Head of Communication and Advocacy at the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS)

The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) was established through an Act of the Parliament in 1960 to complement public authorities in humanitarian interventions with the mandate to prevent and alleviate human suffering at times of peace or conflict, and to support individuals and communities to respond effectively to emergencies, without any form of discrimination as to class, gender, race, political opinions or religion.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Communication and Advocacy

Location: Abuja
Department: Communication and Advocacy
Job Family: Programmes
Contract Type: Permanent
Reports To: Director of Programmes
Direct Reports: Communication and Advocacy Officer

Job Summary

• The Head of Communication and Advocacy shall be responsible for developing and implementing clear corporate communications and brand strategy deriving from and supportive to the overall corporate goals and objectives of NRCS.
• This role also entails implementing brand guidelines as regards internal communication and brand touch points at the Headquarters and overseeing compliance at the branches.
• The role will include the management of the different communication aspects of the NRCS: public website, social media profiles, media relations, internal communication tools.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic:

• Develop clear communication strategy for NRCS to increase the visibility and positioning of the National Society and contribute to the resource mobilization strategy. The strategy should have clear and measurable indicators and targets.
• Articulate, execute and manage strategies on branding, publicity, advertising, media management and events management to deliver the society’s reputation and brand positioning aspiration with the Nigerian public, media and corporates.
• Develop policies and guidelines for all aspects of the communications and brand management function, both internal and external and monitoring that those policies are properly enforced across the organization.
• Design and develop the NS Communications and Advocacy Operational plans, and budgets and monitor their implementation reporting on performance quarterly to NRCS management and governance.
• Ensure that NRCS communication, visibility and positioning is fully aligned with the Red Cross Fundamental Principles, policies and guidelines.

Operational:

• Conduct annual researches to understand the perception of the NRCS brand and activities among the Nigerian public and other stakeholders
• Develop a research-based communication strategy to achieve the right brand perception for NRCS, create awareness and buy-in for NRCS activities
• Execute communication campaigns aimed at communicating the NRCS message and driving humanitarian values among targeted sectors of the Nigerian society
• Communicate the Red Cross brand personality internally at the Headquarters and branches, and align the organization around the Humanitarian principles
• Orientation of Governance, Management and volunteers at both Headquarters and Branches on the NS overall communications and advocacy policy and guidelines.
• Define and manage the appropriate media and channels for corporate communications of NRCS, including NRCS website and social media channels.
• Provide response for crisis and issue management, coordinating information flow from the National Society to the public, including the media, especially in time of emergencies.
• Manage and account for the communications and brand management budget
• Promoting public dialogue and advocacy to attract the support of public & private organizations
• Facilitate good media coverage of NRCS by developing and maintaining good media relations through engagement and availing relevant information to members of the public
• Documentation and dissemination of key activities, lessons learnt, best practices, and case studies to general public, key stakeholders and Partners
• Design, printing and distribution of collated Society’s quarterly and Annual Reports for both internal and external consumption.
• Engage in advocacy activities with all required stakeholders to promote humanitarian values across the country, in alignment with the Red Cross Principles and IFRC policies and guidelines.
• Manage the NRCS website by developing its content, aligning the message, functionality, look and feel to NRCS brand and monitoring key metrics to understand the reach and impact of the website.
• Defining advocacy goal, consulting and building relationship, identifying target audiences, identifying allies and opponents, selecting advocacy approaches, identifying key messages, budgeting and identifying resources, the message across.
• Oversee the conducting of assessments of policies and regulations to identify regulatory gaps and opportunities for advocacy to promote implementation of NRCS objectives
• Ensure that Branches meet minimum standard in Communications and advocacy reporting and implementation of programme activities
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the Director of Programmes.
• Lead and promote the development of guidance and standards for communication at branch level (Pillar 1)
• Perform annual job performance reviews (APER) of staff under his/her responsibility.

Duties applicable to all staff:

• Work actively towards the achievement of the NRCS goals
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross Fundamental Principles and NRCS Statutes

Key Performance Areas:

• Number of news releases monthly (including social media)
• Quality of communications strategies developed
• Quality of the NRCS website
• Number of publications produced annually
• Perception of the Red Cross brand by the Nigerian public

Qualifications and Experience

• First degree in Mass Communications, Social Sciences or Humanities
• Master’s degree in law, Communications, or relevant Social science will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, working in communication and Advocacy at a national or international level preferable in the NGO sector with at least 3 years in management position
• Membership of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) / Chartered Marketing Communications Institute of Nigeria (CMCIN) will be an added advantage
• Experience in managing communications issues in complex and delicate situations
• Experience in emergency response or humanitarian services will be an added advantage

Skills and Competencies
Essential:

• Strong judgment and ability to identify and analyse problems and to think strategically to anticipate, interpret and develop strategic responses to issues
• Ability to persuade, influence, manage and sustain effective, successful strategic relationships both internally and externally
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to persuade others to adopt a specific course of action to achieve desired results
• Knowledge of social marketing, social media and related trends
• Knowledge of branding, marketing and advertising
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in the use of MS office and data analysis tools
• A proven ability to develop and deliver high impacts messages and content specially tailored for the international development community.
• Excellent communication and writing skills; demonstrated public speaking skills and ability to coach staff around public speaking and advocacy.

Desirable:

• Understanding of NRCS support functions

Behavioural Competencies:

• Capable of communicating analysis and insights effectively, and articulate when communicating
• Demonstrated success in relationship building internally and externally with a wide array of stakeholders
• Ability to build and protect the reputation of self and society through the quality of work, knowledge and experience
• High ethical standards and honesty in handling the organizational resources and zero tolerance to corruption
• Culturally sensitive, globally minded and show respect to the views and opinions of others
• Ability to collaborate and work well in a team
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

Application Closing Date
6th March, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV and Cover Letter to: [email protected] with the Position applied for/Name of Applicant, as subject of the email