Senior Editorial and Communications Officer

• Suva-based position (Fiji)
• Attractive expatriate package
• Join the principal development organisation in the Pacific region

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The vision of the Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) is to be ‘The agency for educational quality in the Pacific region’. Its mission is to enhance the quality of education and training for Pacific learners, so they realize the benefits of lifelong learning. EQAP seeks to promote the following core values within the context of SPC’s corporate values:

• a culture of quality;
• a culture of continuous improvement;
• cultural and political sensitivity;
• respect for the autonomy and priorities of the education system in each Pacific Island country and territory (PICTs); and
• assimilation of the expressed needs of countries in its delivery of technical services.

The role – Senior Editorial and Communications Officer will provide high quality editorial, writing, and communications support services to EQAP by contributing to the development, editing and coordination of reports, publications and communications outputs. The role will also support publication readiness, apply editorial standards, assist with rapporteuring, and contribute to communications activities under the guidance and direction of the Team Leader, helping ensure that EQAP outputs are clear, accurate, timely and fit for purpose.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Editorial Quality and Publications Readiness

• Provide editorial review, copy‑editing and proofreading for EQAP reports, briefs, web stories, social media posts, and other written products.
• Check drafts for clarity, structure, consistency, accuracy, style and audience appropriateness.
• Identify quality issues, risks or inconsistencies and provide timely, constructive feedback to authors and the Team Leader.
• Support publication workflows from draft through to publication, including liaison with authors, designers, translators and SPC Publishing teams.

Report Writing and Content Development

• Draft sections of reports, summaries, briefs and written communications as assigned.
• Revise and rewrite technical content to improve clarity and audience accessibility.
• Work with technical teams to translate complex information into reader‑friendly formats.
• Support MEL and communications inputs into reports and narratives where required.

Communications Coordination

• Coordinate day‑to‑day communications activities across EQAP to support timely and consistent delivery of routine communications outputs.
• Assign, schedule and track communications tasks with Communications Assistants to support agreed priorities and deadlines, escalating resourcing or timing risks where required.
• Review and quality‑check communications content (e.g. announcements, web content, briefs, social media) to ensure alignment with approved messaging, editorial standards and SPC guidelines.
• Support the consistent application of EQAP and SPC communications standards, templates and branding across communications products.

Staff Guidance and Writing Support

• Provide ad‑hoc technical guidance to EQAP staff on writing, editing and publication matters when requested.
• Respond to questions related to style, formatting and clarity.

People Management and Mentoring

• Support a team environment that fosters effective working relationships and high performance.
• Conduct fair, consistent, timely performance planning and review meetings and encourage open communication to discuss performance and encourage training and development opportunities.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, editing, publishing, English, education, policy, development studies, or a related field, or an equivalent body of knowledge and experience.

Technical expertise

• 5 years of experience in editing, copy‑editing, proofreading and writing complex reports and publications, with a strong emphasis on editorial quality, accuracy and consistency.
• Proven ability to bridge the gap between highly technical content and audience readability, including translating complex analytical, policy or technical material into clear, structured and accessible written outputs for diverse audiences.
• Strong track record of improving draft documents through rigorous editorial review, including attention to logic, flow, structure, tone, terminology, referencing and factual accuracy.
• Advanced practical experience supporting publication readiness, including preparing documents for clearance, layout, publication, dissemination and archiving within organisational standards and workflows.
• Demonstrable exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to identify inconsistencies, ambiguities, errors and risks within complex texts and address them proactively.
• Experience advising authors and technical specialists on writing for purpose and audience, including structure, style, clarity and editorial standards.
• Experience producing or contributing to formal reports, briefs, summaries or knowledge products that require a high level of editorial due diligence.
• Proven ability to manage multiple documents and competing deadlines while maintaining high editorial standards.

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage.

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – Until 30 November 2027 – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Senior Editorial and Communications Officer is band 9 position in SPC’s 2026 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 2,399‒2,998 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 7,412–9,265 (USD 3,214–4,018; EUR 2,900–3,625). Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax.

Benefits for Staff in a position advertised internationally (EPAI) whose duty station is Suva – SPC provides a housing allowance of FJD 1,500–5,200 per month. Establishment and repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave travel, health and life and disability insurances and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 working days of annual leave per annum and other types of leave, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a 10% contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

Application procedure

Closing Date: 5 July 2026 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)

Job Reference: TT000203

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. SPC may assist on a case-by-case basis with submissions to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consideration and final approval. SPC cannot and does not make any guarantee whatsoever of approval for such applications to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs and where an application is approved, the spouse or partner will subject to such terms and conditions as may be set from time to time by the Ministry.

SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.

Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

1. Can you describe your experience editing written publications (e.g. reports, briefs, or web content), including the types of documents you have worked on, the issues you typically identify, and how you address them to ensure clarity, consistency, and adherence to editorial standards?
2. Have you written or substantially revised reports or technical documents to make them clear and accessible to non-technical audiences? Please provide a brief example.
3. What experience do you have coordinating communications or publication processes with multiple stakeholders, and what approaches do you use to foster productivity, ensure high-quality communication products, and meet deadlines?

Position Description