Media and Communications Lead

MEDIA and Communications Lead

JOB DETAILS:

LOCATION: Jerusalem with flexibility CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed term – 1 year JOB FAMILY: Program ONE OXFAM GRADE: C Zone: 2

Department TEAM: Influencing

REPORTING TO : Advocacy and Media Manager

SALARY: within the salary scale

HOURS: (FTE) 40 hours / week (negotiable)

FLEXIBLE WORKING

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.

DEPARTMENT PURPOSE:

Achieving systemic change and impact using Oxfam’s presence at every level from local, to regional, to global, aligned with the vision of the global strategic framework: influencing and engaging audiences around the world through action and by generating financial support - to fight inequality to end poverty and injustice.

TEAM PURPOSE:
Lead the creation, organization and delivery of OPT global media and communications, influencing and campaigning products, strategies and approaches that inspire and engage internal and external audiences for systemic change, that support Oxfam’s OPT campaigns, advocacy, emergency-response and program work, and that build and protect our brand. This includes:

Ensuring that Oxfam’s influencing around the world including campaigns, advocacy, policy, research, communications, media, and digital work is of high quality, and achieves systemic change with an overall framing on inequality and gender, rights, and justice.
Leading, convening and managing Oxfam’s influencing work across the world on OPT. Working with countries, regions, and affiliates, consulting, co-creating, and setting the vision and direction of travel for Oxfam’s worldwide influencing work.
Embedding an integrated people-powered approach in all of Oxfam’s influencing work.
Enabling a strategic approach to working with allies and partners for influencing, ensuring co-creation, organisational humility, and support for partnerships and allyships.

JOB PURPOSE:
To provide strategic assertive leadership and delivery of international and national media in support of Oxfam in OPT priorities, including campaigns (inequality, climate justice and gender justice), advocacy and during humanitarian emergencies. To work with OI, MENA region and stakeholders across Oxfam to boost the organization’s public profile in national, regional and international media. To ensure that output is tightly integrated so that the media and communications team and other teams in the department are united in delivering high-quality content across all platforms.

ROLES REPORTING TO THIS JOB Media and Communications Officers
BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY NA
GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE OPT and globally
IMPACT Internal country team, OPTI and Oxfam confederation
External, Global
KEY STAKEHOLDERS Working closely with journalists, other international NGOs, Oxfam colleagues (across the globe), and partner organisations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and deliver (across all relevant media channels) high-quality international media plans and products (e.g., press releases, media reactions, Q&As, op-eds, talking points, etc.) in support of Oxfam’s OPT global priorities, including on campaigns, advocacy and humanitarian emergencies.
Provide support to ensure Oxfam’s media preparedness and response during OPT’s humanitarian emergencies is timely and in line with Oxfam’s ‘Humanitarian Media Protocol’ and delivered in close collaboration with media colleagues across the organisation.
Work with and provide strategic advice to senior leadership, influencing and programs colleagues to identify key moments for media opportunities and media risk.
Engage and develop productive relationships with journalists working on OPT in key regional and global media outlets including the international wires, and contribute to updating and expanding Oxfam’s journalist database.
Overall management and facilitation of all media materials that are issued by the country office – social media, publications, media, reports, brochures, ensuring correct sign off processes are followed and high quality, impactful products are created that are suitable for an international audience.
Working with the team to create compelling, creative, and engaging visual storytelling products to show the daily realities, and raise the voices, of Palestinians and manage sign off.
Work with influencing colleagues and the country team to identify and manage risk and advise on how to work with the media strategically.
Work with colleagues across OPT to gather newsworthy content and stories, in line with Oxfam’s content gathering guidelines.
Manage media requests from journalists and from media colleagues in Oxfam efficiently.
Work closely with colleagues across Oxfam to identify moments for media and communications work in their markets and advise and support on products and messaging.
Ensure donor requirements for projects are aligned with and promote the media and communication strategies.
Build and maintain Oxfam in OPT’s profile internally within Oxfam.
Train and brief Oxfam spokespeople.
Monitor and evaluate media coverage generated to improve coverage and quality of messaging.
Ensure protection of Oxfam’s brand, and adherence to procedures, protocols and policies, including guidelines for interviewing people in the communities where we work and documenting consent.
Build the capacity of Oxfam staff and partner organisations to produce high quality media and communications products and facilitate media interviews.
Where necessary engage with international media to raise global awareness of the situation for people in OPT including developing news and feature stories.
Line manage the media and communications team, including goal setting and workplans, personal development plans, and any follow-up on HR processes. Lead on and participate in recruitments as needed.
Lead and/or support technically and strategically, where appropriate, in the development and implementation of country office campaigns and potentially those of partners.
Potential management of small funds, and oversight of media/publication framework agreements.

Brand Management

Work with the Advocacy and Media Manager to manage brand and potential brand risks in Oxfam’s media work and lead any crisis communications response.
Liaise with program staff and other Oxfam offices to ensure proper brand management, ensuring proposals and activities are in line with Oxfam’s brand guidelines.
Contingency planning & emergency response:
Manage Oxfam’s media response to humanitarian crises, working with other stakeholders.
Contribute to Oxfam’s contingency planning from a media and communications perspective. In emergency peaks, coordinate the Oxfam media/comms response and take a leading role during organisational crises.
Proactively identify emerging issues and develop mitigation plans.

Strategic steer & coordination:

Coordinate with the wider Oxfam structure on advocacy, feeding in OPT information to global, regional and affiliate media and communications teams as needed.
Lead on building consensus among Oxfam affiliates on media work, and coordinating internal media sign-off process.
Contribute to Oxfam’s internal annual and/or quarterly planning and reporting.

CORE DIMENSIONS (see Standard Role Profiles)
Managing existing significant processes.
Resolve diverse problems with impact in defined area.
Problems are not repetitive, but not totally novel.
Occasional complex problems.
Recommendation and implementation of change processes.
Deals with a wide variety of information, which requires the post holder to analyse, interpret and check for errors.
Impacts also on other parts of affiliate.
Frequent internal/external negotiation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Most importantly, every individual in Oxfam needs to be able to:
Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):

1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.
2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES
ESSENTIAL
Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.
Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

In addition:

Proven track record working as a media officer, journalist, correspondent, in a busy press or public relations office, or of other relevant media experience at the national, regional or international level;
Experience covering or reporting conflicts or humanitarian emergencies; experience in covering the Middle East and the Occupied Palestinian Territory is desirable.
Experience in the field of media and communications in development and/or humanitarian advocacy, preferably in an INGO is desirable.
Bachelor (BA) or Degree from a recognised university/college in Media & Communications, Journalism, International relations, Business Management or any other related areas that can bring added value to the job is desirable.
Understanding of the Palestinian context and the media context and environment pertaining to the Occupation.
Experience in writing clear, compelling media products including press releases, media reactions, opinion pieces, Q&As, talking points, key messages, case studies, factsheets/briefings etc.
Experience in collecting human interest case studies, including taking photos and basic filming.
Experience in working creatively to identify and develop new ways to use media to share Oxfam’s key messages and amplify the voices of Palestinians.
Experience in producing and/or commissioning written and audio/visual media and communications materials and strong capacity to deliver these within short deadlines.
Experience in managing risk in sensitive situations and organisational reputation/issues management.
Experience in working with journalists and pitching media stories to top-tier outlets globally.
Understanding of the political situation in OPT, and humanitarian policy.
Good analytical and conceptual skills with a strategic perspective, ability to understand and synthesize complex issues and information from different sources and present it clearly and simply to a variety of audiences.
Experience in managing staff and supporting their development through coaching, training and an empowering management style.
Extremely strong interpersonal and negotiating skills, enjoys building and maintaining a wide range of relationships.
Strong organisational and planning skills with an understanding of how to plan, adjust and implement a strategy and capable of working independently.
High level of verbal and written communication skills, with an emphasis on a clear and direct, easy to read writing style and keen eye for detail.
Ability to work effectively and calmly in a high-pressure environment and to prioritise and manage assignments in a timely fashion.
Ability to work well in a collaborative team as well as remotely with global teams across different time zones and with cultural differences. Fluency in written and spoken English. Arabic, written and spoken, is desirable.

SAFER RECRUITMENT

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.