Head of Communications and Engagement

EXTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT

TITLE: Head of Communications and Engagement

Contract Type: National

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Advocacy, Campaign, Communications and Media (ACCM)

LOCATION: Bangkok, Thailand

CONTRACT LENGTH: Open-ended

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Head of Communications and Engagement will provide overall leadership, management and strategic direction to Save the Children’s communications, campaigns, media, brand, and broader audience engagement work in Thailand. S/he will oversee the development and implementation of communication strategies that strengthen Save the Children’s reputation, increase public awareness of children’s issues, enhance audience engagement, and support communications for fundraising.

The post holder will ensure Save the Children’s representation, communications activities, content and products are coherent, creative, impactful and effective in order to achieve policy change, public awareness and behavioural shifts that improve the lives and uphold the rights of vulnerable and marginalised children in Thailand, in line with the organisation’s strategic priorities. Working closely with the Strategy, Programme Quality and Impact (SPQI) Director and Executive Director (ED), the post holder plays a critical role in networking and relationship building with relevant external stakeholders and represents the organisation’s views as needed. The post holder will also develop and implement effective communications and media strategies that increase visibility, supporter engagement and public trust.

The post holder will play a key role in developing compelling content and engagement strategies across digital, media and public channels, while supporting donor visibility, resource mobilisation and individual giving initiatives.

The post holder will report directly to the Executive Director and work closely with the SPQI Director, fundraising teams and programme teams, to identify influencing and communication opportunities as well as proposals that will require inputs on campaigns, visibility and communications. This role will collaborate closely with the relevant colleagues in global teams as well as other Save the Children organisations in the region to ensure the effective delivery of campaign and communication strategies.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Executive Director

Staff reporting to this post: Communications and Multimedia Coordinator, Communications officer, Brand and Media Coordinator, Comms and Engagement intern.

Role Dimensions: Regular contact with content, campaign and communications staff in other organisations, local implementing partners, and Save the Children staff from global, member and regional teams. This post holder will manage project specific comms and engagement budgets.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Communications and Media

• Ensure good external representation of Save the Children through communications materials and the management of Save the Children's online and offline presence for Thailand.
• Ensure safeguarding in content collection and dissemination and guide the creation compelling content that elevates the voices of communities especially children and showcases Save the Children's impact.
• Develop and lead a communications strategy that identifies key audiences and develops key messages and products
• Ensure communication products effectively communicate programme impact to supporters, donors and the wider public.
• Oversee production of high-quality, accurate, clear and consistent information and communications outputs that highlight the situation in Thailand for children, including case studies, feature stories, and blogs with support from Communication Coordinator
• Ensure brand consistency and integrity across all platforms and products.
• Oversee production of high-quality information and education materials, and/or visually appealing and brand-aligned external marketing materials for programme teams according to strategic priorities with support from Communication Officer/Consultant
• Support the development of communication strategic plans for programme teams
• Support Business Development and Fundraising teams through donor-facing communications materials, campaign messaging and stewardship content.
• Lead Thailand’s media strategy for both national and international media (based in Thailand) where appropriate to ensure that Save the Children is front and centre of issues in the news spotlight that concern children in Thailand.
• Build, maintain and grow relationships with legacy media and new media in Thailand and support the team to ensure timely and effective media coverage.
• Aim to make Save the Children the Number 1 share of voice in the media whenever possible on high visibility issues and crises impacting children in Thailand.
• Support the team to ensure a strong bench of trained and capable media spokespeople who can speak confidently to national and international media about our responses and programmes.
• Oversee regular monitoring of local media coverage of key issues related to children and Save the Children in Thailand. Ensure team oversight of media field visits in Thailand. Support local media monitoring in Thailand as appropriate.
• Oversee website content strategy and digital content optimisation to improve audience engagement and supporter conversion.

Campaigns

• Support the development of clear and realistic communications and content to support campaign initiatives by thematic sectors.
• Support program, project staff and partner organisations to articulate their priority campaign objectives and develop realistic strategies and plans for achieving programs’ objectives.
• Ensure that the Executive and SPQI Directors are equipped with up-to-date key messages and tools to inform their dialogue and representation.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team and relevant programme staff, establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for campaigns and ensure that implementation and impact are effectively monitored and evaluated, and lessons documented and shared.
• Lead in identifying and managing potential risks associated with Save the Children's public positions on issues and design strategies to mitigate the risks that have been identified.
• Work with Save the Children regional and global Advocacy, Campaign, Communication and Media (ACCM) teams to ensure linkages of local, national and global communications and campaign issues in a manner that informs Save the Children at all levels to ensure coherence of messaging.

Management and Capacity Building

• Supervise Comms and Engagement team members and consultants to achieve results. Provide mentoring, coaching and structured professional development. Resolve any conflicts or issues in individual and/or team performance and ensure staff wellbeing.
• Provide regular reports on Comms and Engagement activities and relevant KPIs to Executive and SPQI Directors when appropriate.
• Ensure regular reports are produced highlighting communication performance, audience engagement, digital growth, media reach and fundraising-related communications outcomes.
• Build capacity of programme staff and partners to contribute high-quality stories, content and communication products that strengthen organisational visibility and engagement.

Emergencies

• In times of crisis, be ready to change priorities rapidly and support an emergency response including by working outside of normal business hours and days, and deploying to field locations
• Collaborate with regional and global teams to ensure the timely capture, processing, and coordination of emergency-related content

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice):

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 10 years' experience in communications, media management, brand management, public engagement, digital communications, fundraising communications or related fields within NGOs, INGOs, development organisations or the private sector.
• Priority will be given to Thai nationals
• Experience in digital audience engagement, supporter communications, fundraising communications or brand management is an advantage.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English and Thai (highly desirable)
• Relevant bachelor’s degree

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Experience developing and implementing integrated communications, brand and audience engagement strategies.
• Experience of working on human development, social justice, or rights-based issues
• Experience in both pro-active and re-active media management (crisis comms)
• Experience developing and implementing digital marketing strategies
• Experience in storytelling through multimedia and writing.
• Excellent personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
• Good coordination and networking skills
• Proven ability to encourage innovation and teamwork.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation developing effective working relationships
• Excellent English communications skills, both written and oral
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles.

Desirable

• Experience of working in collaboration with programme teams across one or more of Save the Children’s sectors i.e. child poverty, child protection, child rights governance, education, health and nutrition, child safety or for similar cause-based agencies.
• Experience working with or alongside creative marketing agencies
• Direct experience as a journalist, or skills in design, videography or photography.
• Self-starter and be able to initiate ideas

Additional job responsibilities

Lead organisational communication strategies, brand visibility initiatives, supporter engagement activities and national public launches. Support proposal development through communications and visibility planning. Oversee communications, media, digital engagement and fundraising communications functions.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Interested candidates should apply and submit a motivational letter, comprehensive CV, expected salary and details of at least 3 referees.

Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

“We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse”