National Communications Specialist

Role Purpose

Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence and injustice.

We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 75 years, and are now active in more than 80 countries.

The communication specialist is responsible for purpose driven communication for Plan International Poland and is someone with a demonstrable commitment to gender equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The communication specialist is responsible for the visibility, content creation and media relations for Plan International Poland.

The communication Specialist will work closely with Plan’s partner civil society organizations and other Plan International team members, including technical experts and programme managers to ensure a appropriate visibility of the activities implemented and supported by Plan International Poland.

Background

Since March 2022, Plan International has been responding to the escalation of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing humanitarian situation in Ukraine as well as in Moldova, Poland and Romania.. Plan International Eastern and Central Europe aims to move beyond the direct refugee crisis response through adopting a localised partner-led approach, scaling-up Plan International’s presence in the new response countries in the East and Central Europe through brokering long-term strategic partnerships to roll out Plan International’s flagship gender-transformative girls and youth-centred development programmes. These will tackle diversity, equality and inclusion, contributing significantly to Plan International’s global strategy ‘All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change’

Accountabilities

Communication Specialist Responsibilities

• Function as the communication focal point in Poland for Plan International Eastern and Central Europe and local partners, as well as occasionally liaising with National Organisations (NO) and Global Hub (GH) in collaboration with the Head of Policy, Advocacy & Communnications.
• Proactively identify opportunities to promote Plan International’s partner-led programs; Plan International’s research findings; as well as its global and regional policies, strategic areas, communication messages and advocacy recommendations. Produce a range of compelling human-interest girl, child and diverse youth-focused content such as case studies, eyewitness accounts, blogs, first-person accounts, images, audio, and video in collaboration the Poland Head of Mission and the Head of Policy, Advocacy & Communications
• Engage in the development of marketing materials demonstrating Plan International’s impact areas and unique value add which can be shared with existing and potential donors, as well as other key external stakeholders. Support and/or develop content gathering as per donor request
• Ensure brand visibility of Plan International where appropriate, in accordance with Plan International’s global brand guidance
• Ensure all produced content on Poland is available for everyone in the Plan International communications network to use by uploading all content in high resolution onto the global Media Bank
• Liaise with journalists/correspondents, manage media requests and provide spokespersons with briefing and talking points. Proactively develop relationships with journalists to increase media coverage over time.
• Ensure that child protection guidelines for content are strictly adhered to, including consent that is communicated to the local partners when they produce their own content.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
• Follow local news and share with the Head of Mission and the Head of Policy, Advocacy & Communications when there are appropriate media opportunities to promote Plan International’s messaging to support programming in-country and when activities funded by Plan International are being covered by the local media.

  Administrative Coordinator/Management Support Responsibilities

  • Manage planning and logistics of high-level media visits as well as NO/GH mission visits to Poland

    Key relationships

    • Head of Mission in Poland and Poland Programs Team
    • Plan International Poland partners
    • Head of Policy, Advocacy & Communications and other communications staff across Plan International East and Central EuropeOther External Stakeholders such as mainstream media, key social media account holders, and communication staff from other organisations

      Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

      Essential

      • Experience working in the not for profit sector or in a similar communications role or working in media
      • Degree in communications or another relevant field
      • Excellent verbal and writing skills in English with ability to quickly turn around complex information into strong messages and compelling content.
      • Track record of writing/editing news articles, features, picture stories, op-eds and press releases and developing vlogs and visual content.
      • Strong understanding of international humanitarian and development issues and rights-based work.