Mass Media & Information Management Officer at Search for Common Ground (Search)

Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful transformation of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC, and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict—moving away from destructive approaches and towards cooperative solutions. With more than 700 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 African countries, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Mass Media & Information Management Officer - A Community-Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta

Location: Bayelsa
Employment type: Full-time

Position Summary

• We are seeking an experienced Mass Media & Information Management Officer for an anticipated 18-month project funded by the European Union.
• The project will be implemented in consortium with co-applicants with the overall goal of fostering inclusive community security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States. 
• The role is expected to provide support to the Mass Media & Information Management Coordinator in implementing the project’s initiatives on strategic communication comprising real-time monitoring and tracking of the information ecosystem for identifying the drivers of conflict and thereafter production and dissemination of multimedia products utilizing the tracked dynamics.
• The Officer will support the coordination of the Common Ground Journalists platforms in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States.
• She/He will be managed by the Consortium Coordinator and the Mass Media & Information Management Coordinator while collaborating with other teams and units.
• The anticipated project will bring together four leading peacebuilding and development organizations in the Niger Delta, in a consortium aimed at providing a holistic, community-centered approach to addressing core drivers of criminality, violence, and conflict in the region, with a specific focus on the empowerment and inclusion of youth in the security of their respective communities in the Niger Delta.
• The consortium partners will leverage existing relationships with the action’s diverse target groups, including at-risk youth, local communities impacted by oil production and oil bunkering, state security actors, the private sector, journalists and media actors, key civil society organizations, and policymakers at the state, regional, national, and international levels, to secure broad-based buy-in and participation in the action.
• Overall, the project will seek to initiate a shift in the way that relevant actors think about and approach issues of oil bunkering, criminality, and security in the Niger Delta in favor of more bottom-up, human-centered perspectives.
• This institutional and social shift is necessary in order to sustainably reduce the prevalence of oil bunkering and other forms of criminality and violence in the region in the long term.
• The design of the action centers around four activity streams, each addressing a systemic driver of division, violence, and criminality in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States:
  • Stream 1: will foster intra-community collaboration around issues of social exclusion, lack of economic opportunity, and environmental degradation.
  • Stream 2: will build trust and collaboration between communities, the government, and security actors for more participatory, community-centered security operations. 
  • Stream 3: will leverage arts- and culture-based approaches to foster social cohesion between divided communities, both online and offline.
  • Stream 4: will facilitate policy change to institutionalize community-centered security approaches at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels. 

Roles and Responsibilities
Information Management - Real-time monitoring and tracking of the online and offline information ecosystem:

• Provide support in sourcing information related to oil bunkering, artisanal refining, and the conflict context in the Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers states and the Niger Delta Region region from the real-time monitoring and tracking of the information ecosystem (online and offline) particularly and share with the Mass Media and Information Management Coordinator
• Utilize the information above for the development of alternative messages which will inform the content and audience targeting of the action’s multimedia peace campaign
• Document lessons learned, messages, and outcomes from the program to communities across Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states and share with the Mass Media and Information Management Coordinator
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to gather and synthesize contributions from multiple sources and colleagues effectively into monthly snapshots.

Mass Media:

• Keep track of media logs, monitor the broadcast of the media products, and provide regular feedback to the service providers
• Monitor the media component of the project in collaboration with identified media partners 
• Provide necessary support to the Communications Coordinator to manage social media profiles relating to the project, including publishing and distributing content, running campaigns, and monitoring progress
• Provide support to the Mass Media & Information Management Coordinator in delivering the multimedia peace campaign to raise public awareness and knowledge around issues as they relate to the project objectives 
• Collaborate effectively with the Mass Media & Information Management Coordinator to create high-quality relevant multimedia products that cut across all platforms which will contribute to changing attitudes and challenging stereotypes. 
• Responsible for overseeing all the multimedia products which include radio and television production
• Develop relations with media actors and assist in mobilizing media for events where necessary;
• Capture photos and success stories in all Search meetings, training, and events;

Program Coordination:

• Provide communications support during outreach events e.g. producing materials, live streaming on social media, or coordinating a press conference for project activities in target states
• Keep track of current issues and strategies in peacebuilding to leverage opportunities for Search’s communications.
• Communicate with target groups, communities, partners, and stakeholders to understand and address the program’s end-user information and communications needs;

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Journalism, International Relations, Development Studies, Marketing, or related field; Master’s degree is a plus.
• Excellent writing and data analysis skills, planning and coordination skills, with proven ability to work independently.
• At least 3 years of professional experience in outreach, communications for development, advocacy, social marketing, media and public relations, and campaigning preferably with an I/NGO; 
• Understanding of and experience in harnessing traditional and social media for awareness-raising and advocacy, social media savvy;

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Strong command of the English language, with excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Excellent copywriting skills for social media and other digital platforms 
• Demonstrated ability Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,)
• Excellent analytic skills and ability to produce high-quality written materials for different audiences;
• Creative writing, editing, photography, presentation, public speaking, and active listening skills;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to collaborate with multiple offices within an organization and interact with partners, contractors, and other stakeholders at the senior level.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment and communicate highly.
• Technical information to both expert and lay audiences, and achieve consensus on communications policy, project, research, and administrative matters.
• Proactive, creative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative; ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace; and
• Ability to prioritize, plan and organize workflow to tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks, and be flexible with changing priorities.

Application Closing Date
25th August, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Information and Notice

• Interested candidates should send their Current and Resume and Cover Letter (which includes expectations of compensation and projected start date) 
• Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. 
• As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
• This position is only open to Nigerian nationals.