About Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Doctors without Borders (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation committed to two objectives: providing medical assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion, natural and man-made disasters; and speaking out about the plight of the populations assisted. MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. Today, MSF is present in more than 60 countries, where thousands of MSF doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, and other medical and non-medical professionals work together to bring essential health services to people caught in humanitarian crises.
Summary of the Position
This Regional Communication Advisor position has been decentralised from the MSF Operational Centre Brussels (MSF OCB) to Southern Africa since 2011. As of 2020, a Regional Operational Support Team will be established in Johannesburg to serve 10 field projects in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Regional Communication Advisor is a member of the Communication Department at MSF Southern Africa that has a remit to engage audiences in the region, raising awareness about medical humanitarian needs and issues.
Purpose & Mandate of the Position
Main Activities
- Support and advise the teams managing operations at field level in their communications activities and strategies, providing information on these interventions – and helping MSF globally to continue exposing the medical humanitarian needs of the population it helps;
- Provide support to Field Communications Managers/Officers and to MSF Project Coordinators to develop communication strategies for these projects;
- Support, coach, mentor and advise field communication professionals;
- Signal issues on which MSF should consider positioning itself publicly, based on its medical activities, analyses and observations – and help define strategies, messages, target audiences and tools for communicating such issues;
- Support field communication staff in designing and implementing strategies for creating and enhancing understanding of MSF, its principles and its activities in the above-mentioned countries;
- Produce or oversee the production of communication tools for MSF media, external media and social media on the activities in the countries covered;
- In collaboration with the Project Coordinators, as well as the Analysis Department or other Communication Advisors, develop and implement specific strategies for public communication to support advocacy efforts on topics and issues at stake in the countries covered according to the needs;
- Respond to communication needs following emergency or crisis situations in the project countries;
- Facilitate information sharing (reactively and actively) for the wider MSF network on the activities in countries and topics covered;
- Act as a focal point for communication for issues related to HIV and TB
- On occasion, manage the production and dissemination of packages that go beyond the region on themes like HIV, TB, migration, water and sanitation, sexual violence
- Cover temporarily for communication colleagues on other countries/topics depending on operational communication needs within OCB.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Minimum of five years of professional experience in communication or international journalism;
- Knowledge and understanding of how media function, internationally and on national or local levels – coupled with strong knowledge and competence with social media;
- Work experience in Southern Africa;
- Excellent English writing skills (to be evaluated during the selection process);
- Experience in production of communications tools (written, visual and multimedia);
- A strong sense of individual initiative combined commitment to teamwork, negotiation skills;
- Ability to work independently in multinational, culturally diverse teams across the region
- Ability to coach and support without micro-managing;
- Flexible and solution-oriented and capable to operate in an organisational setup in transition;
- Availability to travel on short notice.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of MSF operational communications processes is a strong asset;
- Experience or deep understanding of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, TB, migration, sexual violence and emergency responses.
- Knowledge of Southern African languages