Communications Specialist, USAID/Kenya and East Africa Development Outreach and Communications Support program, Somalia

Company Profile:

MSI, a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, D.C. metro area international development firm with a 35-year history of delivering development results across the world. Our core expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), institutional development, public sector management, governance and anti-corruption. MSI has implemented projects in 90 countries around the world such as Jordan, Kenya, Indonesia, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Colombia and Mexico. As one of the leading companies in our field, MSI has partnered with organizations across all sectors of international development to support clients ranging from large bilateral and multilateral donors such as USAID, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program to national and local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com .

**Please note: Only Somali or Kenyan-Somali citizens are eligible for this position

Position Summary:

The Communications Specialist will be a part of a 7-person communications team supporting the USAID Kenya and East Africa (USAID/KEA) and USAID Somalia Development Outreach and Communications (DOC) Support Program. S/he will work full-time at MSIs Nairobi field office with frequent and significant travel to Somalia.

S/he will participate in the full scope of strategic communication support tasksincluding the development and production of information products and publications, event coverage, field work, photography, social media management, strategy development, videography and writingwith an emphasis on leading on social media issues.

Technical Responsibilities:

• Maintain a clear understanding of the mission’s portfolio and structure, as well as mission and Agency communications objectives and communicate this information appropriately and effectively.
• Contribute to the professional presentation and execution of communications products and services and contribute to systems to track metrics/indicators that will translate the effectiveness of these efforts.
• Produce compelling, relevant content that adheres to branding and style guidelines and uses a consistent tone, style and language to communicate to the target audience
• Interpret complex, technical language and make it understandable for lay audiences
• Create systems to remain updated on important news and developments in his/her field of coverage by engaging in social listening or subscribing to relevant news alerts or e-newsletters or other sources.
• Tailor content to various audiences, if required, within his/her field of coverage and be able to establish credibility in his/her interactions with technical colleagues in this field of expertise.
• Build positive, professional and productive relationships with USAID and their implementing partners.
• Participate in and contribute to presentations at quarterly coordinating, strategy and performance review meetings that assess MSI efforts during the previous quarter.
• Contribute to the accountability of the project by tracking/updating content and tasks using project management and filing systems.
• Support coordination and facilitation of USAID’s community of practice among implementing partner communication staff.
• Contribute to the development of technical team communications strategies and content plans in their area of coverage.
• Engage in professional development activities independently or with the team.
• Be a part of the editorial and creative process, bringing new and creative ideas to the table based on expertise and research.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Communications Specialist will be responsible for driving the coordination, publication and analysis of USAID/Somalias social media presence across several platforms, notably Facebook and Twitter. While s/he will work cooperatively with all members of the team on social media content development, the Social Media Specialist will play a leading role in suggesting and implementing organic and paid strategies that have the potential to grow the missions online presence.

These general duties include:

• Providing daily monitoring and management of platforms to flag any sensitive issues.
• Contributing to the development of social media messaging and toolkits with draft messages, corresponding links and appropriate images on a regular basis.
• Scheduling and posting social media content optimally as per the content calendar and checking that all edits have been made and approvals secured prior to publishing.
• Soliciting social media content on a regular basis from implementing partners within his/her field of coverage that do not have a social presence for placement on mission accounts.
• Setting up social media advertisements.
• Reposting upon request or cross-posting flagship content across all platforms.

More specialized duties include:

• Monitoring comments and responding when appropriate, according to policy or upon request.
• Using a variety of tools to help the team monitor partners and participate in relevant conversations on social.
• Working with management to develop systems and workflows among the team that streamline social content development, approvals and publishing on a daily basis.
• Staying up to date with current technologies and trends in the constantly changing world of social media, especially in the fields of analytics, performance and paid advertising.
• Becoming familiar with the business applications of social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter ads.
• Providing analytics, including impressions, clicks, views and other useful indicators of community engagement and growth. Developing monthly and quarterly reports/dashboards.
• Working with the graphic designer and videographer to make compelling and shareable visuals and promotions such as contests, infographics, motion graphics or short videos that help the missions handles stand-out.
• Updating timeline, cover and profile photos on each handle on a regular basis.

MEDIA MONITORING AND PRESS RELATIONS

The Communications Specialist will work collaboratively with the team in media monitoring and press relations . D uties include:

• Reviewing and analyzing traditional and online media on a daily basis.
• Identifying and summarizing relevant mentions in communications to the mission.
• Contributing to a monthly catalog of news stories that will be further analyzed by an independent media monitoring organization on a monthly and quarterly basis.
• Facilitating travel, coverage or otherwise liaising with journalists on site visits.
• Engaging in media calls and preparing/distributing press kits.
• Updating media contact lists after each event or site visit.
• Preparing event specific media monitoring reports, on request, that synthesize journalist participation and press coverage.

FIELD WORK

The Communications Specialist will work cooperatively with other team members to cover events within Somalia and participate in field work on a regular basis. Duties include:

• Coordinating with implementing partners to determine logistics and site visits.
• Working with management and USAID to identify:
  • Final products such as a human-interest story, commentary, newsletter, video documentary, blog post, photo story, social media toolkit, op-ed, audio package or other content for inclusion in annual reports, e-newsletters and brochures and videos.
  • Suggested partners, sites or interviewees.
  • Particular angles and themes that s/he should emphasize.
  • Relevant background and resource documents.
  • Timeline.
• Conducting interviews, taking photos, videos, or otherwise supporting field work or events and assisting with other activities, such as assembling materials, setting up signage, tents, etc.
• Working with other photographers and videographers to capture human interest stories.
• Obtaining signed digital consent from necessary parties using the Easy Release mobile application.
• Conducting reconnaissance on sites to determine and report its suitability for future events or stories.
• Reviewing relevant reports, news articles, social media handles and other online information to prepare for field work
• Packaging content in required formats after returning from the field

Qualifications:

• Minimum of Bachelors degree required in relevant field
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in journalism or public relations, including demonstrated experience implementing communication strategies and outreach campaigns
• W ork experience with non-governmental organizations, donors and/or mass media, understands the international development space and has a demonstrated, broad knowledge of digital (websites, social networking, email and blogging), photography and videography
• Deep understanding of Somali culture, geography and development issues
• Experience working and traveling in Somalia
• Excellent w ritten and verbal f luency in Somali
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends on occasio n

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

MSI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com

PI116039970

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