National Communication for Development Assistant (SC6)

Job Description

Organizational Setting

The key mission of the FAO Representation in Somalia, which is led by FAO Representative (FAOR), is to assist and support the national government to develop policies, strategies and programme aimed at accelerating the Implementation and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the area of FAO’s global mandate and Strategic Objectives. More specifically, FAO’s response aims to address national needs and priorities in achieving food security, reducing hunger and malnutrition, developing agricultural, fishery and forestry sectors, and ensuring the sustainable use of environmental and natural resources and respond to recurrent emergencies. The current portfolio of activities of the FAO Representation in Somalia includes a wide scope of technical support interventions ranging from policy support through livestock and crop production, to natural resource management, Nutrition, value chain, food security analysis and water and land information management. FAO is also implementing several emergency, resilience-building, and development interventions, with the support of its five field offices and close to 400 staff in partnership with the Federal and State line ministries.

Reporting Lines

The position is under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Somalia, the overall technical guidance of the FAO Communication Development Team leader, the direct supervision of the Programme Officer, the functional supervision of the International Communication for Development Specialist and Communication Officer.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will contribute to the implementation of FAO’s programme in Somalia by supporting communication for development activities and inclusive rural communication services as applied to rural communities, sustainable agrifood systems, rural development including through the appropriation of adequate media and ICT by rural communities, especially women and youth.

Tasks and responsibilities

In close collaboration with OCC branches and focal points, the incumbent will
Communication for development duties:
• Provide technical assistance for the design of ComDev strategies and components in FAO Somalia programmes and projects and support the implementation ensuring stakeholder engagement and improving FAO Somalia programme delivery according to the relevant FAO guidelines (e.g www.fao.org/3/a-i4222e.pdf).
• Assist in the design, piloting, and upscaling of inclusive rural communication services (RCS), including the use of appropriate media and their appropriation by rural communities.
• Assist the outreach and knowledge sharing in relation to the ComDev activities of FAO Somalia including the publication of articles, preparation of web pages, communities of practices, webinars, and use of social media.
• Conduct voice overs for online programs and trainings.
• Liaise with the Emergency team to discuss any unclear points.
• Perform any other duties as required.

Radio Monitoring Support
• Support radio monitoring and listener’s feedback activities liaising with the ComDev specialist in charge”, while among Expected outputs I would include “Cluster radio monitoring sheets by series and draft yearly monitoring report”.

Communications duties:
• Prepare mission briefs detailing how photo and video shoots should be conducted and share them with FAO contractors to use it as a guide during shooting. The staff member also supervises the mission both virtually and physically when necessary to ensure quality output from contractors.
• Gather inputs such as photos, videos, human interest stories to develop case studies that showcase FAO’s work and results in Somalia, working closely with IM, programme staff, and technical teams for input and clearances.
• Support the development of materials for media events, such as seasonal FSNAU Technical Releases, UN day campaigns such as International Women’s Day, World Food Day, project launches and dissemination of key findings of key studies, research, assessments, and evaluations.
• Participate in Communications subunit team meetings, monitor deliverables in the tracker and supporting communications activities as required.
Translation duties:
• Translate capacity building materials as assigned, considering the specificities of the Somalia context.
• Read the original materials and related documents then rewrite it in Somali, ensuring that the meaning of the source text is retained.
• Use specialist dictionaries and reference books by relevant actors in Somalia to find the closest equivalents for terminology or words used materials assigned.
• Perform other tasks as needed.
• Liaison with the Office of Communication (OCC) will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review, and clearance processes.
• All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
• FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf);
• FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm;
• FAO Names of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en;
• Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf;
• Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf ;
• UN map standards (available to staff).
• FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff).
• Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

Skills and Qualifications
Minimum Requirements

• University degree in communication and/or ICTs for development, social sciences, agricultural sciences, or other relevant discipline from a reputable institution.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in in the rural development sector particularly in communications for development.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Somali.
• National of Somalia.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in planning, implementing, and monitoring Communication for Development strategies and plans to rural development, emergency, climate adaptation and resilience.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary development issues nationally on livelihoods.
• A good understanding and in-depth knowledge of Somali and country specific cultures.
• Excellent writing skills and command of grammar in Somali.
• Attention to detail combined with the ability to work quickly to meet deadlines.
• Eagerness to acquire new knowledge on emergency interventions.
• Good understanding of international humanitarian architecture and respective roles of participating members.
• Ability to work within a team of professional staff from diverse technical and cultural backgrounds and expertise.
• Experience working in the Somalia context, will be considered as an advantage.