Communications Officer

Job Description

Job Title: Communications Officer

Location: New Delhi, India

Reports to: Advocacy, Policy and Communications Lead

Position Summary: The Communications Officer works closely with the Advocacy, Policy and Communications Lead, the Country Director and others in the organisation to develop compelling content – articles, blogs, newsletters, reports, presentations, policy briefs, white papers, etc. – to convey key messages, updates and achievements of the organization to diverse stakeholders and audiences. The person will also contribute towards the development and implementation of communications strategies and initiatives to advance the mission of IAVI, and support its advocacy and resource mobilisation efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conducting background research and collating, structuring and organizing information and evidence to support persuasive communication initiatives for IAVI in India
• Utilizing the evidence base to identify creative concepts and storylines for media publications, write-ups and features highlighting IAVI’s vision, work and achievments in the field
• Working with a range of writing genres – business, academic, literary, creative and long-form – to develop captivating content for a wide range of audiences with varying levels of familiarity with the subject matter

• Coordinating key organizational events and workshops through effective planning, management and logistics support

Additionally, the role entails working closely with the Advocacy, Policy and Communications team to provide support in:

• Writing, development and delivery of communications collateral for major organizational initiatives

• Cultivating and maintaining influential media relationships to enable the effective dissemination of key messages to relevant internal and external stakeholders

• Collaboratively managing the creation and updating of presentations, web and social media content
• Influencing relevant policy discussions and debates through consistent and incremental media presence

Core Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong conceptualization and the ability to simplify and deconstruct complex concepts into their constituent elements for effective communication
• Exceptional writing and presentation across a range of genres including business, academic, literary, creative and long-form
• A passion for storytelling and working on ideas and conversations that matter
• Demonstrated ability in researching information, conducting analysis and presenting results
• Familiarity with data stories and visual thinking

Attitudes and Work Ethic:

• Self-driven, inter-disciplinary, consistent and incremental learning
• Mature, reliable decision-making and skillful management of relationships, timelines and work
• Effective planning and prioritization of tasks based on deadlines and availability of resources
• Ability to handle pressure and resolve problems while maintaining a positive, focused attitude
• Integrity, professionalism, teamwork, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Prior experience in HIV/AIDS, development communication, public health, data journalism and/or marketing will be an asset

Education and Experience:

• Post-graduate degree in the natural/social sciences, communications and/or associated fields
• Minimum two years of professional experience in science/health journalism, development communication. policy research and public affairs, and/or media relations

About the Organization

The Organization:

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a nonprofit scientific organization founded in 1996 whose mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. IAVI believes that our capabilities, partnerships and commitment position us to make meaningful impact in the field. IAVI continues to focus on AIDS vaccine development as the most effective long-term approach to ending the HIV epidemic. Ending the epidemic will also require innovation and an integrated approach across prevention and treatment efforts in line with the shifting epidemic. IAVI will contribute to the field by:

• Establishing an integrated approach to HIV vaccine and prevention research and development, linking an understanding of at risk communities with the most potentially relevant interventions.
• Bringing new capabilities and innovation to the field through novel collaborations to accelerate product development.
• Prioritizing approaches that have the greatest potential impact on HIV vaccine and prevention efforts towards diminishing and ultimately ending the epidemic

IAVI's strategic focus revolves around the following four pillars:

1. Engage locally: Engaging the communities most at-risk of HIV infection;
2. Accelerate Translation: Providing an integrated product development platform to accelerate the translation of promising concepts into HIV vaccine candidates for the field;
3. Catalyze Innovative Science: Investing in high potential discovery programs that could transform HIV vaccine development and beyond;
4. Secure Sustained Support and Action: Generating supportive data and messages to drive policies and investments that will end the epidemic.

• Approximately 180 employees (80 located at Headquarters in New York)
• Offices in Amsterdam, New York, Johannesburg, Delhi, and Nairobi along with laboratories in La Jolla, London, Delhi, and Brooklyn.
• Total revenue of $100 million