Global Water Partnership organisation (GWPO) is a global network established in 1996 to help countries translate into concerted action, the principles established at the conferences in Dublin (1991) and Rio (1992) on sustainable management of water resources. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, GWPO is an intergovernmental agency that manages the global network, mobilizes states and civil society to keep the issue of water resources management at the highest level possible as international, regional and national priorities.

GWP Eastern Africa was constituted in May 2003 by stakeholders to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels in the region. GWP Eastern Africa is currently composed of nine Country Water Partnerships (Burundi, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda) and counts over 200 partners operating in these Countries. GWPEA works with these country water partnerships to address water security issues and environmental challenges such as drought, floods, food insecurity, climate change and water insecurity. In line with GWP global thinking, GWP Eastern Africa and its partners strive to promote the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to foster the coordination, development and management of water resources for sustainable development. To achieve this, GWP Eastern Africa is implementing a number of programmes. These include; Enhancing Drought Resilience for Smallholder farmers and Pastoralists in the IGAD region (DRESS EA) project,  Water Climate Development and Gender Programme (WACDEP-G), Integrated Drought Management Programme in the Horn of Africa (IDMP HOA), Sustainable Development Goals 6.5.1 (SDG 6.5.1) and Enhancing Resilience of Communities to Climate Change through Catchment Based Integrated Management of Water and related resources in Uganda (EURECCCA).

GWPEA is interested in hiring a Communications Assistant to support in areas of media relations, documentations and social media of the GWPEA programmes. The programmes/projects include i.e., DRESS-EA, WACDEP-G, IDMP HOA, SDG and EURECCCA among others.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT ENROLMENT

The overall objective of the Communications Assistant will be to provide technical assistance in the area of Media Relations, documentation and social media for the Secretariat. Working closely with and reporting to the Development Communication Officer (DCO), he/she will be responsible for the following:

DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

1. Strategy Development and Implementation

• Support to ensure that the GWP Visual Brand policy is properly applied by the RWP and CWPs, and that the GWP brand and reputation is maintained and enhanced.
• Ensure that the visual brand policy of the partners is properly applied in projects reports and other documents
• Provide support in the production and dissemination of targeted information, communication and visibility products
• Provide support in programme/project events, including communication to stakeholders and reporting during workshops, meetings and other related activities

2. Communications Management

• Support to develop, write, and edit public awareness material on the programmes/projects and its activities, including press releases, publications, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, etc. This includes for all GWPEA current and upcoming projects. The current projects include; DRESS-EA, WACDEP-G, IDMP HOA, SDG and EURECCCA among others.
• Ensure that projects publication activities, including content management, norms for publishing and design are properly represented.
• Develop partnerships with journalists and media to promote media visibility
• Support the Development Communications Officer to maintain and update the GWPEA website and the regional material on the GWP website
• Support CWP publications and websites ensuring consistent use of the Visual Brand policy.
• Support in facilitation of GWPEA RWP’s presence at events and ensure that exhibition stand, and material properly reflect the Region’s reputation
• Support the DCO in the role of maintenance of electronic mailing distribution lists of stakeholders and members
• Support in addressing responses and requests from media experts and speakers on a wide variety of subjects/issues on GWPEA projects
• Support in organising press conferences press briefings and media coverage
• Seek for media opportunities that GWPEA can utlise to disseminate information
• Enhance regular media monitoring and content analysis – daily tracking of media coverage (such as use of press releases, coverage of GWPEA issues in the media, compilation of frequent factual errors, etc)
• Identify and develop a list of key media outlets in the RWP, in terms of listenership, viewership, readership, circulation and credibility

3. Documentation Knowledge building, information sharing/dissemination

• Support in documentation of projects activities, practices, lessons learned and success stories – in reports, newsletters, brochures, briefs, photos albums and align the material with project development partners e.g., AF, GCF, GEF, EU, DFID etc.
• Provide support during communications with partners on projects and programmes- via appropriate mediums, such as regional newsletter and social media channels
• Support in the organization of relevant training and coordination of teams and various stakeholders in the region
• Use all possible media tools for communication- such as social media
• Support the DCO in preparation of the content for the web sites ensuring consistency and appropriateness of the materials
• Keeps abreast and disseminates information on the status and progress of the development
• The CWPs and national programme coordinators

4. Social Media

• Support to maintain GWPEA social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flicker
• Support in facilitating the internet- based discussion board
• Provide support to GWPEA staff in the use of social media
• Support to develop content for and provide regular updates on the different social media platforms/channels
• In consultation with Development Communication Officer and other staff, respond to comments and inquiries for additional information on the social media platforms
• Support in monitoring on-line traffic to assess and analyse GWPEA social media platforms and document good practices (on a quarterly basis)
• Support Organisation and implementation of social media campaigns to raise traffic and awareness (e.g., competitions on issues/topics relevant to GWP work
• Support on-site communication coverage to GWPEA events with near real-time posting of news, press releases, blogs, social media entries, etc
• Maintain photo and video repository for efficient referencing

REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS (SUPERVISION AND COLLABORATION)

The Communications Assistant will work under the supervision of the Development Communications Officer with overall guidance from the Project Manager.

TIME SCHEDULE

Duration of the Communications Assistant enrollment and engagement with GWPEA shall be from August 2021 to December 2022 with a 3 months probabtionary period. The period may be extended based on performance and availability of funds.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

The Communications Assistant is expected to meet the following criteria:

• The Communications Assistant should have a minimum of a bachelors degree in any of the following fields: Mass Communication, Media Relations or Journalism or any related field. A post- graduate qualification is an added advantage
• At least three years of proven experience in media relations and use of social media platforms as a tool for development communication and/or mass mobilization
• Clear verbal and written communication skills
• Proven ability to sell stories to journalists
• Ability to work in a multi-task and multi-deadline environment
• Ability to distil clear messages from technical documents understand broad development issues (e.g. water resources, climate, integrated approaches, related fields)
• Have excellent experience in using computers and its applications i.e., internet, MS office software etc.
• Ability to regularly monitor the various media outlets
• Ability to maintain concentration as work is subject to frequent interruptions
• Fluent in written and oral communication in English. Potential capability to write clear reports with good use of illustrative graphics and good presentation skills. Knowledge of French is an advantage
• Have the ability to work well in multi-cultural teams and to work under tight deadlines.
• The Communications Assistant should be below 35 years of age at time of applying.

COMPETENCES

• Strong analytical skills, excellent organizational, communication and writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to write technical information coherently and concisely.
• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to communities and stakeholder engagement