The Communications Officer under the USAID CSM-STAND Bolstering Civil Society Activity in Sri Lanka will support the project’s overall goal to assist Sri Lanka in maintaining a vibrant civil society that empowers citizens to advance the democratic values of citizen participation. Activities will link CSOs across communities, districts, and regions to have a voice in local governance and national reform processes. This is to be a 5-year activity that commenced in September 2022.
The Communications Officer is expected to support all communications functions of the USAID/CSM-STAND Bolstering Civil Society Activity in Sri Lanka, especially external communication of Pact’s approach and key results in the country. The Officer will also provide support in maintaining digital platforms used to capture and disseminate project results and success stories, in addition to supporting communication and outreach efforts, in adherence to USAID and Pact standards. This position will report to the Strategic Communications Manager and work collaboratively with the technical team.
Key Responsibilities
- Support in the development of external and internal materials on state-of-art methods related to the activity and edit communication materials, memos, and other analytical document
- Assist in communications plans for a variety of stakeholder groups, create relevant messaging and materials, and implement communications strategies in line with the relevant donor and Pact branding guidelines
- Support in developing and maintaining a project website and social media platforms, if applicable, to promote internet-based knowledge sharing for the project
- Develop and deliver appropriate training programs, workshops, forums, and other public outreach campaigns to raise awareness of project interventions
- Coordinate marketing and promotion of the project activity
- Manage relationships with technical outreach partners including local and international firms
- Develop specific targeted communication objectives and communication plans
- Compose, edit, design, record, produce publications such as newsletters, leaflets, and brochures
- Other duties, as assigned
Basic Requirements
- Bachelor’s and 7 years of experience.
- Master’s degree in communications, journalism, international relations or related field and 5+ years relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience in public diplomacy and communication strategies, digital media, event management, brand development, as well as experience providing support to US government funded projects
- High-level interpersonal and communication skills, as well as stakeholder management skills
- Strong computer skills with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop) Publisher, R Project, Inkscape, WordPress, and a variety of website applications
- Experience using online communication platforms and tools (Zoom, Teams, etc.) to manage virtual events, workshops, etc.
- Professional level language skills in English and local language(s)
- Sri Lankan nationals only
Preferred Qualifications
- Understanding of governance programming in Sri Lanka, especially related to civil society working in relevant thematic and technical areas
- Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds while maintaining impartiality and objectivity
- Knowledge and/or experience working in a similar position on USAID programming
Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.
At Pact, we recognize your impact, offer you opportunities and support your total well-being. Our comprehensive benefit offerings may include healthcare, retirement (8.8% to 13% based on service tenure) and savings plans, paid time off, disability and life insurance programs, learning and development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections .
With the continuing impacts of COVID-19 around the world, we are taking action to protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate. Pact seeks an environment free from COVID-19 and prefers all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Attestation of vaccination status will be required for employment with Pact. Unvaccinated employees may be subject to additional health and safety requirements to include any federal, state and/or client restrictions.