Communications Officer, MENA Program, L6

Organization profile

Every year, millions of people around the world go missing as a result of conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration, and other causes. This is a complex global challenge that can be tackled effectively through cross-cutting programs that address a variety of difficult, interconnected issues.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons. It works with governments and other stakeholders, including families of the missing, to help them develop and maintain successful missing persons processes. To learn more about ICMP click here.

Syria/MENA Program

ICMP Syria/MENA program aims to establish the foundations for an effective and sustainable mechanism to address the issue of the missing in a future post-conflict Syria. The program will focus on

1) contributing to increased understanding among victims, civil society and key stakeholders regarding processes, standards and rights of victims and survivors who are involved in accounting for missing persons;

2) establishing the conditions to launch a participative process of data collection that empowers and engages families of the missing; and

3) increasing the capacity of Syrian families, legal experts and other stakeholders to foster an impartial and law-based approach to accounting for missing persons in post-conflict Syria.

The primary beneficiaries of the Syria program are families, in particular women, with relatives missing from the conflict, who are currently displaced in neighboring countries and, also where possible, those who are still in Syria.

Position Background

The purpose of the Communication Officer is to manage program-specific internal and external communications, including media relations, managing press conferences, relationships with journalists, media outlets, documentary filmmakers and public relations networking to assist lCMP’s efforts in locating missing persons from the MENA region.

Position Description

Reporting to the Head of Program (Syria/MENA), the duties of the Communications Officer will include, but may not be limited to:

• Managing program-specific internal and external communications, including media relations (managing press conferences, relationships with journalists, media outlets, and documentary filmmakers), public relations;
• Creating program specific publications, developing innovative public outreach campaigns and managing events in line with the global ICMP Communications Strategy and work plan;
• Maintaining the program-specific contribution to ICMP’s social media output and website;
• Contributing to the production of a range of program specific materials, including newsletters, press releases, media advisories, brochures, and flyers;

• Contributing to general writing, editing, copyediting in both English and Arabic;

• Building ICMP’s MENA media network; and

• Contributing to daily media monitoring on missing persons issues in the MENA region;

• Performing other related duties.

Requirements

• Post-secondary education in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field
• At least five years of experience working with in a press/communications office at an international organization, or similar;
• Proven experience in running press and social media campaigns in the MENA region, with a focus on Syria;
• Prior experience in the strategic design and implementation of advocacy and outreach campaigns
• Experience in documentation of human rights or working directly with victims will be considered an asset;
• In-depth understanding of the Syrian conflict and the region, as well as work experience related to Syria and the region is desirable;
• Demonstrable experience organizing events and meetings and handling logistics;
• Excellent public speaking and communication skills;
• Excellent conceptual, analytical, documentation and presentation skills, including frequent report writing;
• Excellent planning and prioritization skills, including the ability to think and operate strategically.

Additional requirements:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English and Arabic;
• Proven experience in writing and proofreading documents such as press releases, promotional materials, proposals and reports
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills;·
• Excellent skills in social media management tools such as Hootsuite;
• Excellent knowledge of media monitoring/media database management tools (e.g. Meltwater);
• Skill in Adobe Creative Cloud is an asset;
• Skills in graphics and design are highly desirable;
• Attention to detail, with the ability to meet deadlines and produce results
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point;
• Proven ability to interact positively with colleagues regardless of culture, nationality or gender;
• Willingness to travel and to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings;
• Capacity and willingness to work in challenging circumstances and high pressure conditions.
• Legally entitled to work in Lebanon.

Benefits

This is a locally engaged position at LES 6 MENA Salary Scale. Please see ICMP website for salary details. This position is not eligible for expatriate benefits.

ICMP is committed to maintaining an environment of mutual respect, where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants. ICMP believes that diversity and inclusion among our staff are critical to our success as a global organization, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented individuals from a thoroughly diverse range of candidates. ICMP is proud to be part of the International Gender Champions network.