Communications Officer

TITLE:                                   Communications Officer (National Position)

PROJECT:                           United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Laos Counter-Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) Project

LOCATION:                         USAID Laos CTIP Office in Vientiane Capital (with some flexibility to work remotely and travel to the field)

REPORTS TO:                    Deputy Chief of Party of USAID Laos CTIP Project

POSITION SUMMARY:

Winrock International implements USAID Laos Counter Trafficking in Persons (Laos CTIP) Project to reduce the vulnerability to human trafficking among target populations in Lao PDR by supporting prevention of human trafficking through advocacy, institutional capacity building at different levels, and empowerment of at-risk populations; and protection of TIP survivors and at-risk populations by strengthening the service provisions since 2017. Laos CTIP will continue to implement the project until mid-2027.

Laos CTIP Project seeks a Communications Officer to manage overall communications related activities and support developing and implementing the Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) to cater for the project’s target audience, ensuring the compliance with USAID’s rules and communications strategy.

Detailed duties for this position are described below.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Develop an annual communication workplan for Laos CTIP and ensure its implementation in collaboration with the Laos CTIP project team, sub-implementing partners (sub-IPs), and USAID Laos;
• Oversee all Laos CTIP Project and Sub-IP communications and communications-related activities. Liaise with home office, Asia CTIP, and USAID to ensure that the project complies with USAID’s procedures and communication strategy.
• Draft and edit press releases, newsletters, activity articles, communication pieces for USAID, Facebook posts, speeches in Lao and English (with the support of the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), and other communication pieces for upcoming events, meetings, workshops, and other activities as needed;
• Create and manage USAID Laos CTIP Project’s Facebook page in collaboration with USAID’s Communications Officer and Agreement Officer Representative (AOR)
• Draft/support drafting the quarterly and annual reports;
• Manage the communications work for sub-IPs under the Laos CTIP, ensuring the quality and timely delivery of the information, education, and communication (IEC) materials, including posters, booklets, animation, and video clip;
• Support project technical specialists and GOL for development, revision, and distribution of the IEC/event materials in collaborated with the stakeholders of Government of Laos (GoL) including the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism (MICT) based on the agreed timeframe;
• Take or obtain (through contract work or team members) quality photos, videos, and stories to show the results and impact of Laos CTIP’s work. Ensure that project staff and sub-IPs obtain signed copies of Winrock’s consent form from each project beneficiary appearing in a photo, video, or story, and save in the specific folder;
• Build consistent relationships with relevant media outlets and journalists to promote, advocate for, and raise awareness of CTIP more broadly. Coordinate, follow-up with, and invite them to project and CTIP events ensuring that they are provided with key information in advance;
• Create a functional document template with project branding and Winrock and USAID marking;
• Work in close coordination with USAID’s Communications Officer and Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) as necessary and update them with the event/activity calendar monthly;
• Travel to target provinces periodically to capture the impact of the projects and write impact stories;
• Support project events and awareness-raising campaigns to promote TIP prevention widely.
• Support Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Specialist developing and implementing the SBCC strategy and developing and disseminating SBCC products and tools; and
• Work as team-work and support other team members where activities are linked and need support based on needed and priority.
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS and BACKGROUNDS:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, media, English, international development, social science, or other relevant fields;

Work Experience and Skills:

• At least three years of work experience in communications, advocacy, media, journalism or PR role, in the international setting, ideally in NGO;
• Experience in working with media, capacity building and strategic communications and campaigns including on a social media platform;
• Experience engaging in SBCC campaigns highly desired;
• Experience engaging with governments and multi-cultural stakeholders;
• Excellent communication and outreach skills;
• Strong oral and written communication skills in Lao and English languages.
• Experience writing documents such as press release, newsletters, speeches, and articles, and translating between English and Lao;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Good command of computer skills including MS Office software (excel, word, outlook, power point), Adobe, and social media tools in a professional context;
• Ability to work independently;
• Experience with graphic design, filming, and developing short video is desirable.
• Experience in working with at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking is desirable.

HOW TO APPLY:

Qualified candidates should apply via e-mail to: LaosCTIPJobs@winrock.org, indicating only “Communication Officer” in the subject line, before the end of Monday, October 29, 2024. The e-mail should contain your CV, cover letter, and three professional references. Winrock will only contact candidates qualified for the position.