Field Communications Officer/Press Officer

Family: Operations

Level: 7 IRFFG (1,408 JOD Monthly Gross)

Workplace: Amman

Hierarchical and Functional line management of: Field Communications Manager 

Functional reporting line to: Communications Advisor (CA in HQ) 

Duration: Fixed Term Contract until 31st October 2026

MSF has been present in Amman since 2006 with different Missions and OCs, and since 2015 with delocalized HQ offices.

In 2018, MSF signed a Host-Country Agreement (HCA) with the Jordanian authorities and consolidated its presence in the country, becoming one of the MSF Hubs around the world, with the aim of supporting the quality of our operations in the region and beyond.

Today, Amman Hub is a complex setting, including the presence of 5 OCs with Operations and Organizational Support:

• Units: OCA MENA Regional Office, OCBA CAHM (Center for Advanced Humanitarian Medicine), OCG MESO (Middle East Support Office)

• Operational Cells: OCBA Cell 1 (Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria) and OCG Cell 5 (Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria)

• Missions: Permanent missions including OCP Jordan (Reconstructive Surgery Hospital), and ad hoc temporary hosted missions including OCA Palestine/Gaza/Syria, OCB Syria/Palestine, OCBA Palestine/Gaza/Yemen

• OCG Lebanon/Iran/Iraq/Sudan/Yemen/Syria. 

• An intersectional Amman Mutualized Support Office (AMSO)

•  Hosted positions from different OCs and the International Office

•  OCA MENA Regional Office

MSF uses public communications to support its medical humanitarian action, to bear witness to the crises it works in, to make its work known to the public, and to secure and sustain public support for its social mission, including through fundraising and recruitment efforts.

The purpose of the field communications officer (FCO) is to implement communications strategies and activities in direct support of MSF's medical humanitarian programs and social mission. The focus of FCO activities is on content production and dissemination, on media management and monitoring, and on contributing to communications strategies and tactics.

·   Support the production of communications tools for media usage.

·    The FCO disseminates MSF content in the country, proactively pitches to media and uses existing MSF digital channels in the country and/or region as defined by the communications strategy.

·   Maintain regular relations with a wide array of media contacts across traditional and digital media outlets, including journalists, bloggers, photographers, producers, cameramen, and influencers, as relevant. This responsibility may be shared with other communications team members in the country.

·   Proactively pitch media and manages incoming media requests

·   Help organize events such as press briefings or press conferences and help organize and accompany media visits to MSF projects.

·   Developing MSF’s media contact logbook, relationships with local and regional media and journalists, identifies new opportunities for media pitching.

·   Train and identifies new spokespeople in Gaza and the West Bank, for media interviews.

·   Identifies appropriate communications tools for target audiences, collects material, and produces tools or adapts them to target audiences.

·   Develops an understanding of the operational information used in MSF public communications (such as mortality, morbidity, of patients vs # of consultations, etc) and its relevance to the crisis.

·    Follows MSF communications ethical guidelines in all materials directly collected and produced, such as on consent, on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and other relevant communications standards or guidelines.

·   Monitors relevant media and digital channels, to highlight significant trends, news, or reports relevant to MSF or the contextual environment to the Head(s) of Mission, Field Communications staff, humanitarian affairs staff and/or other operational staff (as relevant)

·   Collects preliminary insights into public narratives on issues of relevance to MSF.

·   Generates and updates reports on the local media and digital landscape, with support from other communications teams if needed (digital teams or other).

·   When needed manage digital media dashboards for real-time monitoring on issues of operational and reputational relevance.

·   Reports on the tangible outcomes of communications initiatives, like the extent of coverage and audience response, and suggests improvements.

·   Identifies opportunities to raise the visibility of underreported crises that MSF is seeing in the country.

·   Provides initial insights on the feasibility of communications tactics, such as related to media window, social media penetration, audiences’ reception, etc.

·   Offers advice on engaging with media and digital channels during crises.

·   Helps to promote MSF communications principles, practices, and material towards MSF staff in the country.

·   Helps respond to incoming requests from the MSF communications network.

·   Liaises with MSF communications network for technical support, if needed, such as for AV editing, digital engagement, and monitoring.

·   Participates in communication data-collection and reporting to inform MSF teams of upcoming communications and past results.

·   Helps track/record all public communications initiatives carried out for institutional memory.

•    Essential: University degree in a relevant field such as journalism, communication Development, Political science or International Relations.

•      Essential: Previous working experience of at least 2 years in communications, journalism or public relations.

•      Desirable: Experience in NGO or international organizations specializing in humanitarian action, health or development. 

•      Essential : Analytical capacity in media.

•        Acts towards the fulfilment of MSF’s social mission

•        Demonstrates an integrating attitude

•        Facilitates and helps to bring about changes in others

•        Understands other people’s stress

•        Identify complex relationships

•        Plans actions geared towards achieving objectives

•        Works towards objectives, preserving established standards

•        Follows up, plans activities and sets priorities

•        Shares information and coordinates with team and/or others

•        Gives feedback and sets limits

•        Develops and diversifies networks

•        Media management

•        Active network of local/national journalists

•        Media and digital monitoring, disinformation

•        Production of communication tools

•        Written communication skills

•        Desirable: AV producing skills are an asset (photo & video editing)

•        Essential: Proficiency minimum B2 in English 

•        Essential: Native or near native proficiency in Arabic 

•        Desirable: Other languages

This position is open for Jordanian nationalities with a legal right to work in Jordan.