Project Officer - Communication (m/f)

Catholic Relief Services - USCCB

is seeking a candidate for the position of Project Officer - Communication

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (CRS) was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, we have expanded in size to reach 85 million people in 101 countries on five continents.

CRS came to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993 to provide emergency relief to people living under siege in Sarajevo. At the end of the war, half the country’s population of four million was displaced. CRS responded by assisting families to return to homes they had fled during the war. CRS continues these efforts through rebuilding and constructing housing, including social housing, and infrastructure, promoting livelihoods and education, providing psychological support, and promoting the adoption of social housing and social security legislation. CRS supports peacebuilding by working with war victims' associations, politicians, religious leaders, NGOs, historians, actors, and youth to recover from trauma and move toward tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Job Summary

The primary role of the Project Officer - Communication is to provide support to the Chief of Party to have a strategy for smooth, effective and regular communication with Local Government, Local NGO Partners, Contractors, Media, Church and other institutions through implementation of a 6-year PRO-Future reconciliation project (Trust, Understanding and Responsibility for the Future) in 75 municipalities and cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina, working with citizens, key influencers at municipal, cantonal, entity and state level, religious leaders, media, educational institutions, war victim associations, and civil society organizations, with a goal for improved trust and reconciliation to lead to positive social change across society.

Job Responsibilities

• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.
• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assisting partners in their efforts to collect and analyze project data per specified mechanisms and tools.
• Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare reports per established reporting schedule.
• Communicate with media (TV, Radio, written ad social media).
• Handle all media related issues such as writing press releases, organizing press conferences, appointing interviews, proposing talking points and maintaining proactive relationships with media.
• Assist project team members in developing and delivering comprehensive information on their project activities to meet the information needs of external and internal audience.
• Collect information on staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and monitor capacity building and technical support activities to ensure effective impact.
• Complete project documentation for assigned activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices.
• Collect information and prepare project reports for different key stakeholders.

Qualification

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support.
• Experience in the field of communication, media relations, social media management
• Excellent knowledge of the political system in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Excellent networking and established relationships with media in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Fluent in oral and written English including report writing skill
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred

Personal Skills

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented

Travel Required: up to 30%

Key Working Relationships

Reports to: Chief of Party

Supervisory: none

Internal: Senior Project Officer, Project Officers

External: Local partners and Donors

Agency-wide Competencies for all CRS Staff

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
  
• Accountability and stewardship
• Builds relationships
• Develops talent
• Continuous improvement and innovation
• Strategic mindset

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Candidate’s statement:

By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.

Candidates who meet all above requirements/qualifications should send to the email following documentation:

• Letter of Interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of the education degree
• Copy of the valid driver’s license B category

E-mail address: BA_ADM@global.crs.org

The deadline for applications is 17 January 2020.

Only short-listed applicants will be called for an interview and written test.

CRS is not obliged to inform all applicants about the results of selection process.

If additional information is required, please contact Alma Komanovic, at alma.komanovic@crs.org