Communications Officer – OPT (National Post)

Communications Officer – OPT

Position: Communications Officer – Palestine

Location: Ramallah, Palestine

Application Deadline: 01.01.2023

Duration: Full-time

Start Date: As soon as possible

SPARK is looking for a Communications Officer to support SPARK in Palestine with its communication activities in the country. The Communications Officer will be responsible for the communications and visibility of all programmes (e.g. working with programmes financed by EU, Google.org/Udacity and others). The specific objective of these programmes is to contribute to increased resilience and poverty reduction of refugees and vulnerable members of the communities in Palestine through higher education, entrepreneurship and SME support.

The Communications Officer will produce and edit quality content for a range of SPARK communication channels, including press, the SPARK website, social media presence and newsletter that are designed to boost visibility of the programme activities, in line with donor and SPARK branding requirements. The candidate has excellent writing skills, the ability to write for different audiences and the ability to edit texts quickly and to a high standard. The candidate has excellent interpersonal and journalistic skills. Based at the Palestine office in Ramallah, the candidate will be required to travel regularly to locations throughout West bank, Gaza and Jerusalem

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

The responsibilities and tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Create and execute a communications strategy for the Google.org programme;
• Deliver the communications deliverables under the existing communications strategy for the EU programme;
• Produce and edit up-to-date written content for the SPARK website, newsletter and social media channels;
• Design promotion online and offline materials e.g. social media visuals, posters, banners, flyers, brochures, etc;
• Responsible for creating and managing networks with partners and donors, attend meetings and compose MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding);
• Report on activities and outreached youth according to the project requirements;
• Conduct interviews with programme participants and develop written stories and articles;
• Lead in creating promotional video production alongside filmmakers;
• Contribute to the enhancement of the SPARK website – update content, SEO, AdWords etc.;
• Support the organisation of programme and SPARK events;
• Lead in communication and PR on programme-related activities;
• Assist with internal communication deliverables;
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements and Skills

• Bachelor or Master’s degree, preferably in English, Media, Communications, Journalism or a field relevant to SPARK’s work;
• Proficient in Arabic and English languages (written and spoken);
• Proven graphic design skills in Adobe Creative Suite;
• Journalistic skills: not afraid of picking up the phone and giving someone a call;
• Social media knowledge and experience are essential;
• Familiarity with Google Drive/Docs/Analytics/SEO/Adwords etc.;
• Good communication and social skills and the ability to work in a multicultural setting;
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise;
• Ability to work independently;
• Eligible to work in Palestine.

SPARK Offers

• International and dynamic working experience;
• Opportunity to take initiative and realise your ideas;
• Full-time employment contract;
• Remuneration according to SPARK salary structure

How to apply?

Please apply through SPARK’s online application platform at https://vacancy.spark-online.org/Tab1/LoadProfileFromVacancy/486 and be prepared to provide two writing samples if selected for the first round of interviews. The deadline for application is 01.01.2023 Reference: Communications Officer Palestine.

All applications will be assessed on a rolling basis; interviews can therefore take place before the application deadline. However, due to the large volume of applications we receive, we cannot respond to every applicant individually. There may be a delay between the deadline and the moment we contact selected applicants.

If you have not received a reply we regret to inform you that we have continued with other candidates.

About SPARK

SPARK develops higher education and entrepreneurship to empower young, ambitious people to lead their fragile and conflict-affected societies into prosperity. SPARK is a dynamic and growing, international not-for-profit development organisation with 80+ staff members, in more than 14 offices around the world. SPARK supports refugees in the Middle-East by providing them with scholarships in universities and higher education institutions in the region. SPARK also supports young entrepreneurs in fragile states, to start or grow their own businesses.