Communications and Disability Program Specialist

Job Description

Job Title: Communications and Disability Program Specialist

Department: Ethiopia

Position Type: Full Time

Department/Region: EARO

Reports To: Head of Programming

FLSA: Exempt

Overview

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ethiopia (CRS) seeks an experienced communications professional to lead the implementation of country program communications plans to raise CRS’ profile and position in various priority areas. The Communications and Disability Program Specialist (CDPS) will work with key communications and program staff in the country program as well as PR consultants to ensure strong and consistent branding and messaging in-line with guidance and procedures from CRS’ regional and global headquarters offices to boost CRS’ visibility among target audiences, particularly the national government, donors, private sector companies, and peer agencies. The CDPS will liaise with and manage external consultants in photography, design, printing and event execution in support of the marketing plan and build CRS staff capacity in communications planning and implementation.

The CDPS will also serve as the disability advisor to help steer and guide various projects with disability inclusive activities and serve as an advisor to leadership on ways to make the CRS office environment more disability sensitive and inclusive. The position will not only support the CRS programming in Ethiopia but provide support to other EARO country programs and the agency as a whole.

Specific Responsibilities - Communications

• Marketing Plan Development: Work with the regional information officer, program and senior management teams to develop and implement a high-quality marketing and communications strategy that will attract partners and win funding in the strategic program areas.
• Brand Management: Take a key role in brand development for the country program, ensuring that all communications are consistent with CRS’ branding and publications guidelines and donor requirements. Ensure that all staff are trained and supported in the brand guideline implementation; engage and inspire country program staff around the brand strategy.
• Marketing Materials: Manage the design and production of creative and compelling communication and marketing material for various audiences and distribution channels. Develop feature stories, background statements, fact sheets and brochures, PowerPoint presentations, and talking points that will maximize CRS’ messages and support the scale-up objectives in the region. This will include commissioning and managing creative agencies and freelancers in photography, design and multimedia.
• Media Relations: Under the supervision of the regional marketing manager and working with communications, program and senior management teams to develop media strategies to raise CRS’ media profile. Map the media landscape, identify media opportunities; develop and nurture relationships with media; develop talking points; train spokespeople. This could involve hiring a public relations firm(s) to help design and/or implement those strategies.
• Events Management: In collaboration and consultation with the chiefs of parties, identify events and conferences relevant to country program priority sectors for CRS participation, coordinate and organize major events for CRS program and partners, including project launches, major donor visits, learning events, etc.
• Training and Coaching: Promote the integration of consistent communications and marketing messages and activities across the country program and in alignment with CRS’ overall global brand strategy. Facilitate and coach relevant CRS staff and partners on best practices in marketing and brand management.
• Resource Mobilization: In collaboration with the business development team, refine or develop regional communication strategies to best position CRS to gain a competitive advantage with donors. This includes being in close contact with communications representatives of institutional, government and private-sector donors and partners to regularly provide stories, photos, and communication reports as required, as well as ensuring CRS’ compliance with donor’s branding and marketing requirements.
• Representation and Networking: Build on existing and develop new relationships with media, key decision makers, peer institutions and others. Support the planning and coordination of events, missions, VIP visits, under the leadership of the senior management team. When requested, attend national and international organization events to represent CRS and its programs.

Specific Responsibilities - Disability

• Business Development: Support proposal teams to identify opportunities for disability inclusion in project design. Identify and recommend disability-specialized organizations as potential project partners and to support project design (i.e. as participants in assessments, technical design workshops, stakeholder listening sessions). Research and share with proposal teams the donor-specific requirements on disability inclusion. Familiarize country programs with government and international policies/standards that protect rights or persons with disabilities. Identify relevant host country government strategies in support of persons with disabilities and advise proposal teams how they can align their project activities with those strategies.
• Program Quality: Identify staff capacity building needs in disability-inclusive development approaches. With support from PIQA, identify training resources for staff to support inclusion throughout the project cycle in WASH, food security, education, health, and emergency programming. Organize trainings and webinars to build staff capacity, as needed. With MEAL team, recommend disability-disaggregated indicators to be collected and methods for data collection, analysis, and use. Work with project evaluation teams to ensure disability is considered in research questions and data collection approaches. Document and share best practices of disability-inclusive approaches.
• Internal advocacy: Share resources with HR, hiring managers, supervisors, and senior management team to promote disability inclusion in the workplace. As requested, advise HR as they review and revise office policies to promote workplace inclusion.
• Representation: Build and develop relationships with disability-specialized organizations to improve CRS’ technical capacity in disability-inclusive development approaches. Attend technical fora with donors, government, and other development partners to promote programming for people with disabilities. Ensure technical staff have necessary talking points to advocacy for disability inclusion across external technical working groups and with partners.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programs, Regional Information Officer, Business Development Specialist, Regional Technical Advisors, Senior Management Team, Marketing and Communications Department (HQ), PIQA (HQ) Communications, Senior Technical Advisors (PIQA)

External: Contractors, Vendors, Project Partners, Donors, Private-Sector Partners, Media, Representatives of other INGOs.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Minimum Master’s Degree; Minimum of two years of relevant field-based experience in coordinating or managing light to moderately complex projects required. Experience in INGOs or UN preferred.
• Demonstrated ability in project management, particularly the design and execution of marketing plans and/or communications events.
• Ability to work with stakeholders on multiple levels, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, donors, media groups, and CRS staff.
• Fluency in English required; excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proven inter-personal skills and ability to influence through communication.
• Demonstrable track record of successfully disseminating information to a variety of target audiences.
• Understanding of major issues of international development and donor assistance.
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently.
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally, as required.
• Proven organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Mature disposition, with the ability to manage sensitive situations appropriately.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

NOTE: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

About the Organization

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Our mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to alleviate human suffering, promote development of all people, and to foster charity and justice throughout the world. Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates on five continents and in 98 countries. We aid the poor by first providing direct assistance where needed, then encouraging people to help with their own development. Together, these approaches foster secure, productive, just communities that enable people to realize their potential. As the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice.