Development & Communications Officer

Status: Extended vacancy announcement 

Job Title: Development & Communications Officer

Department: Development & Communications

Application Deadline: Saturday, June 19th, 2021 before 14:00 PM

Duty Station: Ramallah 

Type of Contract: Full-time

Languages Required: Arabic, English

Starting Date: June 2021

Expected Duration of Assignment: 12 months with possibility of extension.

General Framework:

The Palestinian Association for Empowerment and Local Development - REFORM is an independent, secular, non-partisan Palestinian NGO that strives for a society where everyone has the capacity to participate effectively, individual and collective rights are respected, and pluralism is ensured in an independent Palestinian state. REFORM adopts a strategy of sustainably empowering marginalised groups, in particular youth and women from hard-to-reach communities, through establishing safe acting platforms, encouraging community-led development processes and shaping a more inclusive governing system that is responsive to people's needs. In this way REFORM addresses various social fault lines and enhances the individual and collective abilities of women and youth, contributing to the formation of a fairer society where women and youth take a leading role in public life and governing bodies actively practice needs-based policy making.  

REFORM is seeking to contract an experienced communications/fundraising employee to support these efforts, in accordance with the following parameters:

General Duties: 

The employee is directly responsible, under the supervision of the General Manager, for overall management of internal and external communication (both online and in person), development of project proposals and partnership building. S/he also leads the continual development of the Association’s manuals, strategy, theory of change and staff development. The Officer will actively engage and oversee the development of all publications of the Association. 

Functional Tasks:

Fundraising/Proposal Writing/Donor Liaison 

• The Development and Communication Officer shall ensure that the organization secures its annual funds, according to its strategic plan.
• Reach out to new potential partners and donors (local and international), creating a database and noting progress made towards establishing these partnerships.
• Regularly check for calls for proposals that are in line with REFORM’s mandate and prepare the necessary concept note/needs assessment. 
• Collect information to prepare a full proposal, including but not limited to: Local Context, Project Description, Goals, Objectives, Activities, Log Frame (outputs, indicators, etc.). Consult Operations Officer and coordinators for activities.
• Provide a list of activities and work with Project Officer and Accountant to develop the project budget for the proposed project.
• Set up and conduct meetings with potential donors and partners, and setting up annual information sessions (at minimum). Keep files of meeting minutes properly archived.
• Keep informed on all possible opportunities to fundraise, including crowd funding and awards.

Media Monitoring

• Ensure all postings on social media and websites are in line with REFORM’s mandate.
• Supervise the Media and Advocacy Coordinator / Communications Assistant, ensuring all social media outlets are regularly updated and documents are translated.
• Ensure sharing of important events and announcements.
• Ensure staff does not post messages that are not in line with REFORM’s mandate on their personal accounts.
• Gather information any important developments in Palestinian society as well as research for development of proposals.
• Regularly check for calls for proposals from newspapers and other online agencies that relate to REFORM’s work.

Reporting and Management:

• Overall management of department, ensuring all employees are achieving their daily tasks.
• Participate in staff evaluation sessions as requested.
• Project coordinators shall submit quarterly progress reports and final reports to the communications department. The Development and Communications Officer must collect and review these narrative reports in a timely manner to ensure all necessary information is present, including information related to monitoring and evaluation. Translation may be necessary (or correcting English), with the support of the communications assistant. 
• Prepare and finalize the Association’s annual reports (in coordination with a designer), with support from the Media and Advocacy Coordinator/Communications Assistant. Please review previous annual reports to understand what is expected. (reform.ps/resources) 
• Maintain updated, accurate and well-organized files on public share, including but not limited to: social media passwords, donor network, status of submitted proposals, proposals and related annexes.
• Follow up closely on project contracts, ensuring communication and visibility guidelines are followed and all reporting due dates are committed to.

Other Duties:

• Represent the organization according to mandate.
• Participate and supervise the coordination of communication events.
• Participate in price analysis sessions as assigned, or in absence of Committee Members (Accountant, HTSU, purchasing employee).  
• Support in strategic planning, development of theory of change and capacity-building of staff.
• Other tasks related to the above-mentioned duties, requested by General Manager.

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Qualifications and required skills

Bachelor in Business Administration, Media, English, public administration or any related specialization.

Practical experience of not less than two years in proposal writing, fundraising or communications in an NGO/INGO.

Must be native in English, or at least very advanced (will be given an oral and written exam).

Knowledge of Arabic (oral and written) is an advantage, only if English is native.

Experience in public relations/ communications in similar organizations. 

Advanced computer skills.

Advanced capabilities of working within a team. 

Ability to withstand working pressure. 

Ability to prepare reports. 

Advanced skill in management.

Proven experience on archiving and preservation of files.

Knowledge of coordinating activities.

Advanced creative writing skills. 

The Development and Communications Officer is reporting directly to General Manager.

Apply instructions: 

Qualified candidates should send the following:

• An updated CV, please name the file (FullName_CV), including three professional references and a copy of any related experience certificates in English.
• A cover letter detailing their interest and qualifications for this position in English. Please name the file (FullName_CL).

To the following email addresses: [email protected]

Deadline for submitting applications is: Saturday, June 19th 2021, before 14:00 pm.

Notes: 

Please indicate the position title as "Development & Communications" in the email subject line. 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. 

CVs with photos or any other distinctive signs will not be considered.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not follow the instructions will not be considered.

REFORM is an equal opportunity employer.

Please only apply if you have documented professional experience in a similar role within a similar organization for two years or more