Ukraine: Communications Officer

Brief description of programme:

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.

DRI has been present in Ukraine since September 2014. Together with the Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, DRIhas worked with major Ukrainian civic initiatives to provide systematic monitoring and reporting on the key political reforms. We are currently looking for a proactive Communications Officer to support the outreach and communication activities of our project in Ukraine. The aims of the project are (1) to provide Ukrainian and international public with regular firsthand reports and analyses of ongoing political reforms, feeding international standards and comparative practice into the reform discussions, and (2) to build capacities of regional and local civil society groups, youth organisations and students for monitoring, analysis and advocacy for reforms.

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Team Leader, Communications Officer will be responsible for the communication of project activities and outputs to the Ukrainian and international audiences, in particular:

• Develop and maintain media relations (developing media messages, writing press materials, drafting and editing comment pieces, developing and maintaining contacts with Kyiv-based and regional journalists).
• Contribute to the development of the project communication strategy and tools.
• Proactively contribute to DRI’s social media (Facebook, Twitter) on project-related themes.
• Write, develop and edit the project publications, including press releases, newsletters, op-eds, etc in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
• Maintain and update the distribution lists.
• Contribute to organisation of the project events, including press conferences and roundtables.
• Monitor the media coverage of relevant reform debates and provide regular concise reports to the Kyiv team and DRI HQ.
• Other ad hoc outreach activities, as agreed with the Team Leader and DRI HQ.

Qualifications/ experience:

• University degree in journalism, public relations, political science, international relations or related field.
• Minimum 2-3 years communications experience (including media relations and social media management).
• Experience working for a think tank, research organisation, or NGO desirable.
• Experience writing, editing, proof-reading and designing communication documents for subsequent distribution.
• Ability to analyse information from different sources and synthesise this information into coherent and brief communication documents.
• Advanced IT skills, including Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience in event organisation and management is an asset.
• Fluent in English, Ukrainian and Russian, proven excellent writing and editing skills in English, Ukrainian and Russian are an essential prerequisite.

Contract Period: 24 months (May 2016 – April 2018)

Start Date: May 2016

Closing date for applications: 17 April 2016 (midnight CET).

Interested applicants should send their applications (cover letter, CV and three contacts for references) in one pdf file to europe@democracy-reporting.orgincluding ‘Communications Officer – Ukraine’ in the subject line.

Due to the number of applications DRI typically receives only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.