Deadline: 30th August 2019
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) invites applications from suitably qualified nationals of African countries to fill the vacant position of Communication Officer in its pan-African Secretariat located in Dakar, Senegal. Recognised as the premier centre on the continent for the generation and dissemination of multidisciplinary social science and humanities knowledge, CODESRIA has, over the years, undergone an exponential growth in programmes, finances and membership. The Council is also undergoing a major reform process with a strong emphasis on exploiting ICT in scaling up all facets of its operations and management systems. Core to this reform process is a desire to move a large part of its operations online and ensure enhanced visibility. To these end, the Council is intent on recruiting a suitable communication officer to help realize the targets of this reform process.
Under the overall authority of the Executive Secretary, the Communication Officer will be expected to oversee CODESRIA’s communications strategy focusing on communications to members, partners and the social science community within Africa and the rest of the world. The Communication Officer will play a central role in enhancing the visibility of the Council’s intellectual activities by ensuring timely dissemination of information and research output in English and French and occasionally in Portuguese and Arabic. The ideal candidate should be able to think creatively and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. They should have the ability to conceptualise and develop innovative ways of engaging the CODESRIA intellectual community and partners and should have excellent oral and virtual communication skills.
The role
Reporting to the Executive Secretary, the successful candidate will have responsibility for developing communications outputs for the Council, including print, digital and audio-visual content. Specifically, the role will entail managing CODESRIA’s overall digital image (website, blogs, social media, etc.) and being the guardian of the Council’s institutional brand. The successful candidate will work alongside colleagues to support a wide range of CODESRIA activities and events, as well as contribute to forward planning and outreach communications.
This role involves interacting with project teams across the organization’s Programmes and with broader networks of CODESRIA Members, partners and the worldwide community of scholarship and policy. It also requires managing communication with external researchers contracted by the Council who are mostly required to prepare manuscripts for specific, time bound project
Qualifications and knowledge
- Bachelor’s degree or higher (preferably in Communications, Journalism or related fields) and a keen interest in issues touching on the intersection between research, knowledge production and policy engagement;
- Have a demonstrable interest in, or knowledge of, the social sciences and humanities, or the work of social science and humanities research organisations;
- At least 5 years’ experience in the role of digital communications and content creation;
- Excellent track record managing multiple social media channels and ability to follow trends in a fast-changing space;
- Web management experience including familiarity with a varied of relevant software;
- Experience in media relations and media outreach;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English or French; and working knowledge of the other would be an advantage;
- Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign software and HTML/CSS would be an added advantage; as well as skills in photography, including sourcing and selection of photography for online media and publications;
- Experience managing activities undertaken by external researchers, especially around design, photography and digital development
- Skills
- Excellent writing and storytelling skills in English or French and working knowledge of the other language;
- The ability to produce engaging written and visual content for different audiences
- Capacity to work productively and cooperatively and to contribute across different teams
- Social skills and ability to work in an international and multicultural context
- Flexible, “can-do” attitude and able to adapt to a constantly changing workflow
- Presentation skills
- Project management skills
- Being curious and open-minded so as to be able to keep abreast of trends in social science and humanities communications and to advise on digital issues
- Experience living or working internationally is a plus
The salary will be dependent on the experience and qualifications of the candidate.
Applications should be submitted by email by 30th August 2019 to:
The Executive Secretary
CODESRIA
Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop X Canal IV
P.O. Box 3304 CP 18524
Dakar, SENEGAL
E-mail: executive.secretary@codesria.org
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
CODESRIA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action workplace
