Responsibilities

The Communication Officer will work in close cooperation with MERLA technical team, the FSNR leadership and technical specialists. In addition, S/he is expected to maintain a close contact and network with implementing partners, USAID and other organizations supporting agricultural marketing and food security interventions in the country.

Though the Communication Officer will be hired under RTI, the position is 100% funded out of FSNR and it is one of the key positions within the MERLA unit that supports all Partners, with the aim of enhancing the visibility and accountability of all partners.  The Communication Officer will be primarily responsible for organizing radio talk shows, other media events and documenting success stories through different approaches (including the development of structured annual communication plan).

1. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS POSITION:

The FSNR activity aims to increase food production, increase income and improve nutrtitional well being of participants across the targeted areas through the development of agriculture and food systems.  The Communication Officer, will manage the internal and external communications of RTI and the activity on behalf of the consortium.

The Communications Officer will be responsible for creating, updating, implementing, and overseeing the roll out of the communication strategy effectively to promote the FSNR as the USAID / Feed the Future flagship activity in Liberia.  S/he will be tasked to lead visibility related activities, including the dissemination of information internally to employees as well as the implementing partners and externally to the public, other partners, Government and relevant stakeholders.  The communication officer will often work with the Chief of Party and Home Office to handle press releases, draft speeches and presentations, manage the FSNR’s image and identity in alignment with the approved Branding and Marking Plan and relevant RTI protocols.  In addition, S/he might also manage and oversee the FSNR’s social media content and monitor the visibility and presence online, consulting with the management to address pertinent issues.  The duties will be diverse and multi-faceted, therefore excellent professional skills are vital for this role.

As a member of the MEL team, S/he works closely with the MEL manager to support archiving of consultant reports, submissions to USAID, relevant regulations, training materials and any other data  and reports as required.  The communication officer is primarily responsible for the development and archiving of all success stories and project photos.

2. POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES (KEY TASKS):
   • Development of Annual Communications Plan and Implementation

• Review the current strategy, identify relevant resource persons as well as topics aligned to FSNR/ USAID priorities and develop an annual Communications Plan capturing Radio-talk shows with community Radios across the FSNR impact areas.
• Lead and coordinate the implementation of the communication plan.
• Carry out periodic (quarterly) review and analysis to assess the effectiveness of the different communication activities.
• Co-facilitate the annual learning event and ensure visibility of the FSNR at all levels
• Lead the establishment of community feedback mechanism

• Content Development / Reporting

• Work with the FSNR leadership team and MEL manager to review and develop quarterly communication and visibility goals to guid the implementation of the communication plan.
• Provide technical training and mentoring to strengthen compliance and ensure front line staff are able to capture high resolution project photos and articulate success stories.

• Develops tools, templates, and guidance for staff use to promote activities in accordance with USAID branding and marking plan.
• Trains project staff, partners, and other stakeholders on integrating communications into day-to-day responsibilities.
• Plan and manage the design, content, and production of all organizational materials such as brochures and newsletters
• Prepare detailed media activity reports
• Develops project communications materials, including project factsheets, press releases, scene-setters, flyers, success stories, and social media posts.

• Works closely with other team members to gather and synthesize project-related technical information and data.
• Translate and write information and data into suitable language for a lay audience as appropriate

• Compliance

• Inspects field sites and takes the lead in ensuring all project sites are branded properly.
• Coordinates with USAID’s communications team to ensure activity communications are in compliance and aligned with mission priorities.
• Ensures compliance with USAID and Feed the Future branding and marking guidelines as well as approved messages
• Supervise sub awardees and staff to ensure their activities are following branding and marking guidelines and communications protocols.
• Coordinate with other technical specialists and review compliance to the branding and marking plan.

• Coordination and Collaboration

• Coordinate field visits with the respective field offices and collaborate with the front line staff in capture, at least, one success story per month from each CSP and FA.
• Manage relationships with media vendors and publishers to ensure collaboration in promotional activities.
• Organize and coordinate public relations events when necessary.
• Monitoring and Evaluation/ Archiving

• Be pro-active to monitor documenta and resports that should be archived and maintain an organized digital archive.

3. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• INTERNAL:

RTI home office and country team, the FSNR Management and Technical resource persons; MEL manager, CoP/ DCoP; FSNR Regional Operations Manager, Technical teams for FSNR/ Field staff FSNR / implementing partners under FSNR [BRAC, GiveDirectly and Dimagi].

• EXTERNAL:

Agreement Officer Representative (AoR) / USAID, Ministry of Agriculture Extension Department, Local Government officials and structures in operational areas; other National Government officials and structures as appropriate, NGOs and private sector actors etc.

Qualifications

• • Bachelor’s Degree and 5 years of experience, Master’s degree and 3 year of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
  • Demonstrated knowledge of communication strategies, including social media campaigns, marketing, and event promotion.
  • Experience working with USAID and/or Feed the Future strongly preferred.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop excellent relations with donor officials and key local stakeholders.
  • Experience in developing, producing, and implementing communication activities and materials.
  • Experience working on agriculture, nutrition or resilience programming preferred.
  • Proficient skill level with computers and with Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Strong planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
  • Proven ability to work under pressure, and with multiple concurrent demands.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English required.
  • Ability to work and travel throughout Liberia.
  • Good analytical and presentation skills
  • Excellent written, verbal, and cross-cultural communication skills
  • A self –starter demonstrating strong problem solving skills.
  • Willingness to travel approximately 40% of the time to field sites to strengthen capacity building support, monitoring and facilitate communication.

   

  Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

   

  • Computer skills: Advance user of MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and Google apps
  • Practical Knowledge of design softwares such as Acrobat
  • Knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines, methods, and approaches in strengthening communication.
  • Adherence to highest standards of ethics and data integrity
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Proven track record of working in challenging (both rural and urban) field locations

  Proven ability to perform under pressure and prioritize with multiple competing demands.A written test / assessment may be used as a form of screening.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60