Communications Specialist in Talent Match

The USAID Harvest Activity supports grain and oilseed farmers, including those from underserved groups, to return production and income for target commodities to at least pre-war levels while improving production efficiency and profitability. The Activity will position farmers to market their crops more successfully and profitably in the war-affected context. Our target commodities include: barley, corn, soybean, sunflower, and wheat.   

Position Description:

The Communications Specialist will work with USAID Harvest Activity project staff to define the project’s overarching communications needs, including determination of audiences, messages, tools, and products. In addition, the Specialist will help define USAID Harvest Activity’s overall strategy and approach to impact reporting, success story generation, and knowledge-sharing.

Responsibilities

• Jointly, with the Strategic Communications Manager, develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy for Harvest Activity that will set content and quality standards for all project materials and outreach including identifying key target audiences and channels, preparing and disseminating core messages, results and successes.  

• Work with project management and other project team members to develop communications activities which support the implementation of their components.

• Integrate communications activities into annual work plans. 

• Design, manage, and oversee implementation of communications campaigns to support specific project components and/or partner agencies programs. 

• Organize media events including press conferences, TV/Radio programs, public discussions, opinion surveys, workshops for media representatives, and other presentations in conjunction with partner agencies. 

• Oversee audience research or knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies as necessary. 

• Prepare and oversee pre-testing of communications messages, materials, and programs to ensure the project reaches its strategic communications goals.

• Monitor the impact of public awareness/communications activities. 

• Help identify and manage primary contracts with the media and local communication production houses. 

• Support development and review of project publications.

• Develop, maintain and update USAID Harvest Activity’s social media accounts in line with USAID/Ukraine policies and procedures.

• Coordinate communications with USAID Harvest Activity partners (holiday greetings, etc.).

• In consultation with USAID and project staff, create project materials and templates as needed (project fact sheet, PowerPoint presentations, brochures).

• Review and ensure compliance of all project materials to USAID branding/marking guidelines. 

• Jointly with the Strategic Communications Manager, train all project staff in basic communications tools and skills, including effective presentations, building success story messages into everyday interactions, measuring and reporting on impact, capturing lessons learned and best practices. 

• Support the Senior MEL Manager to monitorthe impact of project communications activities.

• Take high quality photos during USAID Harvest Activity events and archive them to the SharePoint drive.

• Write and distribute media advisories, press releases, and other materials as requested by the media regarding project activities and events. 

• Attend USAID Harvest Activity's major events to ensure proper project visibility (banners, logos on materials) and to assist where needed. 

• Review and/or collect press-clippings to determine USAID Harvest Activity’s general visibility in the media and after major events. 

• Manage electronic and hard copy archives of all project communications materials.

• Perform other appropriate tasks as requested. 

Qualifications

• Degree in public relations, marketing or related field from a university in Ukraine.  

• At least three years of experience dealing with mass media and designing, delivering and evaluating communications products and campaigns. 

• Strong knowledge of Ukrainian media.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.

• Excellent writing and speaking skills in Ukrainian and English.  

• Understanding of USAID rules and regulations related to communication programs.

• Previous USAID or other international donor experience preferred.

• Prior experience working in agriculture sector and demonstrated understanding of key stakeholders (farmers, agribusinesses, government bodies, donors etc.) preferred 

Supervision and Reporting    

The Communications Specialist reports to and is directly supervised by the Learning and Communications Director or his/her designee.

Location    

This position is based in Kyiv, Ukraine.    

Level of Effort    

This assignment is full time and long-term employment. The assignment will begin upon receiving USAID approval.

Application deadline: December 18, 2024
Please note that we reserve the right to select a candidate before the deadline if a suitable candidate is found and the application process may close earlier.

If you are interested in this position, please send your CV and Cover letter to [email protected]

Please submit your resume in English as they will be reviewed by international colleagues.

Communications specialist

USAID Harvest Program helps farmers who grow grains and oil crops, including low-income groups, to restore production and incomes for the target types of products at least to the pre-war level. At the same time, the program promotes increased production efficiency and profitability, and also helps farmers sell their products more successfully and profitably in wartime conditions.

Position description:

The Communications Specialist will work with the USAID Harvest Project team to define the project's overall communications needs, including defining audiences, messages, tools, and products. In addition, the specialist will help define the overall strategy and approach of the USAID Harvest Project to reporting on impact, creating success stories and sharing knowledge.

Duties

• Together with the strategic communications manager, develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy for the Harvest Project, which will set content and quality standards for all project materials and external communications, including defining key target audiences and channels, preparation and dissemination of key messages, results and successes.

• Collaborate with project management and other project team members to develop communication activities that support the implementation of their components.

• Integrate communication activities into annual work plans.

• Develop, manage and monitor the implementation of communication campaigns to support individual project components and/or programs of partner agencies.

• Organize media events, including press conferences, television/radio programs, public discussions, public opinion polls, seminars for media representatives and other presentations together with partner agencies.

• Control audience research or awareness, attitude and practice (KAP) research as needed.

• Prepare and oversee pre-screening of communications messages, materials and programs to ensure the project achieves its strategic communications objectives.

• Monitor the impact of public awareness/communications activities.

• Assist in identifying and managing primary contracts with media and local communications production companies.

• Support development and revision of project publications.

• Develop, maintain and update USAID Harvest Project social media accounts in accordance with USAID/Ukraine policies and procedures.

• Coordinate communications with USAID Harvest Project partners (holiday greetings, etc.).

• In consultation with USAID and project members, create project materials and templates as needed (project newsletter, PowerPoint presentations, brochures).

• Review and ensure compliance of all project materials with USAID branding/marking instructions.

• Together with the Strategic Communications Manager, train all project staff in essential communication tools and skills, including effective presentations, embedding success story messages into day-to-day interactions, measuring and reporting impact, capturing lessons learned and best practices.

• Support senior MEL manager in Monitoring the impact of the project's communication activities.

• Take high-quality photos during USAID Harvest events and archive them on a SharePoint drive.

• Write and distribute media messages, press releases and other materials at the request of the media activities and activities of the project.

• Participate in the main activities of the USAID Harvest Project to ensure proper visibility of the project (banners, logos on materials) and to provide assistance where necessary.

• Review and/or collect press clippings to determine overall visibility of the USAID Harvest Project in the media and after major events.

• Manage electronic and paper archives of all project communication materials.

• Perform other relevant tasks as requested.

Qualifications

• Degree in public relations, marketing or related field from a university in Ukraine.

• Minimum three years of work experience with mass media and the development, delivery and evaluation of communication products and campaigns.

• Deep knowledge of Ukrainian mass media.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.

• High writing and speaking skills in Ukrainian and English.

• Understanding USAID rules and regulations related to communications programs.

• Preferred Previous experience working with USAID or other international organizations donors.

• Preferred experience in the agricultural sector and demonstrated understanding of key stakeholders (farmers, agribusiness, government agencies, etc.)

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The Communications Specialist reports to and is under the direct supervision of the Director of Learning and Communications or his/her designee.

Place of work

The position is based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Employment

This assignment is full-time and long-term employment. Work will begin upon receipt of USAID approval.

Application deadline: December 18, 2024
Please note that we reserve the right to select a candidate before the closing date if a suitable candidate is found, and the reception of resumes may close earlier.

If you are interested in this position, pleasesend your resume andcover letter at [email protected]

Please send your resume in English, as it will be reviewed by international colleagues.