Entertainment-Education Coordinator PCI-Media Impact

Status: Full Time
Reports to: STEWARD Communications Manager
Office: Based in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Travel required: Approximately 40%
Length of Position: Until September, 2015

Project Background:
The United States Government, as represented by a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa and the United States Forest Service, International Programs (USFS/IP), is funding the regional Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West African Regional Development Program Phase III (STEWARD III). STEWARD III is a forest conservation, climate change and sustainable livelihoods program focusing on trans-boundary priority zones in the Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. The USAID and USFS/IP partnership began conserving this ecosystem under STEWARD Phase I (October 2007 – June 2009). Work was expanded under a second phase of STEWARD (July 2009 - February 2011) to address regional threats to biodiversity and to capitalize on opportunities to support peace building, biodiversity conservation, knowledge dissemination and policy harmonization. The program is now transitioning into Phase III, a four-year program through September 2015.

About Media Impact:
Media Impact empowers communities worldwide to inspire enduring change through creative storytelling. Media Impact is a leader in Entertainment- Education and social change communications. For 25 years, we have worked with local partners to produce programs that address the most pressing social and environmental issues. Using our unique My Community methodology, we engage and empower audiences around the world to improve their own lives. Working with local partners, we have produced more than 3,000 episodes of 100 TV and radio productions. Together, these programs have reached more than 1 billion people in 34 countries.

About the Position:
Media Impact has been selected by USFS/IP, to lead the STEWARD III Communications Program. The STEWARD Entertainment-Education (E-E) Coordinator will be part of a three person Communications Team with specific responsibility to lead on an E-E Behavior Change Campaign through the successful development and production of 52 episodes (two seasons of 26 episodes) of a regionally produced Serial Radio Drama, complementary Interactive Radio Magazine Shows and Community Mobilization Campaigns in targeted communities. Working closely with Media Impact New York staff, the position will report to the Communications Manager, also based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Under the supervision of the Communications Manager and Media Impact NY support the development of a STEWARD Strategic Communications and Outreach Plan, including an Entertainment-Education component.
• Supervise or coordinate communications personnel (either staff or partners) in the three STEWARD priority zones.
• Support and work in close collaboration with the Communications Manager, and STEWARD partners in the STEWARD Priority Zones to successfully implement the agreed program. This includes participating in planning meetings, establishing work plans, communication and evaluation plans, and budgets.
• Support the Communications Manager in providing day-to-day project management, in consultation with Media Impact NY, of the Media Impact STEWARD grant, including completion of all project reports and work plans and budget preparation and management.
• Design, plan and deliver E-E workshops for relevant STEWARD partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure development of all the required material and documentation for the radio drama, including story synopsis, character profiles, final scripts, E-E planning tools, etc.
• Identify and select radio drama and magazine program production teams, including contracting scriptwriters, producers and directors, actors, hosts and recording/editing studios.
• Facilitate the script review process along with STEWARD partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure that all episodes of the E-E serial radio drama and the radio magazine programs follow the E-E methodology and are linked to the overall STEWARD objectives.
• Ensure that production is completed on-time and within budget for broadcast of all radio drama episodes and radio magazine programs.
• Ensure broadcast agreements are in place with radio partners and programs are broadcast as scheduled.
• Work with partners in each STEWARD Priority Zone to design and implement a Community Mobilization Campaign.
• Work as part of the STEWARD Communications Team and with other STEWARD partners to design and implement an M&E process to measure program impacts.
• Support other regional E-E training, as relevant for STEWARD.
• When appropriate, represent Media Impact at universities, Entertainment-Education and communication conferences, forums, etc.
• Additional tasks may be assigned from time to time.

Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge Requirements:
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Ability to communicate effectively (including training) in French.
• Education and/or experience equivalent to a Master’s Degree in communications for development (C4D), branding, international development, journalism, Entertainment-Education, social marketing or a field relevant to media/communications and development.
• Strong understanding of issues impacting developing countries, particularly around, biodiversity conservation, climate change, natural resource management, sustainable livelihoods, water and sanitation, and sustainable development.
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in Entertainment-Education, development/conservation education/outreach, communications for social change, journalism, public relations.
• Experience conducting training workshops and mentoring.
• Project management, planning and report writing experience.
• Ability to work and communicate with a range of stakeholders including policymakers and government officials, NGOs, the media, community representatives.
• Ability to thrive in team environments, with a strong understanding of diversity and other cultures.
• Immediately available to work in Sierra Leone; able to travel without restrictions to the other 3 countries in the STEWARD program and the US.

Please send cover letter and CV to jobs@mediaimpact.org; all materials due by March 27, 2012.