Specialist in Political Communications and Public Relations

GIZ- Internal/External Vacancy Announcement ‘‘#066/2024’

GIZ AU Office

Duty Station: Addis Ababa

Contract end date: 30.09.2026

Brief and attractive description of the project/ unit

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. As a public-benefit federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government – in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – and many public and private sector clients in achieving their objectives in international cooperation in around 120 countries.

 Since 2004, GIZ has been a reliable and trusted partner of the African Union (AU) to enhance inclusive growth and sustainable development on the African continent in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. With more than 200 staff, GIZ African Union cooperates with the AU Commission, as well as the AU’s specialised institutions and agencies, such as the Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD, at continental, regional and national level in more than 35 member states. Key areas of engagement include Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention, Governance and Migration, Sustainable Economic Growth and Employment, as well as Health and Social Development.

 The Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) is the prime forum for political dialogue and cooperation between Africa and Europe on energy. Through the Partnership, Africa and Europe work together to develop a shared vision and common paths towards developing sustainable energy sectors on both continents in a climate-compatible way. GIZ has been entrusted with hosting the Secretariat of the Partnership. The Secretariat works to ensure optimal communication, information sharing and alignment between European and African actors to advance bicontinental energy initiatives. The Junior Specialist will be based in Addis Ababa and work in a highly dynamic, politically framed setting with staff in Addis Ababa, Bonn, Brussels and Johannesburg

Core Tasks

•  In your role you work on all job orders within your remit and are the main contact for advising managers, other staff members and external partners on all issues in the thematic area. You provide advice on formulating and producing targeted and relevant PR content that is to be disseminated via various internal and external platforms in connection with the objectives of the country office.

• You clearly communicate the relevant requirements, conditions and restrictions regarding GIZ’s communications and PR strategy and your capacity to act, and ensure that these requirements are met.

• You coordinate the process for awarding contracts, agree and enter into contracts in accordance with the relevant legal, contractual, socio-political and corporate policy requirements and monitor the processing and fulfilment of those contracts.

• You also develop and implement the communication strategy and guidelines for internal and external communications that are produced by the divisions and projects in the respective country and ensure that they are up to date.

• In consultation with your team colleagues and line manager, you also coordinate all issues within your area of work and ensure that they are dealt with promptly and competently. You resolve problems that arise in your area of responsibility on the basis of existing rules and draw attention to more complex challenges in your team.

• You are involved in ongoing process development within your remit, are responsible for knowledge management and prepare and share documentation.

• You perform the tasks assigned to you by your line manager, where required.

 Main Activities 

The major task will be to support the AEEP Secretariat team in the day-to-day communications, public relations, and visibility activities. This entails:

• Support and maintain the AEEP website, social media account and quarterly AEEP newsletter

• Produce creative and high-quality press releases, presentations and standardised communication products

• Assist with tracking and monitoring communications and visibility activities

•  Assist with the organisation of meetings and events, including planning, logistics and outreach

• Support the organisation of the AEEP Forum and AEEP Energy Talks

• Support the team with selected stakeholder management workstreams

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Social or Political Sciences, Development Studies or similar

Professional experience 

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in communications and public relations, ideally in the context of an international organization

• Understanding of the historical and current political context of African-European relations

• Understanding of the role of energy in African development, international conventions and collaboration relating to climate change

Other knowledge, additional competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, tact and diplomacy required

•  Proficiency in social media and new media

•  Profound skills in MS office required (in particular, but not limited to Excel and PowerPoint, skills in editing and formatting are a strong asset).

•  Fluency in English; German and French skills are a strong advantage.

How To Apply

Application procedure:

Interested and qualified candidates shall submit their motivation letter along with their recent CV via Ethiojobs or Email: hreth@giz.de.

 Please make sure you mention the vacancy number and position title ‘Specialist in communication & public relation ‘#066/2024’ in the subject line of your email application.

 Please note that the job title will change to “Communication Specialist” during recruitment.

Applications without vacancy numbers in subject lines might be disqualified.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We encourage persons with disabilities to apply for the position. In case of equal qualification, persons with disabilities will be given preference.

 Applications from qualified women are encouraged.

“Please refer to our brochure to learn more about GIZ’s attractive benefit package.”