POST:Communication and Advocacy Officer

Communication and Advocacy Officer
FAWE
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Last Date: January 25, 2010
Email: recruitment@fawe.org

The Forum for African women Educationalists (FAWE) is a Pan-African, non- governmental organization headquartered in Nairobi, with a network of 34 National Chapters across Africa. FAWE is the pioneer and leading African NGO promoting girls’ and women education. FAWE is Looking to recruit a high caliber, results-oriented and dedicated professional to join its dedicated Team at its Headquarters in Nairobi Kenya.

Communication and Advocacy Officer
(Bi-lingual French/English)

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Communication and Advocacy will be responsible for branding and enhancing the visibility of FAWE. S/he is expected to document the impact of programmes and interventions ensuring stakeholder needs are met appropriately. Besides s/he is expected to conduct targeted campaigns to lead to more gender-responsive education policies and practices. S/he should have an understanding of education and gender issues in Africa and of trends at international and regional levels.


Communication and Media
Develop and implement an effective communication strategy for FAWE with a view to uphold and enhance the image and visibility of the organization
Write, publish and disseminate FAWE’s achievements and best practices through advocacy materials, including regular newsletters, electronic and print publications targeting various stakeholders
Handle FAWE’s external relations and communication, including dealing with the press through media briefs, information kits and press releases, in direct collaboration with the Executive Director
Support internal communication within RS and between RS and National Chapters (in collaboration with programmes and M&E sections)
Maintain a vibrant FAWE website and regularly provide engaging written and audio-visual content
Perform other related tasks as assigned by Management

Knowledge Sharing
Collect, collate and share up-to-date information on the status of girls’ education to inform programme planning and implementation across the network
Develop and maintain a repository of information, statistics and trends on girls’ education and gender in African education for use by RS staff and external parties (i.e. the FAWE Resource Centre)
Support FAWE Officers’ contribution to conferences, workshops and work-related events
Coordinate work by translators, interpreters and communication-related service providers


Editorial
Reviewing and editing FAWE reports, proposals, articles and presentations for content, language and uniformity of formatting/layout before printing
Developing common writing standards and templates for routine document types and conducting periodic training sessions to familiarize staff with them
Carry out documentation, production and dissemination of high quality publications, human interest stories and films showcasing FAWE’s performance, impact, successful interventions and best practices.
Designing promotional materials such as posters, banners and flyers for use at various events

Advocacy
Design advocacy tools and implement advocacy campaigns for the FAWE Network
Create topic-specific advocacy content and messaging
Assist National Chapters in crafting advocacy message to effectively reach targeted audiences
Contribute to National Chapters’ capacity development in advocacy and communication



Job Requirements

Qualifications and Experience
Possess a University degree or equivalent qualification in Communication, Mass Media, Journalism, Social Sciences, or Humanities.
Have a minimum of 5 years of experience managing communication in NGOs, media organisations or development agencies
Have experience conducting advocacy campaigns and media events
Be fluent in English and French and have excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills in both languages
Be resourceful, flexible, results-oriented, and able to deliver under pressure
Have ability to work in multicultural settings and connect with a variety of people, especially within media circles
Be computer literate and have familiarity with desktop and web publishing methods and tools
Must be willing and able to travel periodically.

Terms and Conditions: FAWE offers an attractive remuneration and benefits package including an employer-funded pension plan, medical insurance and leave provisions. The initial contract will be for a period of three years subject to a probationary period of 3 months.

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their application and CV in English, with names and contacts of at least three referees to recruitment@fawe.org no later than 25 January 2010.
Applications from qualified African women are encouraged