Head of Communications

Job description / Role

Kindly note that applicants with fluency in both Arabic and English will be considered.

Primary Relationships
- This position reports to the Executive Director.
- Within the MSF UAE office this position has primary working relationships with the Executive Director, the Head of Fundraising and staff of the fundraising and communications team and directly manages the Press Officer, Social Media Officer and Translation Specialist.
- Within MSF this position collaborates primarily with communications staff across the movement
- Outside MSF, the position coordinates, primarily with the media and service providers.

The Head of Communications will develop and implement strategies that will increase MSF’s visibility in the UAE and GCC and raise public awareness and financial support for MSF’s medical humanitarian work. This will include developing and implementing MSF UAE’s communication and online engagement strategy.

Responsible for creating, implementing and measuring the success of an integrated communications strategy, including a social media strategy, to achieve demonstrable increase in positive public awareness of MSF amongst UAE and GCC audiences and an increase in fundraising revenue year on year.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning and Strategy
- Write, implement, monitor and evaluate MSF UAE’s Annual Communications plan. Ensure objectives are fully integrated with the overall strategy for MSF UAE, and compliment fundraising initiatives.
- Work with the Executive Director to identify and represent MSF to key stakeholders in the Gulf
- Visit MSF filed projects to gather material to support MSF UAE’s communication, marketing and fundraising strategy

Communications
- Develop a media relations plan to maximize positive coverage of MSF’s work and values, and coverage of the issues of operational importance to MSF, and MSF’s role in high profile emergencies
- Monitor the external media environment in the Gulf, and provide context analysis and suggest editorial approaches
- Develop and manage the crisis communications policy and oversee its implementation when necessary
- Work with the Press officer and Social Media Officer to identify and pursue new audiences and outlets to pitch MSF messaging, materials and online awareness and fundraising campaigns
- Monitor, analyze and provide advice on Arabic social media content related to MSF
- Develop an integrated marketing plan for the MSF UAE office, with particular emphasis on an online strategy for communication, public engagement and fundraising
- Lead the public communications and marketing around campaigns, in print, broadcast media and online.
- Organize public events to raise awareness of MSF in the UAE and GCC, and amongst different target groups and audiences
- Manage the ongoing development of MSF UAE’s Arabic-English website, and maximize the use of web analytics to guide communication
- Manage high profile flagship campaigns that have significant potential in terms of raising visibility and funds

Staff Management
- Effectively line manage the Press Officer, Social Media officer and Translation Specialist ensuring that staff carry out their tasks and duties in line with their role requirements
- Ensure that staff receive appropriate development and training to enable them to perform in their roles including in the implementation of performance evaluations and adequate provision for staff personal development and trainings as relevant
- Recruit, train, supervise, support, develop, and guide qualified staff, including volunteers

Representation
- Communications point of contact within the movement
- Occasionally act as a spokesperson for MSF UAE

Budget
- Manage the communications budget
- Provide quarterly reviews of budget requirements to the Executive Director Other
- Proof read and edit communications in Arabic
- Provide support to international MSF communications where appropriate
- Collaborate with colleagues from other MSF-UAE departments to plan and implement MSF-UAE strategy to communicate key messages
- Contribute to the Department’s efforts to ensure that MSF UAE work, issues and requirements are clearly understood with the MSF movement
- Undertake other activities as may be required by the Executive Director

Requirements

- Fluency in Arabic and in English mandatory
- Experience in Management mandatory
- Graduate with relevant degree
- Minimum of 8-10 years in media relations, public relations or working in the Communications department of an NGO
- Demonstrable experience in developing and leading a successful national communications strategies
- Hands-on experience of press office work, including substantial understanding of, and contacts in, Gulf media
- Proven ability to communicate complex information in accessible, simple language (both verbal and written) to a variety of audiences
- Understanding of online media tools
- Good knowledge of world affairs and a demonstrable understanding of and commitment to humanitarian issues
- Strong organizational skills with experience of managing multiple tasks
- Flexible, can-do attitude and good team player – this role involves working very closely and collaboratively with colleagues in the UAE and other MSF staff in the region
- Ability to cope with stress, retain good humour and make sound ethical and personal judgements in order to deal with ambiguities and conflict
- Willingness to work evenings and weekends, as required

About the Company

MSF stands for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). MSF is one of the largest independent medical humanitarian organizations in the world, with projects located in 65 countries worldwide. MSF\'s work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics; the goal of MSF is to provide emergency care to people who are affected by armed conflicts, epidemics and natural or man-made disasters. MSF is impartial; MSF offers medical assistance to people caught in crisis regardless of their race, religion, gender or political affiliation. MSF is independent; ninety percent of MSF\'s overall funding comes from private sources, not governments. This funding structure leaves MSF teams on the ground free to define operational priorities with interventions based on needs alone, not on political, economic, religious or social agendas. MSF is neutral; the organization does not take sides in armed conflicts, provides care on the basis of needs alone, and pushes for increased independent access to victims of conflict as required under international humanitarian law. In carrying out humanitarian assistance, MSF also acts as witnesses and may speak out about the critical needs of the people we help. In doing so, we seek to alleviate human suffering, to protect life, and to ensure respect for human beings and their dignity. The objectives of MSF in the UAE are on the one hand, to raise awareness about the plight of populations living in crisis zones and create dialogue forums to interact with communities in the region and on the other hand, to seek private resources to support MSF independent activities worldwide.