Job opportunity: Communication and Liaison Specialist 

Reporting Structure:

Position Title: Communication and Liaison Specialist                               Grade: 9

Position Reports to: RISE Deputy Technical Lead/Jhpiego (Administrative), Advisor to Minister of Health /MOH (Technical) 

Position Supervised: None  

Location: Ministry of Health                                                  

Duration: One-year contract June 2022

Summary Scope of Work:

The Communication and Liaison Specialist will act as an integral part of Jhpiego Rwanda’s team and Ministry of Health (MoH). He/She will provide Technical Assistance to Rwanda Health Communication Center Team and MOH Team with focus in communication and documentation of health events and COVID-19 responses activities. The Communication and Liaison Specialist will ensure a smooth communication between MOH, USAID and RISE Projects according to MOH, USAID and Jhpiego policies. She/he will ensure high quality strategic communication to MOH partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries. The Communication and Liaison Specialist will ensure that communication adhere to the MOH.   The Communications and Liaison Specialist will be based in Kigali, Rwanda with frequent travels in country, and will support projects documentation and communication. Duties and responsibilities are outlined here below:

Responsibilities will be but not limited to:  

• Work with Rwanda Health Communication Center (RHCC) Division in designing, planning and supervising implementation of MoH’s communication strategies.
• Producing, and overseeing the production of, written and graphic materials which ensure consistency and compliance with programs’ brands, values, key messages, and style guidelines.

• Oversee collating of impact narratives and thought leadership articles (opinion pieces) within MoH strategic objectives, including issue & lead identification, story board creation, writing and dissemination.
• Contribute to promote collaboration and dialogue across teams by introducing diverse methods, tools, and channels for internal communication including a feedback mechanism
• Work closely with RHCC and the Jhpiego Global Engagement and Communications Office (GECO) at Headquarters to develop accurate, creative story ideas for a variety of media and for visibility materials
• Alert the Division Manager of RHCC on all important communications happening in the media for further actions
• Initiate and attend key briefing sessions with the Division manager for health-related events
• Support RHCC to identify, network, and build relationships with key collaboration partners including donor, governments, media owners, editors, reporters, producers, and bloggers to build an ally media base and increase positive visibility
• Develop and participate in regular informal and formal reflection, knowledge sharing and learning events on communication.

Key Liaison Responsibilities:

• Act as a liaison between the USAID Mission, RISE/Jhpiego Office and Ministry of Health (MOH) on matters pertaining to USAID RISE Project’s implementation.
• Assist in the organization of travel authorizations and meetings where RISE Project is involved and follow-up on priority issues and key policy processes to ensure that MOH provides appropriate inputs in the implementation of joint policies and programs.
• Follow up on USAID Mission Jhpiego official communication sent to MOH and RBC.
• Assist with planning of regular Technical Working Group meetings between MOH/RBC and USAID Mission Team, RISE Project Team and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate and draft meeting minutes for regularly scheduled MOH/ Jhpiego meetings
• Work closely with Jhpiego Administration team to support joint events between Jhpiego /Ministry of Health/RBC such as reservations for lodging and venues.
• Link with HMIS to ensure the RISE Project Team has the needed data for the reporting or other uses agreed upon with MOH
• Assist with other activities assigned by supervisor    

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Bachelor Degree in Communications, journalism, public/media relations, Business administration or a related field.
• At least 5 years’ work experience in communications or public relations with a track record of success in raising the visibility of social issues and organizations in health sector.
• Experience in developing content for a variety of materials (e.g. news articles, newsletters, web content, advocacy resources, and email marketing materials, etc.);
• Familiarity in working with media content creation software (adobe collection, Audition, final cut etc.)
• Experience in social media and traditional media engagements as well as skills in producing specific contents based on the nature of each platform
• Strong skills in media relations and good understanding of current Rwandan media industry.
• Capacity to negotiate international media for necessary placements
• Demonstrate experience in working with International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) working in health sector;
• The ability to liaise with senior Ministry of Health (MoH) officials and dignitaries, executives of NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, the for-profit business community, and senior members of the donor community;
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of the Rwandan health system, particularly the public health system, experience living and working in Rwanda preferred;
• Excellent written, presentation, proofreading skills, communication and skills in  English; working level of French will be an added value.
• Ability to travel both nationally and internationally

and upload the following documents in PDF format with your names and subject line “Communication and Liaison Specialist”:

1. Application letter
2. Updated CV
3. Academic Degrees and certificates
4. Three (3) professional references with their full contacts.

Only online applications through the link shall be considered and failure to follow the outlined procedure might result in the application being disqualified.

If you don’t hear from us within three weeks from the submission deadline, consider your application unsuccessful.

Note:

Jhpiego is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate in employment because of age, religion, tribe, race, color, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, military status, marital status, family responsibility, station of life, political opinion, health (includes HIV/AIDS, pregnancy) socioeconomic status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Employment and promotion for any position are based on an individual’s qualifications and merit. Jhpiego does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, orientation or any other fees).