Communication Associate

1. Development and maintenance of programme related contacts
2. Communication of programme activities
3. Other duties and responsibilities
   

2.  Communication of programme activities

• Provide advice and support to drive the communication function of the programme.

• Under direct supervision of the Programme Manager and in collaboration with the team, formulate and execute a communication visibility plan.

• Support the delivery of programme communication activities including events, trainings, media briefings, etc.

• Support design, development and dissemination of communication outputs, for e.g factsheets, infographics, presentations, promotion materials etc,  inline with established guidelines, in liaison with the Programme Manager,  project team and other relevant stakeholders to share information about the project and results achieved thereby effectively communicating the objectives, achievements and impact of the programme.

• Prepare written and visual content for distribution to the press or other relevant channels, including articles, speeches, videos, brochures, newsletters and reports.

• Organize press conferences and press briefings and media facilitation for activities such as donor visits, field visits etc. as required.

• Follow local media for relevant content with focus on peacebuilding,  humanitarian and development related content.

• Support the development and facilitation of communication training for the programme partners, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders with focus on using programme related information in external communication materials.

• Assess the communication materials of partners that relate to UNOPS Sri Lanka Peace Building programme,  to ensure that programme information (for e.g, use of  name, logo, font, colour theme, placement, etc.) in partner communication materials are as per established standards and guidelines and are relevant to context.

• Support the development of ideas for new and innovative ways of communicating with the local and international stakeholders.

• Advice on cultural sensitivities in communication.

• Suggest stories and topics, and develop write ups for success stories and other related content  from the work of project partners in Sri Lanka for publication in local media and other channels.

• Prepare and manage visual and written content for the programme website, press and other relevant channels based on instructions from the Programme Manager and in coordination with team members, CSO partners and other stakeholders with due consideration to established communication and branding guidelines, applicable laws, rules and regulations.

• Support monitoring and evaluation of the impact of communications activities of the programme.

3. Other duties and responsibilities

• Support reporting and proposal writing, including content writing, editing, layout and publishing of periodic reports, proposals to different stakeholders and meet any other reporting requirements.

• Support the participation and/or representation of the programme at events, conferences, technical meetings, media briefings etc. as required, 

• Assist with interpretation at trainings/discussions/meetings and translation of documents in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages

• Join  programme  monitoring visits and donor field visits when required.

• High school diploma is required. 

• A university degree in communications, journalism, media studies, social studies, international relations or any other related field is desirable, but not required, and may substitute for some of the required years of experience

• Secondary education with a minimum of  6 years of relevant experience working in  communications is required OR a Bachelor degree with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in communications is considered equivalent.

• Previous working experience in communication with international not-for-profit organizations is an added advantage.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with attention to detail is preferred.

• Excellent IT skills, including working knowledge of  creative software applications (such as adobe creative cloud / Canva) is preferred.

• Cultural awareness and the ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people is  preferred.

• Excellent planning and coordination skills are required.

• Experience in social media management is an asset.

• Full working knowledge of English, Sinhala and Tamil are essential.