Job
Media and Communications Associate - West Africa

Print

Organization Name: Equality Now
Location: Remote, Senegal
Apply email: Not Specified
Start Date: 20 May 2022, 02:49 am
Closing Date: 12 Jun 2022, 12:00 am

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE- WEST AFRICA

REPORTS TO: Regional Communications Manager (Africa & MENA)

LOCATION: remote position based in Senegal but will consider other Francophone countries

REMUNERATON: Competitive and commensurate with experience

CONTRACT HOURS: Full-time

CAREER CATEGORY: Advocacy/Communications

ABOUT US

Founded in 1992, Equality Now Is an international human rights organization dedicated to ending violence and discrimination against women and girls and promoting the use of the law to advance their human rights. Equality Now fights for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls around the world through legal advocacy. Working with grassroots women’s and human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes national and international action to support efforts to stop these abuses. The organization’s work is focused on four main program areas: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, and End Sex Trafficking.

With a global team of over 60 staff members and offices in Beirut, London, Nairobi, and New York as well as a presence in Amman Jordan, Delhi India, Tbilisi Georgia, and Washington D.C USA, campaigns are centered on four programmatic areas: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices (including child marriage and female genital mutilation – FGM), and End Sex Trafficking, with a cross-cutting focus on the unique needs of adolescent girls.

The organization had an ambitious 2017-2021 strategic plan which resulted in enhanced presence and work in MENA, Eurasia, and LAC regions. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, we restructured the organization to become a dispersed organization. The organization will be embarking on a strategic refresh (2022-2024) this year. Current priorities include expanding programs in MENA, the Americas, and Eurasia as well as capacity building with an emphasis on development and communications activities. The 2022 budget is $13 million.

POSITION SUMMARY

Equality Now seeks the services of a strong, organized, entrepreneurial and collaborative team player with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills. The media and communications associate will have a strong grasp of multi-channel advocacy communication, media relations, events, and social media management in the West Africa region. This role will implement a communications strategy that establishes Equality Now as an advocacy leader in West Africa on our four campaign pathways- Ending Harmful Practices (EHP), Legal Equality (LEQ), Ending Sexual Violence (ESV), and Ending Sexual Exploitation. S/he will capture and effectively disseminate written and multimedia content that raises awareness and increases Equality Now’s visibility and influence among key stakeholders in the West Africa region in particular a quarterly newsletter, thought leadership, and blog pieces.

S/he will lead on media engagement and support the execution of several campaigns and crowdsourcing for our local partners. S/he will establish and maintain relationships with international media correspondents and representatives in the region and regularly pitch stories for publication in international, regional, and local news outlets. They will work closely with the global campaign leads, the Regional Communications Manager for Africa and MENA, and other communication team members in other regional hubs to create impactful and compelling communications and advocacy communications interventions in West Africa.

The media and communications associate - West Africa, who should have all-around solid communication skills, will be able to write and converse fluently in French and have good English language skills. This role will require the person to have a flexible approach to working hours, connect with the broader global communications team, respond to reactive communications needs and the availability to travel.

Building and maintaining a network of CSOs, youth, influencers, and journalists in West Africa for Equality Now End Harmful Practices (EHP) Campaign

• Work with Equality Now and its partners in building the skill-sets and capacities of French- and Anglo-speaking journalists in West Africa with a view to enhancing their understanding of FGM as a human rights violation. Most journalists will be drawn from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Guinea.
• Work closely with the communication and programmatic teams to identify and map out the capacities of CSOs and youth, and work with them in message development and collaborative campaigning across the countries of focus.
• Work closely with the programmatic teams to establish a strong anti-FGM movement consisting of a wide network of champions in West Africa and link them with the network of champions in East Africa.
• Lead in the identification and development of innovative resource platforms for the EHP Campaign such as regional newsletters, podcasts, etc. to maintain the trust and interest of this network
• Build the capacities of CSOs on Anti-FGM collaborative advocacy communications messaging and place them in relevant channels including mainstream press, social media channels, and petition sites.

Communications work in West Africa

• Act as communications resource to the Africa team, being their go-to person for communication needs in the West Africa Region.
• In conjunction with the Global Communications team, create a calendar of strategic communications activities that proactively raise awareness of the issues that our work in West Africa addresses.
• Leverage digital channels as advocacy tools to increase understanding of West Africa-focused campaign issues; build brand awareness about EN and our work in West Africa, and generate positive coverage featuring our campaigns on Ending Sexual Violence, Legal Equality, End Sex Trafficking, and Ending Harmful Practices.
• Maximize media opportunities and secure positive media coverage for EN by proactively pitching ideas to national, regional, and international media; respond in a timely and effective way to incoming media inquiries; work with the communications and program team to provide expert comments. Expand our network of media contacts, including journalists, news editors, and influencers reporting in and on the region.
• Draft media advisories and press releases, coordinate media lists and outreach;
• Translate press releases and social media products into French and pitch stories to various media outlets as required;
• Deliberate on how the media can champion the rights of women and girls in the society;
• Provide platforms for media personnel and CSOs to network and share experiences and best practices in highlighting human rights violations;
• Create content/events for social media, presentations, print-based items, events, and press media.
• S/he will be expected to manage the social media accounts for EHP;
• Monitor media for strong news lines, and share timely updates with Equality Now staff;
• Ensure West Africa’s work is represented in Equality Now’s global editorial calendar by attending regular meetings with the global team;
• Regional travel may be required.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 5 years of working experience in communications in national, regional, or international organizations
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills;
• Understanding/demonstrable experience of advocacy communications campaign strategy and project management;
• Understanding/demonstrable experience in high-impact social media management
• A good all-rounder in ideating and delivering communication tactics: events, PR; social media; press, etc.
• Must have a demonstrable track record in placing stories in media outlets and have journalist contacts;
• High-quality writing skills - that extend to digital channels, particularly social;
• An understanding of human rights institutions regionally and nationally;
• Fluent in English and French (written and verbal);
• Takes accountability for actions and; works with minimum supervision;
• Multimedia skills, such as photography, video, and/or creating graphics, are desirable;
• Facilitating events and training would be beneficial.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply: Please visit: https://equalitynow.applytojob.com/apply/ZVLAfX64NR/Media-And-Communications-Associate-West-Africa

No calls please. This is a remote position based in Senegal but will consider other Francophone countries.

Due to the volume of applicants anticipated for this role, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Equality Now is an Equal Opportunity employer. Equality Now is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Equality Now does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Consultants are selected on the basis of ability, in accordance with all country and location-specific laws

We take your privacy very seriously and we are committed to protecting your personal information online. See our privacy policy for more details.