Communication Manager

Brief description of the organization

Yazda is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2014 in response to the genocide committed by the self-declared Islamic State (“IS”) against the Yazidis and other communities in Iraq and Syria. Since its inception, Yazda has worked with local and international partners to provide Yazidi survivors, IDPs, and refugees with humanitarian, accountability, and advocacy services in their post-genocide recovery. Yazda has been working in Iraq since October 2014 and operates out of the main offices in Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and out of the Sinoni office in Sinjar in Nineveh Province. Yazda is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States and is registered in Erbil, Baghdad, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Australia.

Job background:

Directly reporting to the Yazda PC, the Communication Manager is responsible for supporting the design, development, and implementation of Yazda’s communication and media strategy to increase the awareness and understanding of Yazda and its activities among partners, the media, and the public. 

Job description:

The Communication Manager works in close collaboration with the program and core staff team to increase Yazda’s visibility and support the coverage of its projects and events and the development of advocacy and awareness campaigns. The Media and Communication Manager ensures the implementation of a successful and consistent media and communication strategy. 

Responsibilities and tasks

Under the supervision of Yazda’s Program Coordinator, the Communications Manager is expected to fulfill the following tasks:

• Manage a diverse communication team and ensure a positive working environment.
• Lead the development of regular, engaging, impactful and coherent social media content to increase the visibility of Yazda’s projects and events.
• Develop, in coordination with project managers, awareness campaigns on Yazda’s areas of work including the Yazidi genocide, transitional justice in Iraq, criminal accountability for the crimes committed by ISIL, access to services for survivors and gender-based violence.
• Manages Yazda’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Website, Twitter, and other relevant platforms.
• Creates dynamic written, graphic, and video content.
• Lead, with the support of the program team, the organization of events in Iraq, internationally and online.
• Lead on the development of a communication plan for each milestone within the projects (publication of a report, event, advocacy).
• Analyses Yazda’s communication strategy and the impact of its social media posts and proposes solutions to improve impact and visibility.
• Ensure smooth communication with the project managers in Iraq (Duhok and Sinjar) to cover Yazda’s activities in the field regularly and support them in any outreach work.
• Ensure the strict respect by all of Yazda’s communication team of informed consent, ethical and survivors-centered communication techniques and the respect of confidentiality.
• Support project managers in reporting, notably through the drafting of success stories and designing the reports.
• Any other tasks that will be required by the supervisor.

• 3 to 5 years of professional experience in communications, media management, or a related field, preferably within an NGO or international organization.
• Proven experience managing a diverse team and fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively with field teams, partners, and stakeholders, and with teams from diverse backgrounds.
• Proficiency in managing social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Websites and experience developing social media content and social media campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience in planning events (in-person, online, and hybrid).
• Analytical skills for evaluating communication strategies and social media impact and developing innovative ideas.
• Strong graphic design skills, including proficiency in tools like Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or Illustrator preferred.
• A strong commitment to ethical engagement and respectful reporting on survivors of gender-based violence, with a deep understanding of the cultural and ethical sensitivities involved in working with marginalized communities and survivors of violence in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) mandatory, fluency in Arabic preferred. Kurdish will be advanced.
• Knowledge of the Yazidi community’s challenges in Iraq and related advocacy areas, including transitional justice, human rights, and gender-based violence preferred.

Minimum experience: 3 to 5 years of professional experience in communications, media management, or a related field, preferably within an NGO or international organization.

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, law, social sciences, or any relevant field.

Required travel: Potential travels to Duhok, Erbil, Sinjar, and other locations in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq