Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

The Communications Officer under the USAID CSM-STAND Bolstering Civil Society Activity in Sri Lanka will support the project’s overall goal to assist Sri Lanka in maintaining a vibrant civil society that empowers citizens to advance the democratic values of citizen participation. Activities will link CSOs across communities, districts, and regions to have a voice in local governance and national reform processes. This is to be a 5-year activity that commenced in September 2022.

 

The Communications Officer is expected to support all communications functions of the USAID/CSM-STAND Bolstering Civil Society Activity in Sri Lanka, especially external communication of Pact’s approach and key results in the country. The Officer will also provide support in maintaining digital platforms used to capture and disseminate project results and success stories, in addition to supporting communication and outreach efforts, in adherence to USAID and Pact standards. This position will report to the Strategic Communications Manager and work collaboratively with the technical team.

• Support in the development of external and internal materials on state-of-art methods related to the activity and edit communication materials, memos, and other analytical document
• Assist in communications plans for a variety of stakeholder groups, create relevant messaging and materials, and implement communications strategies in line with the relevant donor and Pact branding guidelines
• Support in developing and maintaining a project website and social media platforms, if applicable, to promote internet-based knowledge sharing for the project
• Develop and deliver appropriate training programs, workshops, forums, and other public outreach campaigns to raise awareness of project interventions
• Coordinate marketing and promotion of the project activity
• Manage relationships with technical outreach partners including local and international firms
• Develop specific targeted communication objectives and communication plans
• Compose, edit, design, record, produce publications such as newsletters, leaflets, and brochures
• Other duties, as assigned

• Bachelor’s and 7 years of experience.
• Master’s degree in communications, journalism, international relations or related field and 5+ years relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in public diplomacy and communication strategies, digital media, event management, brand development, as well as experience providing support to US government funded projects
• High-level interpersonal and communication skills, as well as stakeholder management skills
• Strong computer skills with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop) Publisher, R Project, Inkscape, WordPress, and a variety of website applications
• Experience using online communication platforms and tools (Zoom, Teams, etc.) to manage virtual events, workshops, etc.
• Professional level language skills in English and local language(s)
• Sri Lankan nationals only

• Understanding of governance programming in Sri Lanka, especially related to civil society working in relevant thematic and technical areas
• Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds while maintaining impartiality and objectivity
• Knowledge and/or experience working in a similar position on USAID programming