Senior Communication Officer

Job Description

Job description
Federal Government of Somalia

Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education Global Partnership for Education

Position: Senior Communication Officer Terms of Reference

Post Title: Senior Communication Officer

Project Title: Global Partnership for Education (GPE)

Duration: One year (with possibility of extension)

Duty Station: Mogadishu (Somalia), Ministry of Education, Culture and

Higher Education and required to travel to FMS

Report line: GPE Coordinator and communication Director

INTRODUCTION

The Ministry of Education, Culture & Higher Education of the Federal Government is responsible Establishing quality education system for all Somali citizens that offers equal opportunities and promotes respect for human rights and observes Islamic principles as articulated in the provisional Constitution of the Federal Government of Somalia (2012) and the National Education Policy (revised in 2023). The Overall goal of the education sector is to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood, basic, secondary, technical and vocational, higher education, and complete with relevant and effective learning outcomes. The strategic goals of the sector are governed by the National Development Plan (2020-2024), National Transformation Plan (2025 – 2029), the Education Sector Strategic Plan (2022-2026), the Somali Partnership Compact (2023- 2026).

MoECHE’s Vision:

To establish a quality modern education system for Somali citizen that offers equal opportunities and promotes respect for human rights and observes Islamic Principles.

MOECHE’s Mission:

MoECHE’s mission is to facilitate, guide, deliver and coordinate universal quality education to promote national integration, social justice and development in Somalia.

BACKGROUND TO GPE PROJECT

The Ministry of Education Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE) is implementing the GPE Project which consists of three key Components: (1) System Transformation Grant (STG) (2) Girls’ Education Accelerator (GEA) & (3) System capacity grant (SCG) funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which is a three-year initiative aimed at catalyzing sustainable advancements within the education sector of the Federal Government of Somalia and designed to contribute to the achievement of the government priorities reform defined in the 2023 Partnership Compact, which is aligned with the priorities of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (2022-2026).

Job Summary: Senior Communication Officer

Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education FGS (MoECHE) is looking for a full time Senior Communications Officer that will be responsible for developing a comprehensive project communication strategy and plan providing regular and timely distribution of project information to all key stakeholders and project beneficiaries. The officer will be producing communication materials which in line with MoECHE’s priorities.

coordination, and effective delivery of communications in line with MoECHE priorities under the GPE Project. MoECHE is looking for an excellent storyteller with an exceptional attention to detail, and an all-rounder who is confident gathering content, editing and writing as much as working with media and briefing journalists on GPE Project, preparing talking points and drafting video documentations scripts for GPE Project.

Key Responsibilities and of this role include:

· Working closely with the project Coordinator, the senior communication officer will develop an outreach strategy on the overall project activities and engage project beneficiaries to feedback their concerns;

· Issue monthly report and bulletin on project activities, success and milestones to the wider community; and accordingly review, amend and make necessary alterations to the Communication Action Plan and Communication Strategy for the GPE project.

· Design and implement communication strategy that will govern GPE project stakeholders and beneficiaries whilst informing project activities and the benefits it will bring. To the extent possible, undertake consultations with project management to assess internal and external communications needs and integrate Communication Plans to have one consistent channel of communication to stakeholders and other relevant institutions;

· Manage press and other media enquiries, whilst editing and producing public relation materials for public consumption; coordinate any other assignments related to project knowledge management, communications and outreach. This should also be inclusive of,

but not be restricted to, social media, press kits, factsheets, brochures and graphics, special events, speeches, articles, interviews, magazines, newsletters and presentations;

· Manage and update the ministry’s website, and social media platforms as well as other possible networking platforms. This will include the organization, preparation and facilitation of the production of video graphic materials for the project outreach purposes and tell project success stories;

· Develop and issue updated and comprehensive community engagement strategy to reach country-wide and other important project stakeholders. This will include liaising with the local media outlets and guide them in presenting news and other information about the project to the public, whilst mitigating risks of distortion and misinformation about the project.

· Be responsible for day-to-day management and coordination activities related to the management of the visibility of the project.

· Organise and participate in communications activities and events including staff training activities, press conferences/visits, and relevant workshops; facilitate trainings and workshops as necessary;

· Accompany field visits to target districts implementing project activities to provide inputs and guidance to ensure project visibility and update stakeholders on the project milestones.

· Any other related duty as assigned

Skills and qualifications
1. A minimum bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, public relations, international relations or related fields.

2. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in strategic communication management and relevant field including communication, media, etc.

3. Experience in working with the government, INGOs experience is an added advantage.

4. Proven knowledge of visual communications principles and fluency with design software

5. Understands project management concepts sufficiently to propose and develop drafts of online communication plans and strategies with minimal supervision.

6. Can apply standard project management tools, methodologies, and processes.

7. Experience and sound knowledge in strategic communications and running campaigns.

8. Able to deliver training programmes and workshops to the relevant partners and stakeholders.

6. Experience in writing strategies and producing sound evidence-based reports.

10. Experience using graphic design software, such as Adobe Creative suite would be preferable

11. Outstanding communication skills; ability to communicate to various stakeholders.

12. Excellent writing and proofing skills in Somali and English.

13. Have the ability to communicate succinctly and clearly, ensuring that communication achieves its intended objective.

14. Possess analytical and problem-solving skills.

15. Fluent in English and Somali.

II. REPORTING

The communication specialist will report to the GPE Coordinator and provide technical support and guidance to MoECHE to have effective messaging systems.

III. DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The Senior Communication officer will be engaged on a full-time basis and is expected to commence the assignment on January for an initial period of 12 months, with a probation period of 3 months. The contract is renewable annually subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance.

Terms of Reference, and detailed work plan with agreed targets will be used as the basis to evaluate performance.

IV. WORK LOCATION

The senior Communication officer will be based in Mogadishu at the Federal Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education, with possible visits to the Federal Member States. to support project understanding and implementation.

How to apply
Interested candidates should submit their application, including a cover letter, updated CV with three reference of your recent direct supervisor and educational certificates via procurement@moe.gov.so note later than 30th December 2024 12:00pm east African time . Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.