Communications Officer

BACKGROUND:

Right To Play is a global organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth affected by conflict, disease and poverty. Established in 2000, Right To Play has pioneered a unique play-based approach to learning and development which focuses on quality education, life skills, health, gender equality, child protection and building peaceful communities. With programming in over 15 countries, Right To Play transforms the lives of more than 2.3 million children each year using play and sports, both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to our work with children, Right To Play advocates with parents, local communities, and governments to advance the fundamental rights of all children. Right To Play is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Visit us at www.righttoplay.com

JOB SUMMARY:

 The Communications Officer reports directly to the Country Director (CD) in his/her respective country. He/she receives guidelines from the Marketing and Communications Team at Right To Play Headquarters. The Communications Officer is responsible for managing the communication plan and activities in the country of operation. He/she is expected to assist in enhancing the organization’s overall public image in the country. The incumbent works closely with the Program Manager, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer and the Training Officer.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Job Responsibility #1: Planning and compliance (35% of Time):

• Develops and implements an annual communications plan, in line with the country and regional office plan.
• Provides leadership for overall communications related to RTP in the respective country. 
• Ensures that all communications materials and messages are in-line with project grant agreements. 
• Conducts field visits to project sites and ensures proper dissemination of information for events and success stories. 
• Ensures proper documentation of communications materials. 
• Conducts ongoing review of the communications plan and communications components of country action and strategic plans to ensure compliance; identifies gap areas and recommends solutions. 
• Ensures RTP promotion of various International “Days” such as Child Day, Diabetes Day are in-line with national strategy and behavioral and social goals. 
• Facilitates relationship building with country and community opinion leaders and celebrities including Athlete Ambassadors/Supporters to endorse and disseminate behavior modification messages for social mobilization campaigns in region. 
• Ensures compliance with RTP brand book, Child Protection policy and other policies related to communications. 

Job Responsibility #2: Communication (35% of Time):

• Develops systems for effective and efficient communications and best practice sharing within the country office. 
• Develops a system to produce personal stories, quotes and photographs of Coaches and children in our programs; oversees photo archiving. 
• Develops informational and promotional material on RTP projects. 
• Trains country team on the value and usage of the brand. 
• Liaises with printing and design companies, edits design when required. 
• Oversees and approves all print proofs in the country before being printed including T-shirts and documents. 
• Acts as a focal point on the “play-space” intranet, where applicable. 

Job Responsibility #3: Media and public relations (25%):

• Develops and maintains relationships with country, and locally based media. 
• Closely monitors and tracks media coverage for RTP and sport for development in country. 
• Establishes contacts with media and writes media releases and success stories. 
• Conducts media development activities in country to build capacity of local media to advocate for the role of sport for development and the role sport can do in meeting development goals. 
• Promotes partnerships across the organization and beyond, and represents RTP on all relevant communications networks. 
• Accompanies and supports visitors to the country when delegated. 

• Works with the Country Office team to develop and implement media relations strategy for any high-profile visit to the country/region including preparing background materials and relevant packages. 

Job Responsibility #4: Perform Other Duties (5% of Time):

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EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism or any related field

EXPERIENCE:

3 years’ experience with I/NGO in the country of operation including media relations and developing communication plans and material.

COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

•  Excellent interpersonal and confidence using these in a cross cultural environment 
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal 
•  A solid team player with respect for others 
• Ability to understand and motivate others 
•  Proven ability in transferring knowledge and experience 
•  Adaptable with the ability to deal with stress 
•  Demonstrated professionalism and positive attitude 
•  Effective organization skills 

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

• Strong MS Office and the ability to use PowerPoint 
• Strong in using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator 
• Understanding of principles of inclusion in sport and play 

LANGUAGES

Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graphic design, photography, and printing experience 

• Demonstrable experience in networking 
• Understanding of human rights and social change issues 
• Experience working in child protection 

Employment Start Date: March 2020

Contract Duration: Undetermined 

Compensation: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package 

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to:

[email protected]  and kindly include “Position Name” and your name in the subject line. Please indicate your salary expectations in the cover letter.

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Right To Play provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements in order to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

We are a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory police record check as a condition of employment.

To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at www.righttoplay.com