Jordan: Project Director / Humanitarian Liaison Officer
Location: Amman, Jordan
Description
Project Director / Humanitarian Liaison Officer - Jordan Humanitarian Information Service (HIS)
NOTE: this position will only be hired pending full receipt of funding. Anticipated Duration: 9 months. Start date is anticipated to be Feb 2013.
Background:
Working in partnership with a local media network, the Jordan Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) project aims to address communication gaps between refugee populations living in Jordan and humanitarian organisations by providing essential life-saving information that informs, protects, empowers, facilitates dialogue for target audiences of Syrian refugees, focusing on those moving in the Zaatari camps, but also those in urban areas. This project will also assist the humanitarian community to be more effective, transparent and accountable by enabling communities to better understand aid operations, access relief services and communicate with aid providers.
The project will train local reporters and soon-to-be reporters from both the refugee and host communities. The radio programme will be produced and broadcast in partnership with a local media network and Internews in Amman. The radio programme will then expand its coverage to other areas of interest, trying to foster community participation through mobile technology, social media and other innovative interventions.
Scope of Work: The Humanitarian Liaison Officer (HLO) will play a vital role in the implementation of this 9-months ground-breaking project in Amman, by reaching out to UNHCR, other UN agencies, and I/NGOs about how to best use media and the different types of programming available to best transmit their messages and, equally important, engage in 2-way communication with local communities. Specifically, the HLO will support the project in the following capacities:
• Developing, maintaining, and establishing excellent working relationships with a wide range of humanitarian organizations and government representatives. This aims at ensuring they understand the project, the role of the Internews and what the project has to offer them in their daily work, fostering regular participation and support to the project.
• Representing the coordination and liaison work of the project and actively participate in all relevant humanitarian coordination fora to identify critical information needs of camp and refugee populations in urban settings.
• Propose story ideas for production as required (e.g. sourcing stories and information from different stakeholders and assisting production team in arranging interviews; helping with the production when necessary; and arranging logistics and meetings/visits for the production team, as required).
• In coordination with the rest of the project, ensuring that feedback gained from project activities is made available to humanitarian organizations (i.e. brief presentations at coordination meetings and other relevant fora, etc.), and government officials, as required.
• In close coordination with the Humanitarian Journalism Advisor (HJA), liaise with relevant humanitarian agencies in the production of humanitarian news and information to disseminate important messages, news and information for affected communities (e.g. regarding food/water/shelter material distribution points, medical facilities and mobile media clinics, registration processes, announcements, etc.), as required.
• Coordinate with the HJA to ensure a smooth link between humanitarian activities and the production of humanitarian information.
• Interfacing between humanitarian organizations and local journalists and correspondents from the radio station to build trust and facilitate information exchange between them according to the project objectives.
• Ensuring the distribution of regular run-downs of HIS programmes via email and other means to all humanitarian stakeholders to strengthen the liaison role with humanitarians.
• Maintaining and updating a database with all the relevant contacts (i.e. spokespersons and focal points) from the different organizations and government departments involved in humanitarian response.
• Compiling regular situation reports on the outputs and activities of the coordination and liaison effort and the overall Internews response.
• Producing regular multimedia materials (i.e. blog posts, photos, podcasts, etc.) documenting the life of the project for external audiences, as required.
• Contributing to overall written program reporting, as required.
• Contributing to fundraising efforts including, but not limited, to PR/media exercises and proposal writing.
• Liaising with international media and promote the project Internews' work, as required.
• Any other duties as required.
Qualifications: • Fluency in spoken and written English; knowledge of Arabic an asset.
• Extensive experience working in relief operations in challenging environments, preferably in the Middle East.
• Very good working knowledge of the mandates and modalities of the international humanitarian sector. Experience in liaison will be an asset.
• Significant experience using media and communications in humanitarian contexts.
• Proven interpersonal and networking skills to liaise authoritatively with figures from the aid and donor communities and host governments.
• Sensitivity to cross-cultural dynamics in the work place.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team in a challenging and a highly fluid environment.
• An understanding of the vision/mission, core values and objectives of Internews.
• Understanding of and passion for the area of communications with disaster-affected communities.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills, both written and oral.
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of Ushahidi, FrontlineSMS, mobile technology and citizen journalism and familiarity with ways to leverage social media will be an asset.
• Psychological resilience and a sense of humor.
• Relevant university degree.
About Internews and Humanitarian Information:
Internews and Internews Europe share an objective to save lives and reduce suffering of disaster-affected communities. Working in partnership with local media and aid providers, Internews and Internews Europe aim to fulfill people's right to access information, ask questions, and participate in their own relief and recovery.
How to apply:
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