Communications Consultant (Suharekë)

Job Posting

Basic Job Information

Job Title: Communications Consultant    Location: Suhareka, Kosovo

Position Type: Consultant  Job Stage: Currently Open

Category: N/A   Number of positions available: 1

Employee Status: N/A  Close Date: 12/27/2022

Job Summary

Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a Communications Consultant ("the Consultant") for the Social Contract Activity in Kosovo. The Social Contract Activity (SCA) in Kosovo (the “Activity”), funded by USAID, aims to introduce sustainable practices for public participation to improve Kosovo citizens' quality of life and strengthen their partnership with the municipal government. The Activity is seeking a Communications Specialist to support the municipal official of Suhareka/Suva Reka to improve the quality of public consultation processes. This Consultancy will be based in Suhareka, Kosovo, and it is only open to residents of Kosovo. The level of effort (LoE) for this engagement will be up to 40 days until April 15, 2023.

The Activity has partnered with the Municipality of Suhareka/Suva Reka to improve its public participation practices and increase its citizen engagement in the municipal decision-making processes. Communication with the public is a key component in the efforts to improve the public’s experience in the interaction with municipal institutions and establishing sustainable participation practices. The initial assessment on public participation conducted on public participation in the municipality, shows that there is a need for the municipal officials to improve their internal coordination on communicating with the public as well as, build internal capacities to improve communication methods.

The Consultant is expected to work closely with municipal officials to provide advice and support to improve communication with the public.

Essential Job Duties

• Advise municipal officials to develop content that better communicates activities of the municipality to the public and reach out new groups
• Coach municipal officials to use social media channels more strategically and reach new audiences
• Offer communication support to municipal officials in preparation for public events
• Coach public information officers to visualize public announcements and craft messages to make them more appealing to specific target groups
• Support municipal officials to adopt communication planning prompts on public consultation processes
• Assist municipal officials in improving internal protocols to be better prepared to respond to citizen queries
• Offer recommendations to municipal officials to improve the official online/web portals
• Perform other similar tasks as required by the SCA and agreed with municipal authorities

Deliverables

• A plan for supporting public communication in the municipality, agreed with the Office of the Mayor
• Bi-monthly reports on the support offered on the key tasks and responsivities assigned
• A comprehensive report with recommendations to USAID Social Contract Activity for improving public communication in the municipality

Qualifications

• This position is open to Kosovo residents
• Experience and technical expertise working on local governance in communications and/or public consultation
• Professional fluency in English and Albanian/Serbian
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• Experience working with donors preferred
• Strong interpersonal skills to effectively coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders

Reporting

• The Consultant will report to the Senior Governance Officer.

Applying Process

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter (indicating the daily rate) and CV, until December 27, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. DI is committed to attracting, hiring, and retaining the best talent, and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. DI will only contact candidates of interest.

About the Organization:
DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 70+ countries.

DI welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for DI employees. DI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at DI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.