Post Date: Mar 23, 2025

Closing Date: Mar 30, 2025

Reference: MSF-841

Number of Vacancies: 1

Salary Range: As per company salary scale

Years of Experience: 2 years

Probation Period: Not Specified

Contract Type: Short Term

Contract Duration: 3 month

Contract Extensible: No

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Gender: Any

About Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Doctors Without Borders) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural or man-made disasters to populations in danger in more than 70 countries.

Job Summary

MSF uses public communications to support its medical humanitarian action, to bear witness on the crises it works in, to make its work known to the public, and to secure and sustain public support for its social mission, including through fundraising and recruitment efforts.

The purpose of the field communications officer (FCO) is to implement communications strategies and activities in direct support of MSF’s medical humanitarian programmes and social mission. The focus of FCO activities is on content production and dissemination and on media management and monitoring.

Duties & Responsibilities

Content dissemination and engagement:

·          Produces content and oversees production of communications tools and digital tools for local digital channels

·          The FCO disseminates MSF content in the country, proactively pitches to media and uses existing MSF digital channels in the country and/or region as defined by the communications strategy.

·          If there is a social media officer (SMO) position in the country, then the FCO can act as back-up for the SMO using digital channels for community engagement and dissemination.

Media management:

·          Maintains regular relations with a wide array of media contacts across traditional and digital media outlets, including journalists, bloggers, photographers, producers, cameramen, and influencers, as relevant. This responsibility may be shared with other communications team members in the country.

·          Proactively pitch media and manages incoming media requests

·          Helps organise events such as press briefings or press conferences and helps organise and accompany media visits to MSF projects.

Produces content and oversees production of communications tools including for local digital channels:

·          Identifies appropriate communications tools for target audiences, collects material, and produces tools or adapts them to target audiences.

·          Supervises the production of communications tools (multimedia, leaflets, posters, radio spots, videos, photos, etc) by external providers in the country (designers, producers, translators, etc) according to strategy and budget, and keeps an updated list of external providers for MSF use.

·          Develops an understanding of the operational information used in MSF public communications (such as mortality, morbidity, # of patients vs # of consultations, etc) and its relevance to the crisis.

·          Follows MSF communications ethical guidelines in all materials directly collected and produced, such as on consent, on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and other relevant communications standards or guidelines.

Carries out digital and media monitoring:

·          Monitors relevant media and digital channels, to highlight significant trends, news, or reports relevant to MSF or the contextual environment to the Head(s) of Mission, Field Communications staff, humanitarian affairs staff and/or other operational staff (as relevant)

·          Collects preliminary insights into public narratives on issues of relevance to MSF.

·          Generates and updates reports on the local media and digital landscape, with support from other communications teams if needed (digital teams or other).

·          When needed manages digital media dashboards for real-time monitoring on issues of operational and reputational relevance.

Contributes to communications strategy and tactics:

·          Reports on the tangible outcomes of communications initiatives, like the extent of coverage and audience response, and suggests improvements.

·          Identifies opportunities to raise the visibility of underreported crises that MSF is seeing in the country.

·          Provides initial insights on the feasibility of communications tactics, such as related to media window, social media penetration, audiences’ reception, etc.

·          Offers advice on engaging with media and digital channels during crises.

Internal stakeholder engagement:

·          Helps to promote MSF communications principles, practices, and material towards MSF staff in the country.

·          Helps respond to incoming requests from the MSF communications network.

·          Liaises with MSF communications network for technical support, if needed, such as for AV editing, digital engagement, and monitoring.

Reporting:

·          Participates in communication data-collection and reporting to inform MSF teams of upcoming communications and past results.

·          Helps track/record all public communications initiatives carried out for institutional memory.

Job Requirements

Minimum Requirements and Competencies

Education

•       Essential: University degree in a relevant field such as journalism, communication, development, political science or international relations.

Experience

•       Essential: Previous working experience of at least 2 years in communications, journalism or public relations.

•       Desirable: Experience in NGO or international organisations specialised in humanitarian action, health or development.

•       Essential: Analytical capacity in media and social media management

Languages                            

•       Essential: Proficiency minimum B2 in English

•       Essential: Native or near native proficiency in both Dari and Pashto

•       Desirable: other languages

Knowledge

•       Media management

•       Active network of local/national journalists

•       Media and digital monitoring, disinformation

•       Production of communication tools

•       Written communication skills

•       AV producing skills are an asset (photo & video editing)

Competencies

•       Acts towards the fulfilment of MSF’s social mission

•       Demonstrates an integrating attitude

•       Understands other people’s stress

•       Identifies complex relationships

•       Plans actions geared towards achieving objectives

•       Works towards objectives, preserving established standards

•       Follows up, plans activities and sets priorities

•       Shares information and coordinates with team and/or others

•       Gives feedback and sets limits

•       Develops and diversifies networks

Submission Guideline

How to apply

1. Follow the below link OR scan the QR code to access the online job application survey. Candidates must fill in the survey in order to be considered for shortlisting: https://forms.office.com/e/KWrVxTrr0U

2, After completing the survey, send the following documents to email:

msf-afghanistan-recruitment@msf.org

1. CV and motivation letter in English

2. Relevant University Degree/certificates

3. Work Certificate related to this job.

4. National ID card both sides (this will be used for visitor authorization pass)

5. professional work references with their professional email address if possible (whom are NOT related to you)

The interested candidates must answer the online survey and submit their documents before 30^th of March 2025 at 4pm

**Only applications completing the online survey and sending supporting documents by email will be treated, We encourage women and individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply **

The reference FIELD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER must be stated in the email to be valid. If you do not clearly state the position for which you are applying & attach the required diploma & other supporting documents, your application may not be considered.

Only candidates who meet the essential criteria will be shortlisted and contacted.

MSF does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. All applications are free for all candidates and no one should require any payment or compensation during the recruitment process. May the candidate be asked for any fee, he/she must report to MSF Administration through the recruitment contact.

If you are selected to be part of the reserve pool, it means that MSF has validated you to be called in to work on a temporary basis, as needed. It does not guarantee that you will be offered a contract or a permanent position, even if such a position becomes available. A new recruitment can be done according to the current need.