Position Description
Location Flexible between vicinities of London, Edinburgh, The Hague, Brussels based on work authorization and candidate home base. Remote work set up with some travel.
Position Status Part-time 3-4 days/week, fixed term to 31 December 2024.
Travel Up to 20%, including within the UK, US and possibly to country programmes
Salary: London: circa 36K, Edinburgh: circa 30K, Netherland: circa 38.5K, Brussels: circa 38.5K
Closing Date: Apply with CV, cover letter, and writing samples and/or portfolio before July 21st 2021
Candidates must have the right to work for UK or EU at the time of application.
About the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance
The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (ZFRA) is a multi-sectoral partnership focusing on finding practical ways to help communities in developed and developing countries strengthen their resilience to flood risk. It includes nine organisations from the public and private sectors with a shared vision that floods should have no impact on people’s or businesses’ ability to thrive. The Alliance works collaboratively to advance three main objectives: increased investment, improved policy, and improved practice for flood resilience.
ZFRA works at multiple levels. We work in communities vulnerable to floods to identify and support interventions that would make them more resilient to floods, but we also generate research, both learning from the programmes and wider research into the impact of flooding and climate hazards and the key drivers of resilience. We build on our programmes and research to advocate at the national and global level to shape policies, funding and practice to improve communities’ resilience to flooding.
This role would be based with Mercy Corps who lead the advocacy workstream, but work closely with all ZFRA members and workstreams. (More details of the Alliance can be found here: www.floodresilience.net)
The Role
Media and communications play a key role in how we influence, ensuring that key audiences and decision makers are aware of the evidence we generate and our key messages, and help us generate support for our asks (for example by building public awareness of the impact of flooding and the gaps in response). Through our communications activities, we also ensure that all our audience groups, including donors, national governments, communities, and potential partners are kept up-to-date of developments in the work of the Alliance. We also aim to ensure that the Alliance is accurately and clearly represented across a range of external channels.
The Media and Communications Officer will support the overall profile raising and influence objectives of the ZFRA by both delivering highly effective media and communications and supporting ZFRA members to do so.
The successful candidate will not only have the right experience on paper but also be the right personal ‘fit’; someone compassionate and collaborative, ready to work across Alliance members for an important common objective of helping vulnerable communities adapt to the climate emergency. We’re looking for someone with a strong media and communications background who has experience of working across multistakeholder partnerships. The post holder will be creative, curious, organised and enthusiastic.
Essential Job Responsibilities
The Media and Communications Officer will support the objectives of ZFRA through:
● Using the media and communications strategy to build awareness of the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and the need for investment in adaptation and resilience. This should include targeted strategic communications and media work around key events – including major policy moments or climate events;
● Amplifying research and policy analysis: Targeted strategic communications and media work to build awareness and uptake of ZFRA research and knowledge findings, policy analysis and asks among key policy makers and influencers.
● Amplifying learning and practice insights and recommendations: Supporting dissemination and uptake of ZFRA research and knowledge findings and practice recommendations among practitioners.
● Developing engaging content tailored by audience and channel to raise awareness of the impact of climate change, the need for investment in adaptation, and the work of the Alliance and ensure clear consistent messaging about the work of the Alliance across channels (including ZFRA partners’ own channels) to build trust and credibility in its work.
● Developing a crisis communications strategy to deal with any crises within ZFRA or it’s members.
Each of these areas of responsibility will include a combination of communications/media delivered by the Media and Communications officer in the name of ZFRA, and providing coordination and support to ensure all ZFRA partners (senior staff and spokespeople; media and comms teams) are well prepared to do the same. This could include provision of content or key messages, media advice, training and support, or coordination of efforts across ZFRA partners.
In addition the role will manage the monitoring of press coverage, undertake media scans and analysis and provide regular reports to the Head of the Alliance and the Advocacy, Knowledge and Research Workstreams.
Supervisory Responsibility
none
Accountability
Reporting to Head of Advocacy Workstream, with dotted line to Chair of Alliance Management Team
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Knowledge and Experience
● At least three years of communications and media relations experience.
● Educated to degree level (or equivalent).
● Experience of working in an NGO, or in an agency working with NGO clients or other similar organisation essential
● Some experience of working in the field is desirable.
● Working knowledge of Vocus media relations database or similar desirable.
● Full proficiency with MS Office software (including Excel and PowerPoint), Sharepoint and GoogleDocs.
Success Factors
● Strong partnership and collaborative nature, able to mobilise and coordinate with multiple stakeholders with differing perspectives, cultures and priorities.
● Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
● A strong eye for detail.
● Multi-tasker, with excellent organisational skills.
● Able to build and maintain effective internal and external relationships. Strong team worker.
● Able to cope with changing priorities, often at short notice, and work well under pressure.
● Proactive and solutions-based attitude.
● High levels of motivation, professionalism and resilience.
● Skilled in translating complex concepts into accessible language.
● Skilled in anticipating and solving problems and communicating issues, involving others as needed.
● An exposure to and interest in international development issues specifically climate related issues is important, along with an empathy for MC’s mission.
The base of the position is flexible and could require some national and international travel.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short-term assignment or trip to country offices. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Mercy Corps locations.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
How to apply
Apply with CV, cover letter, and writing samples and/or portfolio before July 21st 2021 at following link: