Online Community Engagement Officer, Rooted in Trust Madagascar At Internews Network

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Rooted in Trust project works to combat COVID-19 rumors and misinformation in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Colombia, Brazil, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Yemen and Madagascar. We work to create impact at the local level and inform approaches to rumor management at the global level. The project is supported by a Global Technical Advisory team made up of media, humanitarian, data science and information management experts.

In Phase 1 of the project, we collected more than 19 thousand rumors in 14 languages and supported more than 30 local trusted information providers. In this critical phase of the pandemic, we will build on these efforts to listen and respond to the information challenges faced by vulnerable groups in humanitarian contexts, encouraging open dialogue between citizens and scientists and stronger and more collaborative partnerships between information providers (such as local media) and humanitarian and health sources.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Social Media Monitors play a central role in the Rooted in Trust. The Online Community Engagement Officer (OCEO) will engage online with individuals and groups in messaging apps, social media platforms and/or any other online channels that are used by the specific communities the project is catering. The OCEO will monitor social media platforms used by the target communities in Madagascar to identify and track misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Health concerns. The OCEO will collect feedback and commentary on the concerns, fears, and hopes that are behind the rumors that drive misinformation related to COVID-19 and health concerns.

They will respond to users engaging in messaging apps and posting rumor analysis content online, directing them towards trusted information sources, sharing verified information, asking prompting questions and promoting a two-way exchange that aims to fill information gaps and understand the drivers behind misinformation. They will contribute to the project to address misinformation with “news you can use” and work with the Internews team to understand why particular rumors are spreading within their community.

LOGISTICS

This is a fully remote consultancy, and all remote candidates will be considered. However, you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews. Additionally, there are locations in which Internews is not able to support fully remote work.

This is a short-term, full-time consultancy, with an anticipated start date of August 1, 2022 and anticipated end date of January 31, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates should apply soon.

Note: Hiring for this position is contingent upon receipt of funding.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams, and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

SCOPE OF WORK

• Social media mapping: Map the social media landscape of the target community for that country. This requires identifying and logging the spaces (groups, forums, pages, etc.) where the specific community interacts and engages in conversation. Additionally, this also involves identifying and logging common and key words that the community uses to talk about the COVID-19 Pandemic and health concerns.
• Social Media Listening: The OCEO will regularly monitor social media platforms highlighted in the mapping exercise to identify and record misinformation about COVID-19 and other urgent health issues. The OCEO will be trained to identify the theme and rank the potential community risk of the rumor content.
• Social Media Engagement: The OCEO will regularly respond to misinformation and rumor content that they identify on messaging app and online. They will be provided with training and support from Internews to identify which social media users or groups will respond well to engagement, and how to engage in a respectful two-way dialogue that connects users with quality information from trusted sources.
• Editorial Process: Provide input into the analysis of the rumor content by providing regular updates to the Internews team on recurrent or emerging topics and trends as well as help the team to understand differences in tone, context, source and intended audience for social media content.
• Monitoring: Track the effect of the program activities on the social media ecosystem about the pandemic.
• Training: Organize and facilitate a training of trainer on online community engagement for local implementing partners.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• Active social media user with a good understanding of the target communities preferred social media and messaging platforms
• Basic Microsoft Excel skills
• Native-level proficiency in French and/or Malagasy
• Good speaking, reading, writing skills and a good attention to detail
• Mature and open to learning advanced communication skills
• Good understanding of COVID-19, vaccines and or other health information

Preferred

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply

• Knowledge of or experience working in humanitarian programs, public health promotion or communications, advocacy, or community engagement
• Social science or other qualitative research skills
• Experience working in the media as a journalist, editor or fact checker
• Data visualization skills and knowledge of relevant software to produce infographics is a plus
• Self-motivated and able to work in a fast-paced environment
• Experience working with social media professionally and collecting social media data and using analytic tools
• Strong understanding of, and commitment towards editorial values of the project