Communications and Advocacy Officer, Middle East and North Africa Programme (100% At International Commission of Jurists

Target start date: as soon as possible

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a worldwide organization of judges and lawyers united in affirming international law and rule of law principles that advance human rights. Its strategic goals for 2021-2025 are: (1) to develop, defend, and strengthen international institutions, instruments, and standards on rule of law and human rights; (2) to improve domestic implementation of, and compliance with, international law and standards; (3) to bolster the effectiveness and independence of judges and lawyers; and (4) to improve access to justice for all and accountability. With its Headquarters based in Geneva, Switzerland, ICJ has a presence in Africa, Latin America, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, and the Middle East.

The ICJ is seeking to recruit an Communications and Advocacy Officer to provide technical expertise to the ICJ MENA programme and its partners, support the formulation and implementation of the programme advocacy strategies at the regional and international levels, including engagement with United Nations mechanisms and bodies, strengthen the programme’s engagement with media, assist in the development of publications, videos and other promotional communication materials for the Programme particularly and provide technical support for activity implementation of the MENA Programme.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting directly to the the Regional Director of the MENA Programme, the Advocacy and Communications Officer holds the following responsibilities:

• Advocacy : Supports the formulation and implementation of the MENA programme advocacy strategies at the regional and international levels, including engagement with United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms and bodies; and supports the design of advocacy strategies and country engagement plans in collaboration with the programme’s country teams;
• Planning: jointly with the country teams, the MENA Senior Legal Adviser and the Regional Director and in co-operation with the global ICJ advocacy and communications teams, develop an advocacy calandar, collecting dates and information relevant to the programme’s advocacy work at the national, regional and international levels, including sessions of UN treaty bodies, the HRC, and the ACHPR, develop a media and communications calendar for the ICJ MENA Programme, and ensure that all media activities, as well as the production of multimedia and publications, are properly planned and well-integrated in / coordinated with the overall ICJ MENA calendar;
• Enhancing impact in the media: position the ICJ MENA programme in the local, regional and international media (print, electronic, broadcast) through the delivering of press releases, feature articles, opinion pieces, one-to-one interviews or any other media-friendly tool, and by facilitating media interventions and communications events and activities, such as press conferences, press packs, forums, roundtables, etc. Identify and, whenever possible, anticipate news on issues relevant to ICJ MENA programme to improve the timing and efficiency of reactive media work; liaise with the global ICJ communications and law and policy teams to ensure effectiveness and coherence of ICJ media work.
• Management of media and advocacy relations: develop and maintain a network and database of advocacy and media contacts in the MENA Region, as well as of relevant contacts globally. In addition to the media database, maintain an advocacy list consisting of contacts within NGOs, Governmental bodies, embassies, legal and academic circles and any other audiences relevant to ICJ advocacy work;
• Production of communications materials: together with the country teams, the MENA Regional Director and the global ICJ communications team, coordinate the scheduling and production of all ICJ communications materials in the MENA Programme
• ICJ branding: ensure that the ICJ Visual and Corporate Identity is fully and accurately implemented on all ICJ communications materials in the MENA Programme;
• Web publishing: post ICJ media materials, web stories, multimedia and publications on the ICJ website according to the internal guidelines for web publishing;
• Visual communications/Multimedia: ensure the production of high-quality visuals (mainly pictures and video clips) to illustrate ICJ’s programmatic activities;
• Social media: Maintain and update various social media accounts for the ICJ MENA Programme and contribute to global ICJ social media accounts, and feed these accounts;
• Supporting the ICJ MENA Programme: Maintain supportive working relations with programme staff. Provide regular updates on advocacy and communications issues to the MENA Regional Office.

PROFILE

The successful candidate will have:

Education & Experience

• A degree in Communications, Journalism or a related subject;
• At least four years of work experience in advocacy and communications, including campaigning, media work, social media, and web publishing;
• Strong organizational, drafting and editing skills;
• A proven knowledge of, and work experience in, advocacy at the national and international levels.

Language and Computer Skills

• Spoken and written fluency in English is essential; Arabic is an asset.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, content management systems, and social media platforms; and
• Knowledge of Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign, and Illustrator is an asset.

Other competencies

• Ability to think strategically and identify ways to improve advocacy communication efforts;
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure, in a complex, dynamic and changing work environment, as part of an international multi-cultural team;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and to adjust priorities flexibly in response to external events;
• Openness and flexibility, capacity to adapt to changing priorities and needs; and
• Demonstrated commitment to human rights and the rule of law in the MENA region.