MEDIA POLICY CONSULTANT

ِABOUT SYRIA CIVIL DEFENCE

The Syria Civil Defence (also known as The White Helmets) is a community-based first responder and community worker organization established as a response to the Syrian conflict. The organization has been working in non-regime-held areas inside Syria, currently joining nearly 3,000 volunteers operating through 87 community-based teams and 33 women’s points. Their work has received unparalleled levels of international recognition and support for a local organization in war, becoming a symbol of humanity and inspiration not only in Syria but internationally.

Syria Civil defence receive both governments and private funding with an annual budget of around 25 Million USD. Our Headquarter is in Syria and we operate support offices in Turkey and overseas.

We are committed to the principles of independence, humanity, and impartiality. We work in accordance with the international humanitarian laws and we measure our performance by how good our teams’ civilian protection service is, as judged by the civilians we serve.

We pledge to do whatever we can, wherever we can, for as long as we can to protect the Syrian civilians and to achieve lasting justice in Syria and for all Syrians.

SCD is an equal opportunities employer and applications are actively encouraged from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

Further information about us can be found at www.syriacivildefence.org and www.whitehelmets.org

Background

The Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets), through its various programs, provides services to all segments of society, according to the diversity within the various segments of society. Here, the institution needs to build a clearer policy on the relationship with the beneficiaries of our services according to the diversity, as well as how to represent the diverse beneficiaries to the stakeholders. We also want to focus on women and children and prepare, within the framework of the institution’s endeavor to restore and build a culture of respect for the role of women in society at various levels inside and outside the institution, as well as observe professional standards that preserve the dignity of the adult and children beneficiaries among them.

Furthermore, we wish to build a strategy in representing the situation in Syria as well as the work of The White Helmets to our international audience.

The Media and Communications Department of the White Helmets aims to build a written policy that sets professional standards for the institution’s discourse, including societal messages and media products such as text (e.g. statements, website updates, etc), photos, and videos. Accordingly, the department believes that a consultant is needed to work with the team to build a strategic policy for media coverage and communications.

The Media and Communications Department is currently undergoing a restructuring that provides an important backdrop to the establishment of a media strategy and standard operating procedures. The Media and Communications Department will require advice on drafting a structure for the Department in a manner consistent with the objectives of the institution and the department. This structure should ensure that the department becomes more efficient and effective, defining team roles and raising the quality of products.

Objectives

The Media Policy Consultant will work with the Media and Communications Department of the White Helmets to present a strategic policy for media coverage and standards for community outreach. They will also focus in particular on standards for developing media coverage of Syrian women as well as female volunteers in the Syria Civil Defence, and develop visual and media products for social media platforms to continue to build strong relations between the White Helmets and the beneficiaries, stakeholders and various social segments in Syria in the areas in which we operate.

The consultant will also work with the team to present standard operating procedures that improve the quality of the team’s work, develops the work pattern, improves or rebuilds the structure, as well as contributes to providing procedural proposals to improve the work environment relationships within the team.

Scope of Work

The Media Policy Consultant will review and assess the current structure and provide a standard operating procedure as well as the communication strategy and visibility plan of the Media and Communications Department. Ultimately, they will develop an intimate understanding of our social media environment, work with our media staff to develop a social media strategy, and develop implementation plans based on agreed strategies.

Deliverables:

First Objective: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Deliverables

• Learning the context, reviewing the Communication & Media Department structure and the staff task lines No. of Days 10
• Reviewing the tasks, responsibilities and objectives of the Communication & Media Department No. of Days 5
• Meetings with a team to share reports and recommendations No. of Days5
• Prepare an SOP draft (Standard Operating Procedure) No. of Days 8 preparation days, not necessary to be in office
• Reviewing the SOP draft with the Media Department director. No. of Days 2

Total No. of Days 30

Second Objective: Communication Strategy and Visibility Plan

Deliverables

No. of Days

• Learning the context, reviewing the vision, the strategy, and the business lines of The White Helmets No. of Days 5
• Studying the gender context inside the organization and planning meetings with the Gender Equality Coordinator and Report and Data Department and Advocacy Department No. of Days 3
• Learning the needs, resources assessment, and studying the relations with stakeholders No. of Days 3
• Reviewing our social media accounts statics and our analysis reports, No. of Days 2
• Analyzing reports and recommendations and sharing them with staff, No. of Days 3
• Studying the annual activities plan and our calendar, No. of Days 2
• Giving recommendations for developing the Media department strategy (including M&E indicators) No. of Days 2
• Prepare a visibility plan draft , No. of Days 8 preparation days
• Reviewing the draft with the Media Department, Programs Developing departments and Advocacy department, No. of Days 2

Total No. of Days 30

Logistical Notes

· The Media Policy Consultant will be working in the White Helmets’ Istanbul office.

· The consultant will have their own private office within the media department’s office for the duration of the contract.

Minimum Qualifications:

· Minimum of 7 years experience in relevant work e.g., media and media consultancy work

· Master’s Degree in Media, Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Sociology, or a related field

· Knowledge of gender equality, women’s empowerment, and experience with integration of gender issues in visibility plans

· Experience and knowledge of working on communications in conflict and post-conflict settings, preferably with experience working on the Syria context

· Experience in developing messaging and content for diverse audiences

· In-depth background knowledge on the Syrian context.

· Fluency in Arabic and English