Established in 2002, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) is a unique partnership between civil society and the chocolate industry, working together to improve the lives of children and to reduce child labour in cocoa-growing communities, as an integral part of cocoa sustainability efforts.

The ICI Secretariat is based in Geneva, with National offices in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan) and Ghana (Accra).

Job Summary

In order to boost its communications impact and increase its public visibility, the International Cocoa Initiative is looking to recruit a creative, dynamic, and experienced Communications Associate for its office in Accra, Ghana.

About Communications at ICI
The main goal of the Communications Department at ICI is to position the organisation as the leader in the field of child protection, and child-centred community development, in cocoa-growing communities. ICI’s communications activities are guided by its Strategic Objective to improve the awareness, knowledge, willingness and capacity of key stakeholders to take effective decisions that strengthen child protection.

About the Position
Under the supervision of the National Coordinator for Ghana and the expert guidance of the Head of Communications, the Communications Associate will be in charge of developing content for the website and other communications channels through the production of visual and written material that will enhance the positioning of ICI with its key stakeholders, so that Ghana is visible, respected, influential and able to harness financial and moral support for its efforts.  The incumbent will also be responsible for developing a strong media network with local and media journalists and provide general communications support.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

Media & Events

•   Build a network of trusted media contacts and help with the creation and maintenance of the media section of a new, centralised database for ICI.
•   Coordinate media requests, provide support and ad-hoc training to local staff on dealing with media, messaging and interviewing techniques.
•   Organise press-trips for target media.
•   Organise media and public events and support the National Coordinator both in the organisation of ICI events and in the participation of ICI in high-visibility events.

Social Media

•   Help build a social media strategy with local focus on Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire
•   Further develop and regularly update the existing LinkedIn presence.
•   Explore new ways to further enhance ICI’s presence online.
•   Help maintain and update ICI’s video collection on YouTube.
•   Help organise the photo library of ICI and develop an online ICI gallery, Flickr or similar, organising the photos in various streams.

Content Creation And Web Management

•   Work with the team in Ghana to identify the most interesting projects, events and news to profile, including photo stories, field stories and social media content.
•   Write and publish high-quality written material for the website and for Member’s newsletters and other channels of communication; upload all content to the website using the content management system Joomla.
•   Maintain the Ghana section of the website.

Video Production

•   Film, edit and organise videos; work with local producers to create engaging video and photo stories.
•   Catalogue the video footage.

General Communication

•   Filing, answering to public requests for information and promotional material.
•   Provide ad hoc support to the Head of Communications and the National Coordinator in matters related to raising the visibility of ICI.
•   Work in close collaboration with the Communications Associate in the office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Qualification Required & Experience

•   At least three years’ previous experience in a similar communications position.
•   University degree or equivalent in communications or other relevant field.
•   Outstanding writing and editing skills; strong attention to detail; ability to turn technical information into compelling stories.
•   Strong IT skills, including familiarity with video/photo editing software and web management systems.
•   Written and spoken fluency in English and preferably good knowledge of French.
•   Strong interpersonal and presentation skills. Confidence in interacting with ICI Members and Partners.
•   Commitment to continuous learning. Keeps abreast of new developments in own profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Qualified applicants should send their CV and Cover letter to:-

m.blewuada@cocoainitiative.org

Please send with the titles “<your name> cover letter” and “<your name> CV”. Please put “Communications Associate” in the email subject line

Closing Date: 31 January, 2015