Grade: III
Vacancy issued: 13 July 2020
Deadline for Application: 03 August 2020
No. of Posts 1
Roma Education Fund (REF) is seeking a Communications Officer to join the project team in the implementation of the “Education, Employment, Partnerships and Gender Equality: A Winning Formula for Roma in VET”, project funded by Austrian Development Agency and implemented by REF.
Background
The Roma Education Fund’s (REF) mission and goal is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. To achieve this goal, the organization supports policies and programs which ensure access to quality education for Roma through scholarships, grant making, research and advocacy activities. The objectives of REF include:
- Expanding Romani children’s access to quality early childhood education and care;
- Improving primary education outcomes for Romani children aged six to fourteen;
- Boosting academic performance and graduation rates from secondary education for Romani pupils;
- Supporting access to tertiary education, improving graduation levels and strengthening identity of Romani university students;
- Expanding employment opportunities for young Romani adults
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction of Roma[*] in Albania and Kosovo through support of the vocational education and training, facilitation to labor market and empowering stakeholders to take measures to support transition of Roma to employment.
The activities and outputs are clustered into two main areas, reflecting the two specific outcomes:
- Education – increased access to vocational education for Roma youth and young adults, through scholarships, mentoring and tutoring and improving access to education and employment for Roma girls and women;
- Employability – improved employability for Roma youth and young adults, through job placements, professional development and partnerships of civil society, public and private sector institutions for Roma workforce inclusion aimed at influencing policy changes.
The project will focus on strengthening professional skills of REF scholars and other beneficiaries – vocational training, internships, professional skills development, cooperation and partnerships with employers. Wide range of vocational training (VET within the education institutions, such as high schools) and obtaining recognized certificates, paid professional internships in the public or private sector, additional education (conducted by accredited institutes, such as vocational courses), which includes scholarship and mentoring support will be provided.
Outline of the Position
This is a position open for the duration of the Project. The selected candidate will sign a fixed-term, part-time 25% contract, until the end of the Project (December 2022). The incumbent will be based in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Communications Officer supports the Project team (consisting of Project Manager, Project Assistant and Finance coordinator) in the visibility of the initiative, and will provide additional support to the REF H! Communications team. The Communications Officer also cooperates with the project partners in Albania and Kosovo.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develop creative multimedia products (e.g. print, electronic, audio, visual, etc ) to reach target stakeholders and audiences;
- Write press releases, op-eds, speeches;
- Website editing and uploading;
- Social media updates (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) and other media and information tools (REF blogs);
- Manage video and photography contracts and coordinate assignments;
- Press and public relations events organization (design, contractors, press and media monitoring);
- Some travel required.
Necessary Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree with 3 years of relevant professional experience;
- Outstanding English-language writing, verbal, and editing abilities;
- Strong understanding of social media;
- Microsoft Office;
- Effective writing (articles, press releases);
- Website administration;
- Knowledge on how to manage video and photography products/subcontractors will be considered a huge asset.
- Knowledge of emerging trends, best practices, key media organizations and networks active in the field relevant to media and communications will be considered a huge asset
Added value:
- Experience in working on Roma issues
- Knowledge of Romanes or language of project countries (Albanian, Serbian)
- Familiar with Adobe Creative Suite or other similar software.
Core competencies:
- Initiative: Actively seeks to improve programs or services; Seeks challenging experiences and approaches them with passion, enthusiasm and professionalism;
- Planning and Organization: Develops clear goals and achieves results that are consistent with agreed strategies; Adapts and reacts in a flexible manner when necessary;
- Communication: Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
- Teamwork: Works independently and collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals; Shares knowledge and insight with others;
- Ownership: Accepts personal responsibility (including shortcomings) and ownership of actions (including for work unit, where applicable) for achieving results; Understands organizational vision, mission and values, and leverages this knowledge when making decisions; Makes tough decisions when necessary;
- Development: Actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally and to contribute to the growth of the organization; Seeks feedback to learn and improve the organization;
In order to develop and deliver our education programs that provide quality, inclusive education for Roma children and youth, we believe in five core values that join us together and that mirror the work, actions and ideals of our organization and its culture:
- Tenacity; Integrity; Justice; Accountability; Inquisitiveness
How to apply
Qualified candidates are invited to send their Cover Letters and CV (both in English) by 3 August 2020 via email to recruitment@romaeducationfund.org with the subject line: Communications Officer. Incomplete applications, applications that are not submitted in English and those received after the application deadline will not be considered.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Selection process is based on a written test and competency-based interview.
Individuals identifying themselves as Roma and fulfilling the above-mentioned profile and requirements are particularly encouraged to apply. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.
Roma Education Fund is an equal opportunities employer.
[*] As it is most commonly used in European policy documents and discussions, the term “Roma” refers to a variety of groups who describe themselves not only as Roma but also as Gypsies, Travellers, Manouches, Ashkali, Egyptians, Sinti and other titles. This document will use this term as a convenient shorthand while recognizing the rich diversity of the people and cultures that it includes.
