Graphic Designer/ Illustrator

Contract length: until 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.

Role

The Graphic Designer/ Illustrator is responsible for implementing TWB’s pictorial communication activities under the supervision of the Community Engagement Program Coordinator. Recognizing the importance of pictorial communication in inclusive communication, TWB will work with its humanitarian partners to make their communication materials more accessible to less literate individuals and nonnative speakers in ways that are locally appropriate. This will include increasing and improving pictorial communication with affected populations.

Responsibilities

Graphic design - illustration

• Create pictorial messages and develop pictorial versions of communication materials

• Improve existing pictorial content or transcreate pictorial content as required

• Ensure that pictorial messaging is gender-sensitive, culturally appropriate and understandable, and inclusive of perspectives of marginalized groups, and contributes to strengthening local capacities; this includes revising designs based on community feedback.

Coordination, representation and awareness raising

• Cooperate with external stakeholders (TWB’s partner organizations, affected population) during pre-design and post-design consultations

• Advise partners on their pictorial communications strategies, including the provision of training about pictorial communication

• Represent TWB as required to promote effective pictorial communication, including in coordination meetings, bilateral meetings, training or awareness raising sessions, etc.

• Contribute to, design, organize or lead training sessions on pictorial communication

Evidence and impact

• Contribute to TWB’s knowledge and understanding of pictorial communication in local languages and cultures, as well as of the factors influencing pictorial communication in the relevant languages

• Participate in research on pictorial messaging in eastern DRC

• Contribute to TWB’s global efforts to improve multilingual pictorial communication in humanitarian response

Other

• Contribute as required to TWB’s internal and external communication such as newsletters, donor reporting, blogs, etc.

• As and when required, contribute to funding proposals focused on pictorial messaging

• Any other duties as required and agreed with the line manager

The role will evolve during the course of the initial deployment as projects and activities develop so flexibility and the willingness to adapt to constantly changing circumstances is important.

Requirements

• University degree in a related subject (e.g. Graphic Design, Digital Arts, Interactive/Media Design) or equivalent professional experience

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator) or equivalent open source software

• Excellent layout, typography, and photo editing skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

• Understanding of cultural, religious and political context of eastern DRC

• Gender, cultural and conflict sensitivity

• Excellent organizational skills

• Excellent written and spoken French

• Good English communication skills

• Willing and able to travel within eastern DRC including overnight stays

• Video editing and subtitling skills a plus

• Ability to produce animations a plus

• Experience working with NGOs or on social communication campaigns

Please submit at least one sample of your past pictorial communication work with the application (e.g. link to website or to a shared drive folder).

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.