Senior Officer, Communications (CCHN)

Organizational Context

The Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) is a joint initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

CCHN aims to facilitate the capture, analysis, and sharing of experiences and practices around humanitarian negotiation and to provide a space for dialogue across humanitarian organisations. At the core of our activities is the CCHN community of practice, a global community of humanitarian negotiators working at the frontlines of humanitarian action.

The CCHN is administratively hosted by the IFRC and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

Job Purpose

The Senior Officer, Communications leads the CCHN’s external communication efforts, ensuring strategic alignment across content production, digital engagement, media relations, and public positioning. The role bridges institutional priorities and global outreach, supporting the organisation’s visibility, brand coherence, and partner engagement.

The Senior Officer, Communications oversees the work of a Communication Specialist.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop communication, advocacy and marketing strategies and related work plan where needed, including objectives, target audiences, messaging, tools, products, monitoring of performance and measuring of impact.
• Help to ensure that CCHN’s branding and public messaging about its mandate and programmes is consistent across the organization and reflects priorities.
• Generate quality multimedia content including writing, video, photo, and audio storytelling, as well as translating content and hard data into compelling and impactful story / narrative for advocacy purposes.
• Produce multimedia materials for social media use including short videos, graphics and web stories for digital use.
• Define a social media plan which leverages social media content, platforms, networks and partners to enhance coverage and support of CCHN’s activities.
• Roll out brand-marketing campaigns that increase awareness of and familiarity with CCHN’s work and build CCHN’s profile among target audiences. This will include the adaptation and localization of brand-marketing initiatives.
• Lead production of material on a wide range of negotiation issues of concern to the Office including speeches, annual reports, blogs, presentations and talking points.
• Oversee the coordination and management of communications activities, products and tactics, and supervise the work of the Communications Specialist.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders — operations team, logistics team and management, UN System, IGOs, NGOs, community of practice members and other key partners — for scheduling and planning communication content and products around milestone moments, including around conferences, workshops meetings, announcements, publications and other relevant events.
• Propose and lead projects/initiatives to improve the quality and quantity of communication materials/tools/services for use across communication activities.
• Coordinate the CCHN’s participation in international conferences, including planning sessions, speaking engagements, and booth logistics.

Duties applicable to all staff

1. Work actively towards the achievement of CCHN’s goals.
2. Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.
3. Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

Required

• University degree in international relations, political science, communication or equivalent.

Experience

Required

• Min. 5 to 7 years of work experience in government, international organizations or international NGOs.
• Solid experience in managing strategic communication, partnerships, content production and digital community engagement.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Good understanding of the humanitarian system and trends affecting humanitarian affairs.
• Ability to work in an autonomous manner in a professional team under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including good public speaking and presentation.
• Availability for occasional travel.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in both English and French; Spanish and/or Arabic are an asset.

Preferred

• Good understanding with the concept and management of communities of practice is an asset.

Languages

Required

• Fluent spoken and written English and French.

Preferred

• Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish or Arabic).

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.

Application Instruction

Please submit your application in English only.