Terms of Reference

Communications and Advocacy Officer

Employment Position : Communications and Advocacy Officer

Application Deadline : 22 August 2024

Location : Surakarta, Central Java (Indonesia)

Language Required : Fluent in English and Indonesian

Kota Kita is growing, and we are looking for passionate, impact-driven, creative, yet analytical urbanists to join our team! We are looking for those who genuinely want to make our cities a better place—more inclusive and sustainable for all. We are growing our communication and advocacy initiatives. We seek a Communications and Advocacy Officer to join our team and amplify our campaign to make our cities more equitable, inclusive, and climate-resilient!

About Kota Kita

Kota Kita is a growing non-profit organization based in the Surakarta (Solo) city of Indonesia with expertise in urban planning and citizen participation in the design and development of cities. We build bridges between citizens and government towards a shared vision. We facilitate citizen participation and collaboration, influence urban policies, encourage open access to information, and provide civic education to empower active urban citizens. We take on issues such as governance, inclusivity, and climate change resilience. We have an interdisciplinary team with a design-driven approach to developing tools and methods for city-making. For almost a decade, Kota Kita has worked in more than 20 cities in Indonesia on a diverse range of projects, from small-scale urban interventions, and city-wide assessments, to large-scale strategic planning and visioning. We build platforms for new voices for change in our cities by organizing events such as the annual Urban Social Forum (https://urbansocialforum.or.id/) – a civil society-led forum in Indonesia that brings together civil societies, civil servants, practitioners, and students that work towards improving our cities. 

Background

Kota Kita is seeking a Communications and Advocacy Officer to support daily activities and contribute to the Communication & Advocacy Team at Kota Kita. The officer will report to the Communication & Advocacy Manager and work closely with the program and research team. The Communications and Advocacy Officer will need to be a creative multi-tasker with a passion for learning new skills and processes on the go, demonstrate sharp analytical skills, and possess the ability and understanding to communicate effectively with different audiences.

The key responsibilities of the Communications and Advocacy Officer include:

• Produce regular research-based, engaging, and tailored multimedia content for Kota Kita’s digital channels, including social media, website, and newsletter. 
• Transform research and program findings into creative campaigns as well as policy briefs.
• Contribute to writing articles/press releases in Indonesian and English language. 
• Engage key audiences (e.g., urban policy decision-makers, government officials, activists, social leaders, and civil society organizations) and the most effective forms of communication (e.g., traditional forms of media, social media) to influence and persuade those audiences to take action in relevant focus issues.
• Coordinate and facilitate events and support in handling media relations and other stakeholder/donor engagements.
• Contribute to developing and implementing Kota Kita’s communication and advocacy strategies, i.e., key messages and tactics to raise public awareness on urban issues relating to our work.

Qualification

The candidate should be:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, public policy, social science or urban planning/design, architecture, environmental science, or a relevant field is required.
• At least two years of professional work or equivalent experience in communications for development or advocacy is preferred.
• Experience in visual communication through Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Canva is highly relevant.

Competencies

These are some of the core competencies required for the position:

• Advanced writing and communication skills in Indonesian and English (for media-related materials, policy briefs, summaries, and reports).
• Experience in implementing social media campaigns, organizing public outreach, and other external engagements.
• Experience in doing publication design. 
• Basic skills in video editing are a plus 
• Good ability to read and analyze data.
• Ability to interact with different stakeholders across different levels. 
• Advanced presentation skills.

Experience and/or interest in one or more of the following themes is an asset:

• Collaborative and participatory design.
• Public Policy.
• Communication for Development.
• Urban planning and development.
• Climate change and urban resilience.

Benefits

What does Kota Kita offer you?

• The opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team of passionate urban changemakers.
• The opportunity to work on some of Indonesia’s most pressing urban challenges.
• The opportunity to work across a variety of programs and initiatives.
• The chance to work with friendly, talented team members and diverse partners from international development organizations, local governments, academics, research institutions, civil society organizations, youth groups, and many others in a collaborative and innovative work culture.
• A high degree of responsibility but also autonomy.
• Competitive salaries.
• Regular training opportunities.

Location

Our office is primarily based in Surakarta (Solo), Indonesia, but operates in many cities. 

Tentative Starting Date

October 2024

Application requirements

To apply for this position, you must fill out the application form in Google Forms (https://bit.ly/KK-CommsOfficer2024) and upload the following supporting documents through Google Forms:

1. Your most recent CV.
2. A short 2-minute video about yourself (maximum file size is 10 MB).
3. Creative writing samples (one in English and one in Indonesian; different topics between the writing in English and the writing in Indonesian) of any issues that best illustrate your writing capabilities.
4. A portfolio of your work (videos/infographics/campaigns/illustrations/others) that best represents your creativity, interests, skills, and qualifications.

The application deadline is on 22 August 2024, at 23.59 WIB.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you have any queries, please email us at [email protected].  

Application sent via email to [email protected] will not be considered.

For more information about us and our work, find out more on:

Website : www.kotakita.org

Instagram : @kotakitaorg

LinkedIn : Kota Kita Foundation

Twitter : @kotakitaorg