Communications Consultant at General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF)

The General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF), is an independent and non-partisan Foundation, named after the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) ofNigeria, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru (LGIA), who passed away on the 21st May2021, while on active duty in the service of Nigeria. The Foundation is set up to perpetuatethe leadership ideals and qualities LGIA embodied, both as a military service leader and in his personal life as a man of integrity, generosity as well as kindness of heart, as expressed in the various ways he helped fellow Nigerians. The key thematic areas of the Foundation are: strategic leadership; peacebuilding, reconstruction and rehabilitation; human, environmental, and socilal development; mental health and psycho-social support; as well as research, and defence advocacy.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Communications Consultant

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Duration of the Assignment: Twelve (12) weeks

Background

A non-governmental organization with head office in Abuja, that focuses on Leadership, Peacebuilding and Socio-economic empowerment of less privileged groups, which has projects in few states in North West Nigeria, is interested in engaging the services of a Communications Consultant.
The objectives of the Consultancy are: to ensure visibility for the organization; to create awareness around upcoming event(s); and to ensure the active participation as well as attract interest of the public to the activities of the Foundation.

Job Description

In this regard, the organization wishes to engage the services of a Communications Consultant for a period of twelve (12) weeks to develop contents, guidelines, media, as well as generic communications and outreach materials for implementation of a Communications Strategy for the Foundation.

Under the general guidance and supervision of the Management Team, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Communications and Outreach Strategy:

Develop a Communications Strategy and workplan for the Foundation to guide all communications, media, events and outreach efforts;
Embark on a field visit to Dambatta LGA in Kano State and Funtua LGA in Katsina to interview project beneficiaries for the purpose of developing a high quality short (5-10 minutes) video clip showcasing the organization’s projects and highlighting success stories from beneficiaries in the two communities;
Implement the day-to-day running of the Foundation’s Communications and Outreach Strategy – including online presence – to enhance public awareness and generate support for the organization’s activities during the duration on the consultancy.
On the basis of the implementation of the annual workplan for the organization, liaise with the Management team to develop event specific communication plans;
Aside from giving visibility to planned events and activities, the communication plans must aim to generate interest and stimulate conversations among key stakeholders before, during, and after events, as well as throughout the duration of the consultancy.

Social Media Outreach:

Utilize the organization’s existing social media and website channels to reach out to online community and regularly inform them about ongoing events and activities as well as engage them to dialogue on various thematic interventions with the aim of making them to actively participate in the organization’s activities;
Promote discourse on upcoming events through social media spaces such as blogs and build an active brand ambassador network, to scale-‐up and ensure wider outreach and impact of upcoming event(s);
Set key indicators and benchmarks to measure the impact of social media outreach efforts around upcoming event(s) and generally;
Monitor trends on social media channels, and provide regular and timely feedback on insights gained to the organization, in order to evolve their strategies accordingly.

Communication Products:

Production of a high-quality short video clip showcasing projects and success stories of beneficiaries of the organization’s projects;
Implement the branding strategy and manage the public image of the organization;
Recommend and develop contents and materials in relation to all the facets of an upcoming event, including drafting opinion pieces, position statements, Media Monitoring:
Utilize existing software to monitor media coverage on a daily basis;
Establish mechanisms for liaising with relevant focal persons to track status of locally hosted events as well as media coverage;
Prepare a weekly report to the organization’s management, analyzing the quality and depth of coverage, frequency as well as all media engagements (press briefings, visits etc.) related to the upcoming event(s);
Based on the media analysis, make recommendations to the management committee and identify opportunities and potential stories to pitch to the media in order to maximize opportunities for coverage around the organization’s events and activities.

Qualifications, Skills and Competencies

Graduate Level Degree or equivalent with 7 years of experience working in a communications environment preferably for reputable international organizations or newsrooms;
The incumbent would need to have strong writing skills, be diplomatic and be a quick thinker with the ability to answer questions put forward by the media honestly, yet in keeping with the organization’s policies;
In depth knowledge and awareness of the organization’s thematic areas, policies, strategies and have creative ideas on how to project a positive public image of the organization;
Proven experience in brand identity management including design experience;
Excellent attention to details;
Strong project management or organizational skills and a proven track record.
Knowledge of blogging ecosystem relevant to the organization’s thematic areas;
In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and theirrespective audience (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram etc.) and how theycan be deployed in different scenarios.
Proficiency in English and fluency in at least one local language in Nigeria. Knowledge of Hausa language is highly desirable.

Key Deliverables
Phase 1 (Week 1 – 3):

Detailed work plan
Event specific communication plans (to be disclosed)
Produce 5-10 Minutes high quality video clips, highlighting the Foundations projects and success stories from visits to Kano, and Katsina.
Communications Strategy for the Foundation
Standard Operating Procedures for media coordination

Phase 2 (Week 4 – 7):