Communications Officer

Contract length: until the end of July, with a possibility of extension

Hours: Part-time

Location: Goma, North Kivu, DRC

Travel: some travel in eastern DRC

Reporting to: Community Engagement Program Coordinator

Application deadline: 22 March 2020

Due to the urgency of the vacancy, shortlisting will be done on a rolling basis and if the ideal candidate is identified before the closing date, TWB reserves the right to close the recruitment before the application deadline.

The role

The Communications Officer will support the development and implementation of TWB’s local communications and media activities, to help TWB reach core stakeholders with its vision: A world where knowledge knows no language barriers. The overall goal of the communications and media program is to support the organization, including the fundraising, advocacy and program teams, through a robust communications program with the following measurable objectives:

• Collect stories from the field, in collaboration with partners, and local communities

• Align with global programs

• High level of quality content disseminated through various channels and mechanisms.

• Measured growth in reach of communications vehicles, including social media, blog and website

The Communications Officer will work closely with the Communications Senior Officer, the Design Intern, and the advocacy and fundraising teams. The role will also contribute to the social media activity. In keeping with TWB’s spirit of innovation, the Officer will be encouraged to recommend new and creative influencing strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Support and align with the strategic marketing and communications plans and policies developed by the comms team.

• Write content, including blogs and social media posts.

• Gather and organize photos, b-roll, interviews, and quotes

• Optimize photo storage and metadata; manage photo consent process.

• Oversee and implement social media and email marketing strategies and lists.

• Assist with event communication needs.

• Support development and distribution of program specific content.

• Support the development of videos and other media of TWB’s work.

• Communicate and coordinate with in-country media contacts when necessary, in collaboration with the Senior Communications Officer

• Support the development of strong relationships with in-country partners, media contacts, and other stakeholders

Requirements

• 2 - 3 years’ experience in communications, journalism, and/or media relations

• Excellent writing and editing skills in English and French. Writing samples will be required.

• Demonstrated experience drafting and producing quality content for online communications and marketing

• Demonstrated interest in language issues.

• Willingness to work in a small team with a range of team members

• Willingness to explore different outreach mechanisms, electronic and in person.

• Resourceful, able to self direct.

• Past experience with photography or videography is a plus; and/or experience managing photographers and videographers

• Demonstrable understanding of crisis response, humanitarian, human rights, and/or international development.

About Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders (TWB) envisions a world where knowledge knows no language barriers. The US-registered non-profit provides people access to vital knowledge in their language by connecting non-profit organizations with a professional community of translators, building local language translation capacity, and raising awareness of language barriers. Originally founded in 1993 in France (as Traducteurs sans Frontières), TWB translates millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year. of our organization.

Background

Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) are key pillars of ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola virus disease and ensure those infected receive effective care. In the linguistically diverse context of eastern DRC, however, comprehension of official languages and lingua francas cannot be assumed.

TWB’s February 2019 assessment in Goma and September 2019 assessment in Beni found that RCCE efforts are not reaching large sections of the population (women and older men especially) because they are not adapted to local language use and literacy levels. Even a relatively well educated population did not understand key prevention concepts because the language used is not that spoken locally. Lack of understanding cannot combat rumor and disbelief. The Social Science Research Group (SSRG) has highlighted words used to talk about prevention and treatment causing confusion, misunderstanding and distrust (SSRG May 2019).

Frontline health workers and community mobilizers carry the burden of translating critical and unfamiliar concepts into local languages unsupported. Communities complain that responders and health educators do not always speak a language local people understand (CDC/IFRC June 2019, SSHAP November 2018-February 2019). Research in early 2019 found health workers often do not understand the information they are expected to relay (SSHAP February-May 2019). Responding organizations wanting to support, lack data and awareness about the languages affected people speak and understand.

TWB is establishing a program of language support to the Ebola response, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the H2H Network, IFRC, UNICEF and others. This will provide targeted support to frontline workers to overcome the language challenges in communicating with communities, and provide their organizations with language data and guidance to inform better support longer-term. We will build translation and interpreting capacity in relevant languages of at-risk communities, develop multilingual terminology support on key concepts, and build an evidence basis on the languages, comprehension, and communication preferences of affected people.

Beyond Ebola, action taken within this program also aims to foster multilingual communication with communities across the wider humanitarian response in eastern DRC.

Globally, TWB has also seen a period of rapid growth in the last 2-3 years and we are building up our finance and HR capacity accordingly.

Core Values

Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are made of people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. Translators without Borders’ mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:

Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, Translators without Borders is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.

Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it’s the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.

Empowerment: Translators without Borders believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.

Innovation: Translators without Borders recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.

Sustainability: Translators without Borders recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.

Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.

Translators without Borders is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages qualified candidates of all genders and from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.