BMF Job Advert Advocacy and Communications Coordinator

Bench Marks Foundation Job Advert
Advocacy and Communications Coordinator
Location: Johannesburg
Closing date of job advert: 14 February 2024

Purpose of the job and position in the organisation
The Advocacy and Communications Coordinator drives the organisation’s advocacy work and manages all communications and media engagements. The purpose of the job is to advocate for communities struggles for human rights, social and economic justice in close cooperation with colleagues from the Programmes team and to make the approach and results of the organisation visible. The Advocacy and Communications Coordinator will report to the Programmes Manager and cooperate with other Coordinators in the Programmes’ Team.

Overview of the work of the Bench Marks Foundation (BMF)
The Bench Marks Foundation is supporting people in mining affected communities to successfully defend their human rights and fight for social and economic justice. We do this through our four programmatic areas of work:
– Conduct research on the effects of mining on communities to support Bench Mark’s advocacy work and legal processes with big corporations and government and contribute to creating counter narratives of mining affected communities
– Capacitating local communities in areas impacted and affected by mining to analyse and document their challenges and mobilise around human rights issues and resist injustices relating to corporations and government
– Engaging corporations and government around human rights and social and economic justice and investing in regional and international solidarity work
– Driving the advocacy work of the Bench Marks Foundation around communities struggles for human rights, social and economic justice and communicating about Bench Mark’s work, also in the media
For more information see the website of the Bench Marks Foundation: Bench-Marks Foundation
Key responsibility areas
1 Advocacy
1.1 Develop a BMF advocacy strategy for the strategic planning period 2025-2029, identify regular advocacy campaigns that all programme units contribute to
1.2 Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of advocacy initiatives in close cooperation with the rest of the programmes team
1.3 Provide trainings on advocacy to staff and community activist on implementing impactful advocacy and policy interventions
2 Support BMF’s communication and media presence
2.1 Monitor and report on BMFs media presence; drive the communication about BMF’s approach and results with key stakeholder groups; and identify media opportunities and topics for BMF and the work of community monitors and facilitate interview slots
2.2 Support the training of community monitors to improve their communications work, such as contributing to the regular newsletter and improve their communication on platforms such as community radio and social media and TV
3 Strengthen the BMF representation and brand
3.1 Work with the team to apply clear guidelines for communication (terminology and writing style guides, adapted to context and channel) and ensure that team members communicate about their work and achievements in appropriate formats in good time.
3.2 Produce organisational material such as letter heads, business cards, brochures, leaflets, banners and conduct the final layout on reports and publications – ensuring a uniform and recognisable look and feel
4 Ensure that the outputs and outcomes of BMF’s work are presented in a user-friendly way across all BMF channels
4.1 Support the work of the research team and ensure that research reports are re-packaged for different target groups and usable for advocacy work – including the media, corporates, unions and community groups. This may include writing and producing targeted summary versions of the reports.
4.2 Collect information from the Community Monitor groups and the Community Monitoring school and use M&E results to develop outcome-based information and communication material that is insightful and useable for funders, mainstream media and the BMF communication channels.
5 Stakeholder relations
5.1 Conduct a robust stakeholder holder mapping and develop a stakeholder engagement strategy in line with the organisation’s advocacy goals
5.2 Respond to external inquiries on policy issues, including briefing policymakers and the media
6 Manage the website and other BMF channels
Channels include: Website and Crowd Map, social media (twitter, facebook, whatsApp) and newsletters
6.1 Ensure each channel, especially the website, provides up to date and accurate information which reflects the work of BMF and all its constituent parts (research, community monitoring and engagement, advocacy, regional and international solidarity).
6.2 Encourage active engagement on all channels.
6.3 Compile a monthly newsletter documenting BMF’s work (current recipients around 1000 people)
7 Maintain contact databases
7.1 Continuously identify new contacts for the BMF database and keep it up to date and accessible to all staff (media, business, foreign governments, socially responsible investors, company risk committees, agents of change, UN bodies, churches, partner organisations, ICCR, ECCHR)
Requirements
8 Qualifications
Journalism or media degree, BA degree in communication or human rights
9 Experience
• At least 5 years’ experience, preferably in an NGO environment, in a campaigning or advocacy organisation.
• Professional experience conceptualising and delivering and advocacy work responding to human rights challenges
10 Knowledge / skills / attitudes • Demonstrated creativity, ability to apply innovative thinking and problem-solving skills • Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and representation skills • Interest in and commitment to social and economic justice and human rights • Ability to understand diverse perspectives and to be able to successfully influence and negotiate • Commitment to learning and working as part of a team, even with colleagues working from different locations • Experience in working successfully with diverse constituencies • Being flexible – willing to work outside the strict confines of a job description • Fluency in written and spoken English • Basic knowledge of monitoring and evaluation The Bench Marks Foundation is committed to diversity, inclusion and transformation.

Applicants must be eligible to full-time work in South Africa and be willing to travel occasionally.
Please submit your motivation letter, brief CV and certificates to recruit@bench-marks.org.za

Renumeration will be based on qualifications and experience.

Late applications will be disqualified.
Contact details: 011 832 1743