Communications Officer, USAID/Ethiopia Urban WASH Activity 202 views

Chemonics International, Inc., is a US-based international development consulting company, operating in over 95 countries, that is implementing the USAID funded Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project in Ethiopia.

Chemonics seeks a Communications Officer for the USAID Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Activity. The purpose of this Activity will be to support accelerated access to safe, adequate, inclusive, and resilient WASH services targeting urban and peri-urban areas. The Activity will work to achieve this through four complementary objectives: 1) Enable and professionalize WASH service providers; 2) Foster markets for pro-poor and inclusive WASH services; 3) Strengthen WASH planning, budgeting, and service delivery oversight; and 4) Strengthen accountability among urban WASH sector actors.

The Communications Officer will be responsible for overseeing the development of effective communications and managing implementation of communications activities, including behavior change communication; public outreach as part of accountability mechanisms; communications as part of customer engagement with utility reform; and project reporting to ensure the Activity’s successes contribute to a global knowledge base across on-demand, legacy, and launching states in support of Activity goals and communications campaigns. The Communications Officer will draw from, and contribute to, a broader global body of knowledge on urban WASH, including USAID’s Sustainable Water Partnership, the FCDO, World Bank, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

This position will report to the Monitoring Evaluation, Learning, and Accountability (MELA) Director and be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute the Activity’s overall communications strategy and branding and messaging in line with the Activity’s contractual guidelines and prevailing Branding and Marking requirements;
• Work closely with the MELA Director to identify strategic channels for communicating key messages;
• Collect information for success stories and articles and draft and/or edit the stories with appropriate photographs for sharing with USAID;
• Create and manage the Activity’s social media presence on appropriate social media platforms and contribute to USAID’s platforms through the Ethiopia Mission’s communications team;
• Support the organization, communication and branding of Activity events and workshops, press conferences, and other activities, for the successful implementation of activities;
• Collect content for the Activity progress reports; attend meetings with client and partners on an ad hoc basis regarding reporting outreach, and media-related issues;
• Maintain a database of activity videos and photographs in SharePoint;
• Provide editing and formatting assistance for reports, internal and external communications in line with USAID templates and guidelines for reporting;
• Work closely with MELA Director on tracking reports and deliverables related to the MEL Plan and Activity contractual obligations;
• Undertake other special projects and appropriate tasks that support the overall project, as assigned by the MELA Director or designee;
• Other tasks as required; and
• Reports to the MELA Director.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required, in journalism, communications, publishing, or similar area preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant, professional experience  required;
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and oral.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe applications.
• Working knowledge of USAID branding and marking guidelines, and regulations required.
• Team player, with excellent organizational, communication training capacity and in time delivery.
• Experience working in Ethiopia required; Ethiopian nationals are encouraged to apply.
• Fluency in English. Professional working proficiency in Amharic strongly preferred.