Ukraine: Advocacy & Communications Officer

ABOUT MEDGLOBAL

MedGlobal is a global humanitarian non-profit organization providing medical and health education services to people in need, including refugees and displaced persons, in disaster and underserved regions. The organization is composed of medical and public health professionals of diverse backgrounds.

Please explain the purpose and/or role in full detail.

CODE OF CONDUCT

MedGlobal’s Code of Conduct reflects the profession’s core set of beliefs and values of care, respect, trust, and integrity. These beliefs and values are fundamental to MedGlobal employees, volunteers, interns, consultants, officers’ coordinators, and directors to guide their practice and conduct.

The Code is organized into categories, as follows:

1. Always act with fairness, honesty, integrity, and openness; respect the opinions of others and treat all with equality and dignity without regard to gender, race, color, creed, ancestry, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, disability, age, or sexual orientation.

2. Provide a positive and valued experience for those receiving service within and outside MedGlobal

JOB SUMMARY

As a small but rapidly growing global health organization, we are looking for an Advocacy & Communications Officer to support the visibility of our response in Ukraine. The ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of the international humanitarian policy space, a background in advocacy, and expertise in the storytelling of humanitarian and health across communications platforms. This position will play a key role for MedGlobal in developing and overseeing the creation of a strategy, activities, and both daily and long-term goals for MedGlobal’s policy/ advocacy work and communications/ media work regarding our Ukraine response. This role will bring strategic, creative, and critical thinking, and embrace working both independently and collaboratively with a global team as well as partner organizations and allies. This is a remote position, though the ideal candidate will be based in Ukraine.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Advocacy & Communications Officer has the following responsibilities and duties:

Advocacy and Policy

● Build relationships with and represent MedGlobal to a variety of stakeholders in virtual and in-person meetings in the context of Ukraine.

● Support in the researching, drafting, and publication of specific reports related to MedGlobal’s areas of operations in Ukraine, particularly the reports on the impact on healthcare, and spearheads the coinciding advocacy strategy related to these reports, in collaboration with the Advocacy Manager.

Communications

● Work to increase MedGlobal’s online presence through planning, creating, and curating high-quality, high-impact content tailored to MedGlobal channels and audiences.

● Work with the Communications Officer and Manager to oversee MedGlobal’s social media platforms, preparation of social media content, and assessment of key metrics regarding Ukraine’s response.

● Help develop effective communications strategies for our website, newsletters, social media platforms, and other communication channels to increase the visibility of MedGlobal’s Ukraine response.

● Contribute to the creation, formatting, and distribution of regular email newsletters and email updates.

● Contribute to the production of website content related to MedGlobal’s Ukraine response.

● Support online fundraising campaigns, particularly related to Ukraine’s response.

Partner relations and coordination

● Proactively support partner engagement, including with local and international NGOs, humanitarian and human rights coalitions, academic institutions, think tanks, and more, working on Ukraine.

● If necessary, represent MedGlobal in coalitions, working groups, or events related to Ukraine’s response, ensuring that participation reflects the perspective of MedGlobal’s field experience and key policy priorities.

Media & Events

● Manage media relations, including building relationships with media contacts, building MedGlobal’s media list, and proactively securing media opportunities regarding Ukraine’s response.

● Draft press releases and op-eds, in collaboration with the Advocacy Manager.

● Work with individual journalists to build relationships, pitch stories, and offer quotes.

● Support the development and hosting of online events, which highlight MedGlobal programs and advocacy positioning, ensuring key decision makers and stakeholders are present, with a focus on Ukraine.

Requirements and Skills:

The Advocacy & Communications Officer should have the following skills, education, and experience:

● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in international relations, public policy, public health, or related fields; Master’s degree strongly preferred.

● At least 3 years of work experience focused on advocacy, communications, and/ or policy work around humanitarian or human rights issues, with a focus on Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

● Experience in media relations, including drafting and pitching op-eds and stories to top-tier media outlets.

● Experience in managing social media and creating content for online platforms.

● Experience in design and digital marketing platforms, including Adobe, WordPress, Canva, Slack, and/ or MailChimp.

● Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and the ability to analyze and articulate complex issues and communicate them to a variety of audiences.

● Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, work well under pressure, and adjust to frequently changing demands.

● Knowledge of and passion for humanitarian issues and global health.

● Fluent in English. Proficiency in Russian and/or Ukrainian is a plus.