Position:                          Senior Communication Officer  

Term of Employment:   One year with a possibility of extension

Duty Station(s):             Addis Ababa

Required Number:         One

Application Deadline:   July 28, 2023

BACKGROUND:

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) is a strategy and delivery-oriented government Institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATI envisions to be the leading center of innovative solutions for the transformation of Ethiopian Agriculture by 2030.

The Institute focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyze agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate the development of high-priority commodity value chains in clearly defined geographic clusters, through the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) Initiative.

Our major activities include conducting strategic and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support, coordinating platforms to better integrate partners and projects, and designing and directly leading a number of implementation projects. Our headquarters are in Addis Ababa, and we have regional offices in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Sidama, South-West, and Tigray regional offices, allowing us to work closely with a wide range of public, private and development sector partners across the country.

Our Culture

We have an exceptional team of highly competent employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results.  Our culture is one where talented, dedicated, and adaptable individuals are committed to doing their best and exhibit great teamwork to achieve excellent results. 

At ATI, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the country’s agricultural sector.  We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, committed, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training.  We recognize our most valuable assets are our staff and are committed to providing our employees with the tools, training and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals.

Job Summary

The Senior Communications Officer will work within the Communications team, coordinating across all areas of communications to ensure the implementation of ATI’s communication strategies. Under the supervision of the Communication Director, the Senior Communication Officer will work on developing a communication strategy and verifying its proper execution, ensuring the cohesion of ATI’s narrative.  She/he is responsible for identifying stories and leads for storytelling and media pitches; developing content for print as well as digital platforms; creating communications campaigns and products that raise visibility among the public and media; managing multimedia libraries; coordinating specific communications activities and helping to ensure the smooth running of the Communications team’s activities, monitoring and reporting. By interacting regularly with program teams regarding activities and milestones of ATI, she/he will also be advising on overarching communication strategies.

Essential Duties  

•  Implement the ATI Communications Strategy working closely with other members of the Communications team.  

• Draft consistent and appropriate communications materials such as annual reports, brochures, newsletters, press releases, web stories and presentations for various target audiences, including ATI’s partners, government institutions, media agencies, and the public. 

• Lead or support the organization of events, such as project launches, field days, annual and bi-annual team meetings, and press conferences for priority projects or on an ad hoc basis. 

• Build and maintain relationships with communications/public relations teams at key partner institutions. 

• Work with priority project teams to assist their communications activities, particularly with regard to documentation, media engagement and story telling. 

• Develop and maintain an up-to-date contacts database of partners and donors. 

• Maintain and manage a database of key media houses and personnel, and ensure a pool of agriculture-reporting journalists is developed. 

• Facilitate media interviews with appropriate ATI staff. 

• Maintain and regularly update the ATI website and the ATI Hub. 

• Write, edit, and proofread Amharic documents, as needed. 

• Assist with the translation of organizational publications and documents from Amharic to English or vice versa, taking the lead in translation as needed or engaging an external translator as necessary. 

• Liaise with ATI program/project teams to remain abreast of progress and developments and maintain up-to-date information relevant for the production of communications materials. 

• Facilitate media interviews with appropriate ATI staff, and as needed, respond in writing to media inquiries after confirming with relevant technical teams. 

• Maintain and regularly update the ATI website. 

• Manage the regular dissemination of “the week ahead at ATI” to all ATI staff.  

• Manage the weekly highlight and updates from the ATI Hub.  

• Conduct media monitoring and report on any developments of concern or impact to ATI’s work.  

• Use regular and new media tools to strengthen ATI internal communication, such as creating and managing Telegram and/or Whatsapp groups.  

• Engage in other internal and external communication activities as assigned by the Communications Director or her/his designee. 

• Liaise with service providers such as consultants, external translators, photographers, and printing companies. 

• Take minutes at Communications team meetings and archive all meeting notes. 

• Track project timelines and develop plans to meet deadlines. 

• Manage the ATI Info and Communications team email accounts. 

• Handle any other related tasks as requested, shifting roles with other team members as the need arises.   

• Write, edit, and proofread Amharic documents, as needed. 

• Provide a wide variety of administrative support including complex calendar management, event planning, and other logistics such as assisting in procurement processes and acquiring office equipment and supplies for the team, 

• Assist in scheduling and planning for events, such as meetings, conferences, and presentations, which may include coordinating arrangements for participants, handling logistics, preparing and disseminating materials, and documentation. 

• Compile and process expense reports, reimbursements, and check requests, accurately and timely. 

• Support Communications Officers and Senior Graphic Designer & Web Specialists to maintain the ATI website and ATI Hub 

• Provide hands-on support – uploading and updating content – for the ATI website and ATI Hub, working closely with other members of the team.  

• Provide support to the Ministry of Agriculture on media production.

• Support the MoA-wide events such as high-level program launches, anniversaries as well as various workshops.

• Perform any other task as assigned by the Communications Director.  

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field of study with 6 years or 4 years of relevant experience respectively. Field of study in communications, public relations, journalism, international relations, business/marketing management, media relations, or other relevant field

• Experience in playing a crucial communication role in large organizations

• Extensive and demonstrable experience in written communication or content development, in both Amharic and English languages

• Ability to organize internal and external events, press releases, or other large communication events.

• Understanding of various communication platforms (website, social media platforms, etc.)

• Strong management skills for optimal allocation of resources for making progress against Communication goals and KPIs

• Collaborative attitude for working with Senior Management, other Directors, and teams

• Insightful thinking for proactive, evidence-based decision-making.

• Self-motivated team player with proven ability to contribute to organizational success at both strategic and operational levels.

• First-rate oral and written communication skills, and ability to shift smoothly between storytelling and structured technical communication to fit the audience

• Sophisticated stakeholder engagement skills with a successful track record dealing with government bodies, development agencies, media, and the general public

• Passion and talent for training, coaching, and capacity building

• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high performance, teamwork, accountability, and results.

• Strong set of personal values, including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service

• Experience in the agriculture and/or development sectors preferred.

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic.

How to Apply

 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter and (ii) a CV (maximum 5 pages) to  THIS LINK

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.