Job Detail

The ICRC Afghanistan Background:
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization. Its exclusive humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC endeavors to alleviate suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

Purpose
The COM FO position is a focal person of communication activities under AFC Sub delegation AoR. S/he manages and coordinates with other departments (mainly protection, FAS and health) to implement communication activities as per the guidelines in Afghanistan. The COM FO assists the different departments in the implementation of the Sub delegation's strategy and programs, monitors and analyses the humanitarian situation in AFC regions. S/he also reports on the achievements of the Communication activities and prepares related plans of action in his AoR.

Main ​Responsibilities:

• Oversees implementation of the operational communications and community engagement activities in the AFC AoR.

• Conducts operational communications and community engagement activities in coordination with DHoSD, COM/KAB and other Communications colleagues as well as with relevant departments in AFC SD.

• Ensures that all activities are directly linked to the operational priorities of the sub-delegation and include dissemination to families, physical rehabilitation center staff and patients' relatives, first aid, beneficiaries of distributions, and community elders, among other interlocutors.
• With the support of the Opcom/CE officer in COM/KAB, ensure that all staff of the SD are aware of the ICRC external messages, and are trained on external communications according to their levels of interaction with beneficiaries, interlocutors, and the general public.
• Maintains regular contact with ARCS dissemination staff and volunteers at district, provincial and regional levels. In coordination with and the support of COM/KAB, provides coaching, support, and technical input for ARCS dissemination activities and provides feedback to COM/KAB. 
• Conducts media monitoring of local media with an emphasis on local print, radio and TV stations and websites and shares it on a daily basis with COM/KAB and AFC Management. 
• Conducts general and thematic environment scanning on issues relevant to the sub-delegation's operations, and which contribute to the sub-delegation's understanding of the security situation, the political trends, and the humanitarian environment in AFC AoR.
• Conducts stakeholder mapping of key target audiences, (e.g. religious scholars, community elders, etc), and keeps the mapping regularly updated. In coordination with DHoSD  and COM/KAB, produces plans of action regularly, based on operational priorities.
• Conducts networking with key civil society target audiences. Proposes creative ways of engaging with priority audiences (e.g. religious scholars, youth, etc.).
• Organizes ad hoc events (Iftars, round tables, seminars etc.)  with key target groups.
• Distributes dissemination material (such as calendars, Eid cards, operational updates and news releases) on a regular basis to interlocutors, (e.g. journalists, religious scholars, academics authorities, and other members of civil society).
• Interprets during dissemination sessions conducted by ICRC staff, if required.
• Translates reports and documents from English into Pashto and Dari and vice versa for use by Comm and/or AFC Management.
• Develop a network of local media contacts for the SD and in coordination and the support of COM/KAB work towards positioning the ICRC in AFC SD AoR. Under the supervision of the HoSD, DHoSD and COM/Kab, speaks to the media on behalf of the ICRC.
• Accompanies foreign media who visit the sub-delegation. Translates for them as required.
• Maintains the COM department's contact list of interlocutors, including media, authorities, religious circles, and others within civil society. Make sure these contacts are regularly updated and integrated into the sub-delegation's Master contact list.
• Registers the SD activities and actively proposes and prepares feature stories for the ICRC in Afghanistan online platforms (Website, Facebook, AV Newsroom, etc.)
• Keeps track, registers, and monitors all operational communications activities carried out at the SD level, including all operational and prevention departments (Health, Protection, EcoSec, WatHab, FAS)
• Is responsible for analysing and maintaining or improving the image, perception and reputation of the ICRC in AFC SD AoR.  ​

MANAGING of ICRC PUBLICATIONS and Tools

• Maintains dissemination stock and inventory
• Orders stock and update an inventory for AFC sub-delegation use from COM/KAB every four months (or additionally if there are emergency needs)
• Organizes distribution of stock for external and internal use, and keeps a record of what is dispatched
• Informs all staff of new publications / products when available in the sub-delegation
• Contributes to the discussion on cultural sensitivities with regard to publications
• Proposes the creation of tools, better adapted to the context

SUPPORT TO COOPERATION

• Maintains regular contacts with ARCS COM officers in regional and local branches.
• Makes regular field trips to follow up with the Operational Partnerships between ICRC and ARCS.
• Reports back to Cooperation Field Officer on all relevant information collected in the field
• Participates in workshops and meetings with Cooperation officers to review and discuss the progress of the ICRC Communications programme.
• Close cooperation with other ICRC departments involved in operational partnerships.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Ensures that the information boards in the sub-delegation and offices are updated with the latest communication materials.

In coordination with and the support of the KAB Opcom/CE Com Officer, ensure that all ICRC staff, including cooks, cleaners, security guards, drivers, field officers, and mobile staff understand the basic ICRC identity, key messages and are able to effectively communicate (Op Com and Com Engagement) with external interlocutors (beneficiaries, authorities, general public, arm carriers, etc), according to their level of interaction.