Job Description

PRESS OFFICER

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES / DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS UK

Application checklist

Please check you have included the following in your application email to :

CV:

Letter of motivation (LoM): 

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (please submit it in a separate document from your CV and LoM): 

Answers to the questions specified in the application pack: 

Recruitment timetable:

  • Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 20 October 2014
  • Interviews: 23-24 October 2014
  • Start date: ASAP

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS) UK

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Press Officer

Department: Communications

Hours: 40 hours full time

Reports to: Head of Communications

Responsible for: intern supervision

Location: London

Duration: 6 months fixed term contract with possible extension

Salary: £31,902 per annum

COMMUNICATIONSDEPARTMENT

The department’s purpose is to raise the profile of the organisation and its causes amongst British and international audiences via increasingly diverse media to support MSF’s advocacy, recruitment and fundraising activities.

The media has long been essential to MSF’s advocacy and fundraising, so our policy is one of openness and cooperation with the press. Increasingly we also communicate directly with the public through digital and public engagement activities. Communications staff are highly valued within the organisation and are expected to contribute actively to strategic and communication decisions. New technology involving web, audio-visual and other multimedia are central to our strategic vision.

The MSF UK Communications Department is made up of 12 permanent members of staff – head of communications, two press officers, features & documentaries manager, video/multimedia manager, editor/writer, creative content manager, public & policy engagement manager, public engagement officer, digital manager, digital and social media coordinator and a field blogging coordinator. We also have two full-time interns – one focusing on supporting the digital team and the other working with the press office.

The press officer will work very closely with all members of the comms team, but especially those other positions with direct media contact, particularly the other press officer, the video/multimedia manager (who acts as the TV press officer) and the head of communications. These four roles form an ad hoc ‘press team’ and share certain duties between them, including an out-of-hours on-call rota and media monitoring, and often cover for each other during holidays or when one member of the team is travelling.

The UK is a hub for communications internationally and MSF UK is expected to play a significant role in supporting communications ambitions for the whole of MSF.

JOB PURPOSE

To raise awareness of the work and concerns of MSF with core target audiences via coverage in UK and international radio, print and online media (TV is currently handled separately), with the aim of supporting the recruitment of UK field staff, the fulfilment of UK fundraising targets, and of increasing awareness of MSF’s work with regard to international humanitarian and medical issues.

Position in the organisation

  • Works very closely with the other press officer, as well as with other members of the communications team and the other departments in the office such as fundraising, HR, programmes and the Manson Unit
  • Liaises with field staff, colleagues in operational centres and other communications colleagues in the wider network
  • Supervisescommunications intern, jointly with the other press officer

Scope of job

  • Develops and implements, in collaboration with the head of communications and other members of the UK press team, a media plan to maximise positive coverage of MSF’s work and values, and related humanitarian and medical issues
  • Acts as one of the first points of contact for UK-based media enquiries, including 24-hour ‘on-call’ as part of press team rota
  • Coordinates the flow of news-based information between the international movement, the UK office and relevant media in the UK
  • Maintains (with volunteer support) and develops UK press office systems and structures
  • Provides support and consultancy services on media-related issues to the international MSF movement and disseminates relevant media coverage/information within the movement

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Media work 50%
  • Acts as one of the first points of contact for UK-based media enquiries, including through the provision of a 24- hour on-call service for media in conjunction with the head of communications, the other press officer and the broadcast relations manager
  • Maintains and pro-actively develops journalist contacts with UK (national, regional and local) and international media, including identifying opportunities to build new relationships with key journalist contacts based in the UK in order to secure regular coverage of MSF’s work and related issues, particularly through the placement of personal testimonies from MSF field staff
  • Facilitates interviews with spokespeople from the UK or the field, and gathers operational information from the field/operational centres to fulfil media enquiries
  • Drafts and/or edits, and externally disseminates, all relevant press releases and briefing papers for the UK and London-based international press
  • On occasion travels to project sites overseas to accompany journalists covering MSF’s work

International coordination, support and representation30%

  • Ongoing liaison with the international MSF movement to share journalist contacts and source information in order to maximise opportunities for MSF coverage in the UK/international media
  • Edits/translates materials from the international movement for external dissemination to ensure consistency of message and accuracy
  • Coordinates and leads the briefing and debriefing of field staff by the communications and fundraising teams to give basic media guidance and maximise the generation of media coverage from the field
  • Sources appropriate content from within MSF through building relationships and planning/carrying out field visits in orderto generate media opportunities and support journalists who wish to cover our work, and disseminates resulting materials within the movement for use internally or externally
  • Participates in formulating cohesive messages and strategies with other MSF sections by routine contact and annual movement-wide communications meetings
  • Where appropriate, travels to project sites overseas to assist field teams with the development of communications strategies
Press office management and administration 20%
  • Attends regularly scheduled meetings to share information, brainstorm solutions and coordinate priorities, with the communications team and the UK office
  • Supervises the activities of the communications department intern who supports the press office with related roles/projects, primarily with regard to media analysis systems.This may include interviewing, hiring and training unpaid staff, as well as resolving any work-related issues
  • Contributes to and assists with the development of media relations strategy, including responsibility for formulating a media relations plan
  • Maintains, in conjunction with the rest of the press team, press office systems and structures, including:daily media monitoring activity (of MSF’s media coverage in the UK, and also of wider media interests and reporting);preparation and dissemination of weekly media planning information, both for the UK press office and for the wider MSF network; recording of updated press contacts lists and any other press office systems and structures
  • Assists the head of communications with monthly reporting
  • Maintains commitment to the aims and values of MSF through proactive involvement in and attendance at ongoing MSF UK activities and wider movement and operational activities

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential:

  • Demonstrable experience in press office work or international journalism, including substantial understanding of, and contacts in, UK media.
  • Good knowledge of world affairs and a demonstrable understanding of and commitment to humanitarian issues
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills; ability to adapt style to suit a wide range of audiences; accessible, friendly telephone manner
  • Strong organisational skills with experience of managing multiple tasks
  • Ability to work independently to general guidelines; capacity to take initiatives and seize opportunities
  • Fluent spoken and written English
  • Availability to travel to and work in programme locations internationally, often at short notice
  • Computer literate (Word for Windows, Access, Internet)
  • Flexible, can-do attitude and good team player – this role involves working very closely and collaboratively with colleagues in the UK and overseas
  • Ability to cope with stress, retain good humour and make sound ethical and personal judgements in order to deal with ambiguities and conflict

Desirable:

  • Understanding of online media tools
  • Previous work experience with MSF or a similar medical or humanitarian organisation
  • Previous work experience in developing countries an advantage
  • Ability to speak other languages such as French and/or Arabic

CANDIDATES MUST HOLD AN APPROPRIATE PASSPORT OR PERMIT TO WORK IN THE UK

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For an informal discussion about the role, you can contact the Head of Communications, Polly Markandya, by email at:

Application questions

Thank you for your interest in working with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders(MSF)in London as a press officer. In order to get a better sense of your experience and aptitude for this work, we would like you to complete the questions below. Don’t worry, there is rarely a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer, but we are interested in your approach and your ideas.Brevity is encouraged – certainly do not exceed the word limit.

  1. Our most prominent emergency at the moment is the Ebola outbreak, but what other serious current humanitarian crisis or crises should we be seeking attention for, and how?[max 200 words]
  1. MSF has a stated ambition to try and raise awareness of abuses witnessed by our teams on the ground. In an increasingly interconnected world, what challenges do you think this might pose for our communications strategy? And how would you propose overcoming them? [max 250 words]
  1. Who do you think are the three best foreign correspondents working for UK-based media? Give reasons for your answers. [max 300 words]
  1. Consider this scenario: After several years of working without government authorisation in the Nuba Mountains, Sudan, the head of mission has FINALLY agreed to allow a single journalist to visit and report from one of MSF’s hospitals there. However, the team on the ground is very touchy about the neutrality of any reporting and demands some editorial control – e.g. not identifying staff or patients. Which outlet would you approach first? Write a short pitch email showing how you would offer the story and deal with the proposed restrictions.[max 400 words]
  1. Below are the latest prompted awareness figures of Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders in the UK (from July 2014). Looking at this data, which audiences do you think we ought to focus our media work on and why? Give brief suggestions for how you might go about it?[max 300 words]

Name / Total / Gender / Social Class / Age
M / F / AB / C1 / C2 / DE / 16-24 / 25-34 / 35-44 / 45-54 / 55-64 / 65+
Medecins Sans Frontieres / 48% / 52% / 44% / 59% / 52% / 39% / 37% / 18% / 26% / 44% / 56% / 66% / 70%
Doctors Without
Borders / 37% / 37% / 38% / 43% / 41% / 30% / 33% / 28% / 42% / 41% / 42% / 40% / 33%

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