| MSF’s communications team in DR Congo is composed of 10 people and coordinated by a Field Communications Coordinator based in Kinshasa, Goma and Bukavu and flexible to go wherever needed. MSF’s communications objectives consist in giving voices to the people we assist, witness and denounce inacceptable situations.Working with MSF is helping people in danger in the field. Your skills are needed in the context of primary health care (natural catastrophes, population displacements), chronic conflicts or within the scope of particular medical projects.
By joining MSF, you are committing yourself to a recognized international associative movement, with a specific approach to humanitarian help. You advocate for the situations you have seen on the field. You benefit from a personalized carrier follow-up; you develop competencies and on the long-term gain responsibilities.
To define, implement, coordinate and supervise all operational communication activities and strategies according to MSF standards in East DRC. The FCM aims at building MSF visibility, acceptance and leverage inside the country.
- Under supervision of the Field Communications Coordinator (FCC), in cooperation with the HoMs and close collaboration with the members of the Communications Department, the FCM defines the communications strategy for the mission. The FCM also advises on public positioning and remains reactive to emergencies and crisis communications.
- Promotes the visibility of the organisation, improving awareness of its principles and work, reinforcing information on MSF activities among communities to increase acceptance.
- He /she will develop guidelines for dealing with crisis communications through local media and have the capacity to remain reactive to emergencies.
- In emergencies with high media pressure the FCM is able to act as a spokesperson to take interview pressure away from the field teams.
- Maintains close contact with key local media and foreign correspondents.
- Liaises with communications staff from other organisations and institutions, and will monitor and analyse the communication lines developed by actors of importance for MSF (authorities, armed groups, other NGOs, etc).
- Facilitates international media visits to MSF projects, in collaboration with the FCC. The FCM briefs spokespersons and assesses media training (including social media training) needs for key staff.
- Produces media mapping and strategic reports on the local media landscape and regularly reports on new developments.
- Produces – or supervises the production of – local communications content (articles, photos, videos) according to strategy (objective, message and audience) and budget
- Produces or helps produce international communications content by collecting data, information, quotes, testimonies, pictures, videos etc.
- Tracks and archives communications production on the country to build institutional memory.
- Actively promote the diffusion of MSF content in the country. Under the supervision of the FCC, the FCM identifies communications opportunities using MSF communications network production (from List_Press) or returning staff to promote MSF communications and increase visibility.
- Coordinate with MSF digital and communications team in Kinshasa suggesting social media plans to feed MSF platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
- Organise media/comms trainings and briefings with MSF staff in the missions in order to sensitize colleagues to the role of communication within MSF and improve their public communication skills.
- Support the collection of data to be used for communication (and advocacy) purposes, through operational reporting tools and direct contacts with the projects in South Kivu.
- Manage several FCOs to support him/her in maintaining local media contacts and producing external comms for the mission, the local and the international audiences.
- Support the FCOs to develop skills and experience in MSF communications – with a particular objective to mentor and train the FCOs to take more of a lead role in communications in the future.
- Produces a yearly communications budget meant to support identified and agreed communications priorities. This budget will be submitted for approval to FCC.
Depending on our activities and needs, your responsibilities may be adapted and evolve according to the specificities of each project. You will not be facing these challenges alone-other MSF team members, both international and locally hired staff, will provide technical support, including extensive guidelines and protocols. |