Communications Assistant – SSA 5, Dar es Salaam Country Office 1 at WFP February 2024, Jobs World Food Programme (WFP) Jobs in Tanzania. The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. According to the WFP, it provides food assistance to an average of 91.4 million people in 83 countries each year.
- JOB TITLE: Communication Assistant
- TYPE OF CONTRACT: SSA (L5)
- UNIT/DIVISION: Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA)
- DUTY STATION (City, Country): Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- DURATION: 11 Months
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) is a consortium of six agri-focused organization amongst them WFP, with a mission of making markets work better for smallholder farmers since 2016. Through a demand-led approach, FtMA works with local agricultural ecosystem players to sustainably improve farmer livelihoods whilst fostering commercial viability of value chain stakeholders. FtMA promotes the growth of viable smallholder facing business models through strategic and hands-on partnerships. FtMA is a convener and an open platform for agricultural private sector players. It coordinates the ecosystem, co-innovates products and services, and provides information management covering market access, access to finance, access to inputs and technology, and post-harvest handling and storage to overcome critical value chain bottlenecks in smallholder crop markets.
The strategic aim of FtMA is to increase incomes and resilience of smallholders through providing them access to commercially sustainable value chains.
FtMA seeks to build a network of commercially viable farmer service centers that provide last mile delivery of critical demand driven services by Smallholder farmers with the objective of directly linking smallholders into agricultural retail input networks that increases their access to reliable, cost-effective productivity-enhancing services, inputs, and technologies, such as improved seeds, fertilizers, Post-harvest Handling and Storage (PHHS) technologies, mechanization services, finance, while at the same time opening direct access to markets and long term off-takers. FtMA will establish strong linkages to reliable and open markets and create a new market pull – driving future small-scale farmers’ development in addition to digitizing both the farmer and farmer service centers that can be either cooperatives, farmer organizations, private entrepreneurs, or agro dealers to increase transparency, efficiencies, and decision making in responding to the demand driven services required by smallholder farmers through access to reliable data to enhance farmer productivity. By creating new possibilities for innovation and modernization throughout the value chain, all stakeholders’ prospects of successfully investing in the future will be improved.
FtMA’s vision is to enable sustainable food systems through strengthened markets that empower smallholders to increase their yields, incomes, and resilience, and to improve global food security. This will be achieved by creating an inclusive commercial environment throughout the food value chains, supported by appropriate policies and investments in hard and soft infrastructures. There is developed a FtMA Business Plan for Tanzania that aims to provide quality technical assistance that aligns with FtMA’s objectives and compliments both public and private sector’s investments in developing viable, sustainable and robust agricultural value chains. WFP hosts the coordination of this comprehensive value chain intervention and is looking for an individual to push forward these efforts.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
1. Assist in the development of communication strategies and content for FtMA Tanzania.
2. Collect visual content and narratives through field visits (photos, videos, farmer stories) and assist in creating creative, high-quality content (posts, videos, images), visibility materials for all social media platforms to engage target audiences, build brand awareness and increase number of followers, write, and edit copy/scripts incorporating the FtMA voice and style and make translations as required.
3. Conduct weekly media monitoring and prepare reports as requested including documentation of best practices, testimonials, successes, and field experiences in line with the project key objectives.
4. Assist in providing timely information and content to be used in the production of FtMA Tanzania country briefs and presentations to promote and inform stakeholders including private sector partners about FtMA’s activities as well as coordinate the collection of relevant data from partners that is required to produce timely and accurate reports to donors and other relevant stakeholders.
5. Support the implementation and operationalization of the Farm to Market’s Alliance communication package, including social media messaging, articles, proposals, press releases, & media messages.
6. Work in close collaboration with counterparts to align activities and ensure a coherent approach to communications within FtMA Tanzania.
REPORTING
The incumbent will report to the FtMA Country Coordinator throughout the tenure, the staff will work in close coordination with global and country teams, and global alliance members.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:
1. Develop and operationalize the communication strategy for FtMA Tanzania.
2. Enhanced utilization of communication tools and products (video, audio, visual, written) within FtMA Tanzania for increased program visibility to external stakeholders.
3. Proposed and tested new channels for farmer service centres and implementing partners including social media pages, websites that enable and facilitate effective stakeholder engagement.
4. Film and disseminate documentaries about FtMA Tanzania Farmer Service Centre model incorporating the FtMA voice and style.
5. Develop FtMA Tanzania country briefs, newsletters, and media content.
6. Reviewed and updated project reports (monthly and quarterly).
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in one or more of the following disciplines: Mass Communications, Business administration, social sciences or a field relevant to agricultural value chain management.
Experience: At least five years of experience in Media and communication Fields, either in private sector enterprises or in non-profit value chain related projects, with a strong exposure to the private sector. Experience in drafting media documents and liaising with stakeholders from the private and public sector. Experience with relevant and/or other humanitarian/development organizations or in the commercial agriculture or media fraternity.
Knowledge & Skills:
• Resourcefulness, analytical, initiative, maturity of judgment and problem-solving skills. The ideal candidate for this position must be able to work independently, with minimal supervision as well as in a team-oriented environment.
• Strong relationship-management skills, with experience in coordinating between various stakeholders.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills, ability to follow up on pending tasks to ensure their completion in a timely manner.
• Excellent drafting, communication and presentations skills in English.
• Experience in compiling high quality documents; and/or liaising with legal counterparts in developing working documents. Editing experience in English desirable.
• Excellent analysis and computer skills, particularly in MS Office.
• Ability to work independently, establish priorities and monitor own work plan with minimum supervision in close coordination with the geographically diversified FtMA team.
• Solid operational skills including problem solving and project management skills, including ability to work and deliver projects proactively and under pressure.
Languages: Fluency (oral and written) in English and Swahili a must.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Only qualified Tanzanian candidates should apply for this position.
All the applications should be submitted through e-recruitment portal. Hand delivered applications will not be considered.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
The deadline for submitting the applications is 20 February 2024.
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
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