Information and Communication Officer

Job Profile for Information and Communication Officer of the EU-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue Facility (SDF)

1.Background information

The EU-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue Facility (SDF) is a three-year program that aims to support Vietnam's development through the implementation of activities in areas covered by the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). This EU-funded €2.9 Million project started in February 2013 and it will continue until January 2016.

The Facility’s is aiming at strengthening EU-Vietnam relations through political dialogue and exchange of expertise. The Facility, together with a wide range of Vietnamese partners from academia, civil society and government, supports the exchange of best practices and experiences on issues of mutual interest to Vietnam and the EU, under the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which was signed in 2012.

It funds policy-oriented research and studies and organizes conferences, high-level meetings and trainings with European and international experts. The facility covers a broad range of supported areas, ranging from governance and human rights to environment and climate change, migration, public administration reform or transnational crime.

The project activities are coordinated by the EU Delegation to Vietnam and implemented by a group of European partners-led by SOFRECO (France) and supported by IOM (International Organization for Migration, Vietnam), IMAGOS (Germany) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights-in close contact with key Vietnamese partners.

The European partners are the service provider to the EU Delegation and a Technical Assistance Team (TAT), consisting of a Project Director and two Project Coordinators, has been deployed in Hanoi to support the facility planning and implementation

The project office of the TAT is based in Hanoi, while activities and actions will also be carried out in other parts of Vietnam.

2.Position information?

Position title:         SDF Information and Communication Officer (ICO)
Reporting to:             Project Director of the Technical Assistance Team (TAT)
Contract:                    Two years contract, subject to successful completion of the probation period
Expected starting date:     1 March 2014 or shortly thereafter
Work station:            Hanoi with some travel to project-sites as required by the TAT

Position Summary:

The position is meant to complement the work of the TAT Project Director and the Project Coordinator, by providing support on a daily basis and by independently carrying out tasks and working towards tight deadlines within a team. The main aim of the position is to assist in developing and implementing high-quality visibility and communication actions which match the profile and key features of the Facility. Such actions require an effective and constant flow of information and interaction between the Project Director and the EU Delegation and key other stakeholders regarding visibility and communication items as well as project outreach to stakeholders and beneficiaries. Also liaising with stakeholders, designing and drafting visibility and communication materials and items (online, print, publications etc.) and ensuring the effective communication between the Project Director and Project Coordinator, the EU Delegation, the Vietnamese partners and external service providers will be key features of the position.  ?

Areas of responsibilities/tasks:   ?

• Support to the development and implementation of the Facility’s overall Communication Strategy and Plan (including internal and external communication and outreach) as designed in line with the Communication and Visibility Manual for the EU’s External Actions
• Supervise and synchronize the design of all visibility materials produced under the facility, including update of the facility’s visibility and communication material and documentations and ensure the linkages of the SDF-visibility actions to the EUD’s web-site and face-book etc.
• Support the planning and organization of large-scale public events (training seminars, workshops, conferences etc.) and meetings, in particular assist in the preparation and compilation of speeches, slides and presentations of short-term local and international experts
• Support the design and production of high-quality visibility and communication material (i.e. brochures, leaf-let, note-books, hand-outs) for dissemination to key stakeholders, beneficiaries and participants in facility- events
• Implement media and communication actions for each Facility-event, in close coordination with the Project Director and the EU Delegation, including generating media attendance and drafting press release  
• Assist in the production of high-quality publications (i.e. proceedings of workshops), including coordinate the translation process of the presentations to be included in the publications
• Initiate and facilitate procurement, contracts and projects to provide external communication services and products (such as online tools, audiovisual productions, publications or visuals) by external service providers
• Draw up specifications for each visibility and communication actions, including providing inputs to the service contract files, liaise with external service providers and monitor the delivery and use of results
• Ensure effective flow of information and liaison between the Project Director, the EU Delegation and key other stakeholders regarding all visibility and communication actions
• Establish and maintain and update a data-base of project stakeholders and support actions related to the invitation of participants for each facility-event, including media and press representatives
• Provide support to other project-related tasks as defined by the Project Director

3.Profile/Requirements

Qualifications and skills:

• At minimum a university degree at BA-level in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations or similar fields
• Minimum 5 years of experience working in public relations, communications and/or advocacy actions within multilateral or international organizations, the private sector or governmental bodies
• Fluency in English; Vietnamese as native speaker
• Good computer skills on MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, e-mail applications and other relevant software programme
• Demonstrated strong ability to write and communicate orally in English, including good drafting skills
• Proven ability to rapidly produce quality outputs and to work under tight deadlines
• Excellent communication, inter-personal and social skills with a strong sense of flexibility and responsibility
• Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams and also independently

Specific experience requirements:

• Experience of working, interacting and networking with Vietnamese Government agencies, media organizations or similar agencies is required
• Experience in using multi-media and social networking as communication tools is an asset
• Knowledge of the European Union and EU Member States’ activities in Vietnam as well as experience of working in EU-projects/programmes or projects of other international development partners is a strong asset

In line with the provisions of the UN/EU Cost Norms (2012) for recruitment of project personnel, the EU-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue Facility offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Interested persons should send a full set of English CV with certificate of degree; at least three references and a one page cover-letter no later than Wednesday,  12 February 2014 to:

EU-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue Facility (SDF).
Suite 705 - Office Building
142 Le Duan Street, Hanoi
Tel:  (+84-4)  35162696 Fax:  (+84-4)  35162695
Email: [email protected]

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.