Communications Assistant

Organization

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization that delivers impartial medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care in over 70 countries.

We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s common mission.

Department

MSF-USA’s Communications Department shares news, feature stories, and eyewitness accounts from our medical humanitarian projects with domestic and international audiences. We aim to inform, engage, and inspire people to help communities caught in crisis situations. As an organization founded by journalists as well as doctors, bearing witness to humanitarian needs is central to our work. MSF’s reporting and advocacy are grounded in the direct experiences of our staff and patients. The Communications Department is responsible for producing and curating creative content for our digital and print channels, pitching stories to news media, and promoting public engagement. We strive to uphold humanitarian principles and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.

Project

MSF-USA is seeking a Communications Assistant to provide administrative support to the Communications Department at our New York headquarters and to assist with related initiatives when required.

Tasks

• Support the Communications Department in budgeting, strategic planning, media monitoring, and annual planning processes.
• Schedule, prepare background materials, and take notes for departmental meetings.
• Provide support for webcasts, meetings, press conferences, and other virtual or in-person events, including special events outside of office hours as required.
• Organize shared communications files, archives, and calendars.
• Manage travel arrangements for department staff.
• Manage department expense invoicing, filing, and reporting (including corporate credit card statements).
• Manage offsite storage of exhibit and communications materials.
• Reply to general email and telephone queries, routing select queries to appropriate department personnel.
• Produce and compile monthly analytics reports on key performance indicators for the department.
• Assist with research, writing, copy editing, and transcription, as assigned.
• Assist with posting updates to MSF-USA website and optimizing content for SEO.
• Organize and conduct communications briefings and debriefings with US-based aid workers and maintain internal records.
• Manage accounts for periodical and online subscriptions.
• Attend regularly scheduled staff meetings and office-wide debates to stay informed on important MSF topics.
• Perform general administrative duties e.g., copying, faxing, mailing, ordering supplies and reference materials.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years related work experience, preferably in a nonprofit environment; Bachelor’s degree in communications or a related field, or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian principles of MSF, with a view toward pursuing a career in humanitarianism and/or nonprofit communications.
• Enterprising self-starter with a track record of demonstrating initiative.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills.
• Strong computer literacy, including ability to use word processing and database software and to conduct internet research.
• Basic Excel skills required, intermediate a plus.
• Experience with and interest in data analysis preferred.
• Familiarity with expense reporting and invoice management.
• Ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources and record information accurately.
• Ability to screen incoming calls and visitors with discretion and judgment.
• Competency in Spanish, French, or Arabic a plus.

Submissions without a cover letter will not be reviewed.

Application Deadline: February 17, 2023 & Desired Starting Date : Immediate

No phone calls or emails please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Your Safety Matters: Vaccination and booster against COVID-19 is a requirement at MSF – USA

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination:

MSF-USA is committed to building a diverse, unbiased, and inclusive workforce. MSF-USA is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities, or religious beliefs and practices. Members of communities historically underrepresented in the Humanitarian Aid sector are encouraged to apply.

If you have a disability of some kind and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources by emailing us: [email protected]. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.