Media and Communication Officer_Roving

Background and response

In the past two years, more than 1.3 million migrants, including refugees, have fled conflict, persecution, extreme poverty and hardship to seek safety and a better life in Europe. Most of them travelled on smugglers’ boats departing from Turkey and Libya, risking their lives in search of safety and a better life. European border closures and restrictions dramatically worsened the situation for these vulnerable people on the move. Official figures count less than 60,000 people left stranded in Greece, with around 8,000 people stranded on Greek islands due to the implementation of the EU/Turkey deal in March 2016.  The shutdown of the Western Balkan route has left around 5,000 in Serbia. Until August 2017 thousands continued to arrive into Italy through Southern coasts. After the signature of the Italy/Libya agreement, the number of arrivals has significantly decreased but some thousands per month continue to land. At the same time, some hundreds of people are stranded at northern borders of Italy trying to reach France or Austria.

Having made a perilous journey across the Mediterranean, those who arrive in Italy and Greece believe they have found sanctuary, ready to seek asylum. Instead, they find themselves living in often overcrowded sites that lack basic services aren’t granted access to basic information to make informed decisions. In countries where Oxfam is operating a National Reception system is in place, but with many gaps and weaknesses which don’t ensure a proper application of fundamental people’s rights. In Greece, Italy and Serbia we are witnessing a system which is failing people, putting them into a more dangerous and vulnerable situation. People failed by the system are those who are « left out » of the system. These people are Oxfam’s target population in the response with the aim to help them to leave the situation of vulnerability they have been put in, and to create legal cases to influence the EU and National jurisprudence to help EU member states to create a better reception and resettlement system. Oxfam’s response has helped 288,000 people since the start of the operations in Greece, Serbia, Macedonia and Italy. Each of the countries of intervention has a different reception system responding to the different contexts. However, in each context, the system is failing to assist people, exposing them to risks and in some cases leaving them out of the system altogether.

The specificity of Oxfam response is twofold. On the one hand, Oxfam is the only large humanitarian organization focused on people “out of the system”, the most vulnerable group with no access to any government support structure and/or may be hosted in official facilities but whom the system is failing by denying them fair and transparent access to asylum and international protection. On the other hand, Oxfam is collaborating within governmental reception structures where services are lacking or are of poor quality. The humanitarian action is aiming at providing basic essential services, when missing, and protection services, including legal aid, ensuring a continuous presence either through mobile teams or being physically present in governmental centres or in fixed position outside centres.

Oxfam’s humanitarian intervention is integrated into advocacy and communication activities on both national and international levels, aimed at raising awareness about migrants’ rights, educating the institutional actors involved in managing migration, and positively influencing migration policies. Oxfam’s response strategy to migration embodies a One Oxfam approach whereby the public is engaged with our narrative that builds on programmes supporting refugees and other migrants that in turn provides the basis for our influencing to the policies affecting them. This

One Oxfam response encompasses public engagement (engaging with supporters, media and fundraising appeals), programmes in the Balkans, Greece and Italy and advocacy and campaigns (influencing EU policy and practice on migration).

Over the next two calendar years (2018 and 2019), Oxfam is aiming to raise around Euro 3M per year to deliver a regional humanitarian response, which is also routed in the national contexts. Funding will be used to support an integrated suite of programmes, policy, advocacy and research activities to respond the needs of people on the move in need of protection and mobilise likeminded organisations and the public to influence significant policy change.

The structure of the response is based on two Oxfam affiliates (Oxfam Novib and Oxfam Italy) delivering the responses in respectively Greece (ONL) and Serbia and Italy (Oxfam Italy). Other Oxfam Affiliates are contributing to the response with the Oxfam International Global Humanitarian Team supporting the operations.

The job purpose

This role will have to develop media and communications products that support Oxfam to raise the profile of the migration situation in Greece, Italy and Serbia with media outlets and members of the public across Europe. The post will ensure that the voices of affected people are heard by decision-makers and publics to help to bring about changes in how European governments manage migration. He/she will reports to: Europe Migration Campaign Manager. Matrix Manager: EU Media Officer

The Officer will,

• Work close to the front-face of the migration response in a high-pressure role
• Requires ability to analyse complex information and translate it into concise and punchy products for media and general public audiences.
• Work closely with team members across Europe, fielding multiple requests and meeting needs of different audiences
• Must be highly organised; can put together schedules and arrangements for stakeholders, including journalists and celebrities.
• Will need a keen media eye to identify a news-worth stories and follow through to delivery
• Has capacity to produce independently quality media and communication materials (draft press releases, blogs, video, photos, audio) that can be used by Oxfam media offices to cover a variety of national, regional and global media.

The role will involve extensive travel.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Media:

In line with Oxfam’s priorities,

• Contribute to generating national and international media coverage on migrant situation in Greece, Italy and Serbia and Oxfam’s programme response: draft press releases (suggesting main points, data and key facts), identify stories that can be pitched to journalists, ensure rapid social media reporting and engagement on Oxfam accounts on fast-moving events.
• Contribute to a media songsheet so that Oxfam staff across Europe have accurate, up to date information for interviews.
• Build relationships with international journalists visiting field locations, facilitate media visits to field operations, coordinate media interview requests from journalists to Oxfam spokespeople.
• Undertake monthly media monitoring for Greece and Serbia
• Conduct training sessions and workshops with colleagues and communities Oxfam works with in content gathering and responsible data management

Communications:

• Ensure a regular stream of testimonies/stories, together with photos and video footage of beneficiaries, and blogs is available to the Oxfam confederation to generate media coverage and to share with members of the public.
• Work with Oxfam offices across Europe to provide content to support Oxfam’s objective of reaching members of the public
• Work with Oxfam offices across Europe to supply new information for Oxfam websites.

Team work:

• Work well with Media and communications officers from across European countries
• Contribute to the development of Oxfam’s Europe migration campaign, media and communication strategies for the response.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

• At least 5 years experience in media, social media and communications.
• Experience in handling sensitive information (including responsible data management) and managing risk.
• Strong writing, editing and design skills.
• Ability to take high quality photos.
• Ability to do high quality work at speed and under pressure.
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Willingness to travel a lot and at short notice.
• Identifies with Oxfam and humanitarian values
• Has a sense of humour, good interpersonal skill and strong team-working skills.

Desirable:

• Speaking a second language (Greek, Italian, Arabic, Serbian, French)
• Video production and editing skills