STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST (SCS)
For the newly awarded USAID/ North Macedonia Strengthening Resource Mobilization program in North Macedonia, implemented by CARDNO, IDEAS DePo, SDC, CEA, and US small business Millennium Partners, we are seeking candidates for
Strategic Communications Specialist (SCS) position
18 February 2021
USAID/ North Macedonia Strengthening Resource Mobilization program is a five-year contract, awarded to Cardno Emerging Markets USA Ltd., to work with North Macedonia’s local governments to measurably increase municipal own-source resources and external funds and increase their budget execution rate in compliance with the Government of North Macedonia’s (GoNM) budgeting and reporting requirements. The Activity will work the local governments, the GoNM, and the key stakeholders to: 1) enhance the quality of municipal tax and fee collection systems; 2) increase Local Government Units (LGUs)’ capacity to access external resources from the national government or international organizations’ funds and/or capital markets and banks; 3) improve LGUs’ ability to plan, manage and implement public sector revenues in compliance with Government of North Macedonia’s regulations; and 4) enhance the decentralization process.
The Role
The Strategic Communications Specialist will work closely with the Chief of Party/ Deputy Chief of Party and the component leads and will be responsible for managing overall internal and external communication, production, design and delivery of project content, preparation of public outreach materials, maintaining the website, design of the materials, developing blog/post content, preparing reports, creating social media posts, tracking data analytics and maintaining digital media archives. The Strategic Communications Specialist will manage social media guidelines, to ensure coordinated, targeted and coherent communication with existing partners, prospects and external audiences in line with key messages across program various initiatives and action areas, and will liaise with media and handle requests for interviews, statements etc. He/she will prepare Newsletters, Reports and other outreach materials, such as flyers, brochures, power-point presentations, etc.
The Strategic Communications Specialist should have adequate familiarity with USAID’s Branding and Marking requirements and regulations. He/she will maintain frequent communication and coordination with USAID Communications Office.
The Strategic Communications Specialist position will be provided by subcontractor IDEAS DePo and will be embedded in the Project team and office in Skopje. Embedded employees will be required to adhere to Cardno and the program policies and procedures applicable to the employee’s project role and duties and will report to the Project Chief of Party or her designee for technical direction, as well as day-to-day management direction agreed with IDEAS DePo.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism or a related field is required (Master’s degree or higher would be considered an asset);
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in the field of public relations, communications, and/or journalism;
- Experience with USG/USAID funded programs and/or other international organizations’ programs with an accent on communication approaches;
- Demonstrated track record in writing, including speeches, press releases, internet content generation, newsletters, fact sheets, etc.;
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and ability to work independently and manage a high-volume workflow;
- Ability to create and maintain effective working relations with government personnel, stakeholders, NGO partners, and international donor agencies;
- Strong skills using MS Office tools; design, photo and video-editing software is an asset;
- Excellent oral and written English language communication skills.
Please apply by sending your CV and Cover Letter in English by 25 February 2021, 12:00 pm, on e-mail: info@ideasdepo.mk, with subject: Job application for SCS position