Reporting to: Programme Manager

Duration: 12 months (initially) with possible extension subject to completion of successful probation period and subsequent satisfactory performance

Duty station: Main country office in Mogadishu with extensive travel to program field locations

Contract type: Full time

Brief about NIS Foundation:

The Nordic International Support Foundation (NIS) is a non-governmental non-profit foundation headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with country offices in Somalia, Mali, and Myanmar. NIS was started by individuals with experience working in the Horn of Africa in response to what was seen as a lack of donor policy and operational successes, specifically in Somalia.

From the beginning, NIS was driven by one primary objective: to pragmatically support the emergence and strengthening of state structures. In addition to the practical security constraints faced by many donors in fragile states, there is also often a lack of partner organizations that are willing to address the political dimensions of stabilization and recovery work.

NIS is neither a humanitarian nor a development organization but operates in the gap between the two. Humanitarian and more traditional development policies often fail to address the challenges of political instability in fragile environments. In many conflict-affected countries populations are often suffering from a kind of “faith fatigue” where it is difficult to believe that, yet another peace process or new regime will achieve anything.

Work in politically fragile environments that ignores the immediate need to provide populations with some evidence of genuine change, at best risks hindering stabilization efforts, and, at worst can potentially undermine state-building efforts.

Therefore, s key principle for any NIS intervention is that the delivery of any recovery and/or development benefits directly support political stabilization through increased legitimacy for the formal state authorities and contribute to ongoing state-building and reconciliation processes in the country. This is done by working closely with key stakeholders – primarily the national, sub-national and local authorities – to bring authorities and communities closer together by providing concrete benefits to conflict affected societies in conjunction with the authorities.

Since the inception of NIS Somalia operations in 2011 with the implementation of first pilot installation of 50 solar streetlights in central Mogadishu, and the effectiveness of its approach to stabilization is reflected in the steadily increasing support the organization has received from all levels of Somali authorities as well as growing number of donors.

Currently, in 2023 NIS has a direct and/or operational presence in most of the federal member states (FMS) including but not limited to Hirshabelle, Galmudug, Jubaland and South-West states where over recent years the implementation of well designed internationally funded stabilization projects have been delivered in close collaboration and coordination with all relevant stakeholders and/or actors chief among them the Somali state authorities and respective local communities across country.

About the Program for social, political, and environmental resilience in Somalia or PROSPERIS for short is a new 3-year stabilization program (2023 – 2026) funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), and to be implemented by NIS Foundation in close collaboration with various levels of Somalia government authorities is designed (as its predecessors) ) to address the vulnerabilities related to political/governance structures, socio-economic and environmental factors that undermine Somalia’s longer-term stability. The programme also seeks to increase trust and strengthen legitimacy of the government through the delivery of much needed infrastructures and other well targeted interventions.

The program is based on this understanding that for supporting and promoting stabilization in the country it is essential to address the communities’ vulnerabilities to create resilient societies that can maintain their functions and preserve relative amounts of “stability” despite suffering internal and external shocks, such as the presence of armed groups, climate change, political instability, pandemics, etc. Through working with government institutions, PROSPERIS helps to equate reduced vulnerability with increased government presence.

Therefore, PROSPERIS comprises interventions and activities that will help the government demonstrate that it can assist in reducing socioeconomic, political, and environmental vulnerabilities in communities, through actual governing and provision of services.

Community engagement combined with strategic communication is a key element in all NIS implemented interventions including the current PROSPERIS program with basic goal of bringing community and government stakeholders together to create an environment of trust and acceptance, which will in turn keep supporting the stabilization process in Somalia.

NIS’s overarching theory of change (TOC) aims to promote the state’s legitimacy to govern through community engagement aided by strategic communication activities. Thus, to increase this legitimacy and trust, NIS takes two simultaneous and complementing steps: working hand in hand with respective government authorities it delivers immediate impact infrastructures that cover some of the most urging needs of communities transitioning out of conflict while implementing a variety of communication tactics that enable the government to claim ownership of such infrastructures.

That’s steps aimed succeeding in achieving a favorable public opinion and a trusted and impartial public image of project interventions will be dependent on various factors, one being the execution of developed PROSPERIS’s Strategic Communication Plan and related objectives.

Job Summary

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and the direct supervision of Program Manager, and in coordination with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit, other relevant program team and the respective government line ministries at both national and sub-national levels the Media and Communication Officer will be responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating and reporting on the implementation of PROSPERIS program strategic communication plans and objectives as well as public information, and media related activities for NIS Somalia.

Main tasks and responsibilities

The Media and Communication Officer is expected to perform the following tasks and have these responsibilities:

• Develop a strategic communication plan that clearly supports the achievement of PROSPERIS goals and outlines how this will be done.
• Work closely with the M&E department to produce project impact briefs.
• Manage and ensure consistent branding and government visibility (FGS, FMS);
• Ensure that high-quality photos and videos document program progress.
• Lead the design and production of high-quality print, electronic, web and video communications.
• Develop specific/adhoc emerging sitreps to give a clear overview of the contextual picture in the areas of program intervention to inform various stakeholders, including donors.
• Provide support to program team in the production of a wide range of regular reporting requirements, including ‘Success Stories’ highlighting program activities, results.
• Lead and advise in all NIS media engagement activities.
• Liaise with HQ based NIS Information Management System to develop a learning portal/database where program media related contents can be uploaded and accessed online as may be required.
• Organise meetings with the two levels of government (national and sub-national) to inform on NIS program/PROSPERIS interventions and progress on government PROSPERIS goal achievement.
• Organise community engagement forums (CEF) in local social centres in coordination with local authorities and beneficiary communities to raise awareness of program interventions.
• Organise program launching and inauguration events in collaboration with relevant FGS and FMS government officials and community representatives at the program locations.

Other tasks may include:

• Develop key messages and/or talking points to be used by government officials and relevant civic/community leaders during project related events, etc.
• Closely work with and support community engagement-related forums and activities to be conducted in target program locations in coordination with program team responsible.
• Develop collaborative partnerships with mainstream media outlets/suppliers to effectively improve media coverage on program interventions including visibility and attribution of government to the interventions.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the program manager or NIS senior management.

Minimum requirements

Education

• Typically, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Experience

• Typically, five (5) years of relevant and progressive experience in Communications.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong skills in using Adobe Master Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel & Power Point. Knowledge of other visual producing software is an advantage.
• Proven knowledge of social media management for program communications.
• Strong photography and audiovisual production skills.
• Creative, self-motivated, highly organized and detail oriented.
• Ability to work with a diverse team, including people with different backgrounds, roles and levels of responsibilities.
• Ability to work quickly and produce quality work under pressure.
• Ability to be flexible and able to travel and spend extended time in different parts of the country including remote locations with limited facilities etc.

Equal Employment Opportunity

NIS Foundation is committed to ensuring diversity, equality, and inclusion among its workforce and in eliminating all forms of discrimination. The organisation provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants. Employment is solely offered based on merit and to the most competent and successful candidate, regardless of age, gender, marital status, orientation, pregnancy, family status, disability, cultural background, race, clan, nationality origin, or religion – unless doing so will impose undue hardship upon the organisation.