The International Disability Alliance (IDA) is looking for an experienced communication officer, who will be responsible for the co-coordination of the Working Group and for communication activities that fall under the responsibility of the GDS-secretariat.
About the International Disability Alliance (IDA)
The International Disability Alliance is the permanent co-host of the Global Disability Summit. IDA brings together over 1,100 organizations of persons with disabilities and their families from across eight global and six regional networks. IDA has the mandate to promote the rights of persons with disabilities across the United Nations' efforts to advance human rights and sustainable development. IDA also supports organizations of persons with disabilities to hold their governments to account and advocate for change locally, nationally, and internationally.
With member organizations around the world, IDA represents the estimated one billion people worldwide living with disabilities. This is the world’s largest – and most frequently overlooked – marginalized group. IDA, with its unique composition as a network of the foremost international disability rights organizations, is the most authoritative representation of persons with disabilities on the global level and acknowledged as such by the United Nations system both in New York and Geneva.
More information is available on www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org
About the Global Disability Summit
The Global Disability Summit (GDS) is a unique global mechanism that aims to galvanize global efforts to address disability inclusion. This four-year cycle of advocacy and events offers a concrete platform for collecting new, ambitious, and widespread commitments critical to achieving real change for persons with disabilities. GDS aims to bridge the gap between two arenas that are still separate: disability inclusion and development cooperation. While each GDS cycle builds to one major global summit event held every three years, GDS is so much more. It is a mechanism that entails continuous advocacy with global disability development stakeholders and mobilization of the disability rights movement and its allies. Importantly, it is a partnership between member states and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), embodied in the way that co-hosting arrangements are made.
GDS2025 is the third cycle of summits and is being co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Governments of Germany and Jordan. To be held in Berlin, Germany in April 2025, this GDS will build upon the achievements of the two previous summits (GDS2018 and GDS2022). The primary objective of this summit cycle is to build and expand the momentum of the previous two GDS cycles by amplifying its impact toward advancing the rights and inclusion of all persons with disabilities through international cooperation. To do this, the co-hosts have developed several key messages to underpin the process, from planning to implementation to follow-up and monitoring:
- “Nothing About Us, Without Us.”
- Focus on implementation.
- Focus on rights.
- National ownership.
- Disability inclusive development
- Bridging the gap of the haves and have-nots.
- Focus on data and evidence.
Job Description
The GDS Secretariat, the hub of all organizational and planning aspects of the GDS cycle, is looking for an experienced communication officer.
The Senior Officer for Communications will be responsible for the co-coordination of the Communications Working Group and for coordinating communication activities that fall under the responsibility of the GDS-secretariat, such as relevant strategies for social media engagement, press engagement, publicizing all GDS-related events, and ensuring their communications strategies are aligned to the main GDS2025 campaign. They will be responsible for the generation of visually compelling pieces of information, storytelling on GDS-related data, and engaging the public in different GDS events. They will also work on the identification of partners for publicizing GDS, creating content for the GDS website and GDS “X” account, creating content for the GDS Newsletter, and producing any other communications materials required by the co-hosts.”
In detail, the Senior Officer for Communications will be responsible for:
- Developing and implementing a communications strategy for the GDS co-hosts:
a. Media engagement (identifying media to engage, define a strategy for engagement, identifies partners for interviews, visibility of GDS),
b. Development of key messages (internally among co-hosts, externally for alignment of messages across all GDS related events),
c. Development of social media strategy and social media engagement (updates GDS social media, builds and grows GDS outreach on social media),
c. Coordination with all three co-hosts via the GDS Working Group on comms for joint storytelling on GDS. - Providing overall comms coverage:
a. Comms coverage for any internal or external events related to GDS,
b. Comms strategic engagement during events where GDS is being promoted (COSP, Summit for the future, Zero Conferences, etc.),
c. Content for the GDS Website and for IDA Website if related to GDS,
d. Promotion of any GDS report, knowledge products related to GDS, - Creating graphic materials for internal and external use (power points, brochures, infographics),
- Working with the partnership officer to identify key partners for comms growth and engagement,
- Working with the GDS Web Developer to redesign the GDS Website,
- Co-Chairing the GDS Working Group on comms, in coordination with GIZ and HCD.
Qualifications
- C2 English level: excellent verbal and written communication skills,
- Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize work,
- Able to process information, follow instructions and complete tasks with autonomy,
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task,
- Master’s or bachelor’s degrees in human rights, communications, journalism or equivalent relevant professional experience,
- At least 3-year experience in communications,
- Experience with online tools (Ruby on Rails preferred but other website platforms acceptable, social media, Adobe Suite),
- Experience with web or graphic design, video, and photo editing- a plus,
- Good computer skills.
Timeline
Estimated start date 01 May 2024, for 18 months.
Contracting and Remuneration
- Payment and financial compensation will be subject to location and experience.
- A consultancy contract (as per Swiss law) will be signed between the selected consultant and IDA.
- Applicants are invited to submit a copy of their passport and commercial/consultant registration/tax numbers. Only applicants with valid commercial and/or consultant registration and/or tax numbers will be considered.
To Apply:
The interested consultant should submit a letter of interest, sample of work (writing sample) and CV by 12 April 2024 to consultancy@ida-secretariat.org with the subject “GDS Comms Senior Officer”.
*Note: Only Shortlisted Candidates Will Be Contacted