners and promote the participation and contributions of older campaigners participating in key global events related to older people’s rights, such as the 13th session of the UN Open-Ended Working on Ageing.

8. Other responsibilities

• Identify appropriate communication impact and outcome indicators to effectively monitor and evaluate the above areas of work and provide timely reporting on campaign progress to the Secretariat Coordinator, Steering Group, and other stakeholders.
• Consult the Secretariat Coordinator, the Steering Group and other members proactively in fulfilment of main responsibilities.
• Support the broader work of the Secretariat and the Steering Group by actively engaging in relevant meetings and subgroups and responding to queries from members and partners.
• Provide input and support to the development of GAROP funding proposals to secure further funding for the Age With Rights campaign.
• Support the Secretariat Coordinator in disbursing the local grants and the travel funding for older campaigners.

9. Safeguarding

Everyone has a role in creating and sustaining a safe and respectful working environment, where no one comes to any harm or is maltreated. HelpAge and our partners take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and will take action against wrongdoing. We will do everything we can to ensure that we do not engage people that pose a safeguarding risk and will undertake criminal record checks as required. The Communications Officer will be required to comply with relevant HelpAge policies and the GAROP Code of Conduct.

Person Specification

1. Education and experience

• Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification
• At least three years of experience in a communications and/or-marketing role at an NGO or other civil society organization
• A track record of managing social media campaigns and social media communities with a view to building and maintaining online engagement aimed at influencing government policy.
• Experience of understanding and removing barriers to communication and information management across different cultural and linguistic contexts

2. Skills and knowledge

• Demonstrable and practical experience in managing communications, campaigns, and media engagement in a global advocacy context.
• Fluency in English, our main working language, as a minimum with competence in other UN languages a bonus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including oral, written, and audio-visual skills including the production of content and communications materials for different audiences
• Excellent ability to summarise complex information in clear, non-specialist language.
• Excellent IT and digital communication skills and abilities including social media platforms, Microsoft Office, digital marketing methods, and content management systems

3. Personal competencies

• Ability to effectively support, collaborate and coordinate across different teams from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent time management and ability to prioritize multiple competing tasks and urgent deadlines with minimum supervision
• Demonstrate respect for gender, and diversity, promote safeguarding and uphold organizational values
• Ability and willingness to undertake the more routine tasks with equal enthusiasm as required for the more project lead or interesting work.
• Fully committed to GAROP’s vision, mission and values and a way of working that demonstrates this, with the ability to communicate this enthusiasm to others
• Willingness to undertake occasional international travel and to occasionally work some unsocial hours.

4. Desirable competencies

• Fluency in other languages, especially French and/or Spanish
• Knowledge and/or experience of working with WordPress and web analytics tools
• Knowledge of the global discourse and processes relating to the human rights of older persons and/or other consitutencies, for example children, women, persons with disabilities.
• An understanding of the international human rights system and related stakeholders
• An understanding of the functioning of the UN, its processes, policies, and institutions, particularly with respect to human rights.