Consultancy: Communications – DRC Regional Office – Asia

INTRODUCTION

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 1956 that works in more than 40 countries throughout the world. DRC fulfils its mandate by providing direct assistance to conflict-affected populations, refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities in conflict areas. DRC places a primacy on promoting a rights-based approach to humanitarian aid with a commitment to protection at the core of its mission.

DRC recently finalised its global 2025 Strategy. With the 2025 Strategy, DRC intensifies its fight against systemic inequality and structural discrimination of conflict and displacement affected persons. The agency does this by redoubling its focus on the two main goals that guide its work, namely: Increased Protection; and Enhanced Inclusion. Further to the realisation of the 2025 Strategy, DRC’s Regional Office – Asia is seeking to enhance the visibility of its impactful programming to target audiences, including policymakers, partners, donors, and the general public.

SCOPE

The consultant is responsible for supporting DRC’s Regional Office – Asia in its communications and external engagement activities, including collecting content [visual and narrative]; developing external outputs, such human-interest pieces, social media assets; quarterly bulletins; and, supporting internal communications, such as DRC Voices from the Field.

Particular focus and efforts will be extended to supporting communications deliverables of DRC’s “Protecting Rohingya Refugees in Asia” (PRRiA) project. Accordingly, the project requires the following communications outputs related to its respective activities:

• One video of ~5 minutes related to project activities, including raw content collection, production, and post-production editing.
• One photo series of approximately 50 high-quality/definition photos, including raw content collection and post-production editing.
• Ten human interest stories of approximately two pages each, inclusive of direct quotes/narrative from subjects.
• Ten social media assets, such as text and content for tweets/posts with relevant and appropriate mentions/hashtags.
• Four press releases linked to strategic opportunities, including notable events, research launches, etc.: and,
• Quarterly bulletins reflecting PRRiA project outputs/outcomes.

All communications activities and content will be required to adhere to DRC’s consent and safeguarding policies, as well as the visibility criteria of the project partners and donor(s). DRC will provide all relevant visibility resources, including logos, templates, branding guidelines, and others.

The position is directly supervised by DRC’s Regional Head of Programme – Asia and will also coordinate with the following roles/teams:

• DRC Asia Regional Office: Advocacy Coordinator, Protection Coordinator, Asia Displacement Solution Platform (ADSP) Manager, Mixed Migration Centre – Asia (MMC) Manager, and select others.
• PRRiA Project Partner: Geutanyoe Foundation.
• DRC Headquarters: Press and external engagement team(s); etc.; and,
• Key external stakeholders: ECHO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, IOM, UNHCR, AHAP, and others per guidance provided by DRC.

Location: Remote (Strong preference for candidates based in/around the Asia region, particularly in Bangkok, Thailand or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Limited travel to PRRiA project locations may be required for content-gathering activities with an expected duration of five working days. DRC will cover the costs of travel and accommodation during content-gathering activities.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

COMMUNICATIONS CONTENT PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT (90%)

• Undertake a review of existing and required communications assets per PRRiA project commitments and develop a provisional, basic, but timebound plan to ensure effective delivery.
• In collaboration with DRC and PRRiA project partners, gather and develop the necessary content per the agreed communications commitments (see below: ‘Deliverables’) within an agreed timeframe per the plan.
• Organize and undertake the necessary editing to finalize the agreed content, including ensuring the outputs adequately reflect the scope and impact of project activities to a professional standard per the review of DRC and PRRiA project partners.
• Develop communications products to support stakeholder relations and development/ fundraising work.

COORDINATION (10%)

• Represent DRC Regional Office – Asia in support of the PRRiA project partners’ communications activities per the project agreement, including ensuring communications deliverables remain on-track and partners remain abreast and consulted regarding communications plans and activities.

DELIVERABLES

• One (1) brief (max three pages) Communications Plan reflecting the following deliverables.
• One (1) high-definition video of approximately five (5) minutes, which be comprised of a combination of shorter videos, reflecting the scope of PRRiA project activities.
• One (1) photo series comprising of approximately 50 high-resolution (300 pixels per inch [ppi]), edited photographs selected from the raw files gathered in collaboration with DRC and PRRiA project partners.
• Ten (10) human interest stories of approximately two (2) pages of narrative (approximately 750-1,000 words each) depicting the lives of a cross-section of PRRiA project beneficiaries selected in collaboration with DRC and PRRiA project partners. Stories should be more than 50 per cent direct quotes from the selected beneficiaries with support from DRC and PRRiA project partners for translation.
• Ten (10) social media posts reflecting key events directly related to the scope of the PRRiA project, including: incidents involving refugees; launch of key reports; and other opportunities for engagement. Posts to be formatted for use on both Facebook (approximately 100 words) and Twitter (280 characters). Posts to include references to project partners and donors.
• Four (4) press releases to be developed by May 2023 in collaboration with DRC and PRRiA project partners reflecting key events and/or opportunities; and,
• Four (4) quarterly bulletins (two [2] for 2022 and two [2] for 2023) reflecting PRRiA project outputs/outcomes along with photographs, key updates, and other information. Bulletins to be no longer than two (2) pages in length with basic layout/formatting. Content/information for bulletins to be provided by DRC and PRRiA project partners.
• [Secondary] Ad-hoc support for DRC Country Offices in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar dependent on available resources by the Consultant and as agreed with DRC permitted the resources necessary remain within the scope of agreed budget and timeframe of the consultancy.

The aforementioned deliverables are not necessarily envisaged to be standalone, independent deliverables. Meaning, as an example, direct links between human interest stories, social media posts, and press releases are permissible for strategic opportunities.

TIMEFRAME & DURATION

The 90-day consultancy is expected part-time on an agreed retainer, starting 15 July 2022and ends on 30 June 2023. Please note that the role will require significant interaction with the DRC Regional Office in Bangladesh (GMT+6). The work week for this location is Sunday – Thursday. The consultant may be expected to be available during standard working days and hours for Bangladesh.

EXPECTED PROFILE/QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of dedicated work experience in delivering a mix of communications work for the purposes of awareness-raising, visibility, and general external engagement. This includes proficiencies in writing engaging narratives (e.g., human interest stories), graphic design, and visual communications (photography and videography).
• Experience in standard graphic design software, include Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and other related software.
• Ability to draft clear and concise communications resources, including tailored content for different target audiences.
• Excellent communication skills in English; proficiency in Bahasa or Malay is desirable**.**

Desired Qualifications

• Having a clear understanding of the humanitarian/non-profit/non-governmental organization style of communications.
• Good knowledge of regional dynamics in Asia pertaining to humanitarian areas of work.
• Experience in advocacy linked to communications activities.
• Experience in media engagement in the Asia region.
• Experience working with donors on the delivery of communications materials.

​​​​​​​Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

Master’s degree in Communications, Visual Communications, Graphic Design, Media, International Development, or similar.