Communications Officer - Nay Pyi Taw

Context

Under its 2018-2022 Strategy, International IDEA will support the integrity of processes and institutions of political participation and representation through strengthening the capacity of formal institutions of political participation and representation, such as parliaments and political parties. In this regard, International IDEA, the European Union (EU) and DFID have entered into an Agreement to implement the Parliamentary Oversight for Better Service Delivery Project to Strengthen the Capacity of Myanmar Parliament. The project aims to strengthen representative and inclusive democracy through support for the effective functioning of parliament in Myanmar, by enhancing their legislative, oversight, representative, budgetary and administrative functions. The project focuses both on elected Members of Parliament (MPs), particularly in their capacity as members of parliamentary committees and on the staff of parliaments' secretariats.

The outcome objectives for the Action is that the parliamentary committees:

• exercise their budgetary scrutiny and oversight functions effectively, and
• are transparent, inclusive, gender-sensitive, responsive and accountable to all citizens.

By implementing this Action, International IDEA plans to engage with the targeted parliamentary committees through a combination of activities aimed at inspiring and supporting them. These activities will include practical training on key economic and public financial management concepts, advisory services, sharing comparative experiences of institutional development and reform, facilitating peer-to-peer learning and networking, support for applying a gender-sensitive lens to budget oversight, facilitating platforms of dialogue, and developing and providing knowledge resources.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides communications and media support to the Parliamentary Oversight for Better Service Delivery project;
• Regularly coordinates and hosts communications meetings with colleagues to stay well-informed about planned activities, upcoming events and campaigns;
• Coordinates inputs from programme colleagues, and uploads content generated by the programme to the relevant communication forum as needed;
• Maintains the project social media platforms;
• Maintains the project database by soliciting inputs from colleagues;
• Undertakes regular media monitoring (on social and traditional medias) for references to Parliamentary Oversight for Better Service Delivery project activities;
• Contributes to and regularly updates the programme’s press lists and CRM;
• Serves as a content editor; Writes and edits web articles, tweets, social media posts, press releases and other outreach content as necessary;
• Coordinates the timely content development of a monthly newsletter with programme colleagues and manages an editorial calendar for the proposed content and themes;
• Works in close coordination with the Programme Manager – Parliamentary Oversight for Better Service Delivery project to ensure that the programme communicates according to the donor’s Communications and Visibility Strategy.
• Creates clear infographics and digital assets for use online and in presentations; Handles digital art manipulation;
• Reviews and updates the programme’s social media guidelines as needed;
• Monitors and reports on impact and analytics; Generates monthly and quarterly analytics reports for all social media platforms and for the newsletter.

General Profile

• Requires in-depth knowledge, excellent skills and relevant experience in their field;
• Will lead meetings and discussions, supervise the project communications and review input from external providers;
• Has contributed to external communications (articles, publications etc.) on Myanmar’s democratic transition;
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
• Adds value to team-based activities in his/her unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model or mentor for less experienced colleagues;
• Can be expected to travel to any geographical area involved in his/her projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting Line

Programme Manager - Public Financial Management 

Programmatic Knowledge

• Has in-depth knowledge in communications and media to be able to approach programmatic issues in a holistic manner.

Operational Knowledge, skills and experience

• Has a good understanding of relevant programmes in Myanmar;
• Contributes to preparation of reports and project briefs and their dissemination;
• Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management in past experiences.

Leadership

• No people management responsibility over permanent staff;
• Acts as a model and resource for more junior colleagues;
• May assume project management responsibilities.

Problem Solving

• Identifies and resolves complex problems; approaches issues with new perspectives; analyses situations from a multitude of intervening factors.

Impact

• Has a clear impact on the programme development and delivery;
• Can also impact other teams and projects in related fields.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises to all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her project; acts and is perceived as an initiator of relevant communication to solve issues;
• Drives projects and assignments through communicative personal energy and engagement;
• Can explain sensitive information with diplomacy and build consensus.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Myanmar language is essential; an additional language in an International IDEA region (Arabic, French, Spanish) would be considered an asset.

Education and Experience

• University degree in Communications, Journalism, International Relations or other relevant discipline;
• Minimum of five (5) years’ professional experience as a journalist or writer in communications for development, with a focus in social media and preferably within an international context;
• Minimum of two (2) years professional experience in communications strategy development;
• Expert graphic design skills and ability to use all related Adobe tools desirable;
• Experience of working in an international context, e.g. in an intergovernmental organization, considered an advantage.

Terms of Contract

Local Post. Two (2) year fixed-term appointment.

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Myanmar.

Salary entry point: MMK 1 727 002 per month.

Applying for this position

• Applications should be submitted no later than 22 September 2019. Please note that all applications must be made in English.
• Please apply directly by pressing the Send Application button.

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.