Communications Officer 398 views

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Services/Work Description: Implement the Post TRRC Communications Strategy.

Post Title: Communications Officer 

Employer: Ministry of Justice, The Gambia 

Duty Station: Banjul, The Gambia 

Duration: 180 working days over 10 months 

Expected Start Date: March 2025

BACKGROUND 

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) of The Gambia was established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2017 to create an impartial record of the nature, causes, and extent of violations and abuses of human rights committed during the period July 1994 to January 2017, and to consider the granting of reparations to victims. 

The TRRC conducted investigations into 17 themes of human rights violations and abuses within its mandate, including unlawful arrests, detention, enforced disappearance, and persecution of media personnel and political opponents, as well as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The Commission heard public testimonies from 393 witnesses, most of whom were victims, and over 50 of whom were either self-confessed or alleged perpetrators. 

On 25 November 2021, the TRRC submitted its Final Report to President Adama Barrow, detailing its findings and 265 recommendations for implementation by the Government. In response to the TRRC’s report, the Government of The Gambia issued its White Paper on the TRRC recommendations in May 2022, where it accepted to implement all, except for 2 of the TRRC’s recommendations. 

Subsequently, in May 2023, the Government released an Implementation Plan, detailing its strategy for the implementation of the TRRC recommendations. The Implementation Plan aims to ensure that the TRRC’s recommendations are fully and effectively implemented, in a manner that is transparent, inclusive, and accountable. The Plan outlines the steps that the Government will take to implement the various recommendations and identifies the key stakeholders responsible for implementing them. The Plan is for 4 years, from May 2023 to December 2027. 

The Ministry of Justice has set up a Post TRRC Unit (PTU) to serve as a Secretariat to the Steering Committee responsible for coordinating the implementation of the recommendations.

SCOPE OF THE WORK

Under the direct supervision of the Special Adviser to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice or his/her designee, the Communications Officer shall carry out the following general functions: 

▪ Develop workplans aimed at implementing the post TRRC Communications Strategy ▪ Support the implementation of the Strategy by, inter alia: 

▪ Preparing newsletters, and reports for public dissemination 

▪ Manage and update the Ministry’s website and social media platforms with relevant  content. 

▪ Support the Ministry of Justice’s Communications Unit, and the Public Relations  Team/Consultant 

▪ Monitor media coverage and provide analysis on public perception. ▪ Organize media training workshops for staff and partners. 

▪ Support the implementation of the coordination meetings, including the CSO  Platform meetings. 

▪ Assist in the ongoing consultations with relevant stakeholders and post-TRRC activities, through engagement, communications, and outreach activities.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES 

No. Deliverables / Outputs Estimated Duration 

Approving  Authority 

# Progress Report with tasks completed to date,  challenges and recommendations 

After every  18 working  days 

Special  

Adviser on  Transitional  Justice

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT / REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS 

The Communications Officer will work directly with the Special Adviser on Transitional Justice or his/her designee. This is a full-time, in-person position. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without approval. 

LOGISTICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TO PROSPECT IC 

The successful Communications Officer will be provided an office space at the Post-TRRC Unit at the Ministry of Justice for the duration of the consultancy. 

DURATION OF THE WORK 

The duration of this contract is from the date of signing the contract for 180 working days spread across ten months.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Minimum Academic Qualifications: 

▪ Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related fields

Years of experience: 

▪ Minimum 3 years of experience in media relations, content creation, and public  communication.

Competencies: 

▪ Strong written and verbal communication skills. 

▪ Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and digital content tools. 

▪ Ability to work under pressure and manage deadlines. 

▪ Excellent organizational, team building and planning skills.

Language and other skills: 

▪ Excellent knowledge of English, as well as writing, presentation, and communication  skills required. 

▪ Knowledge of local languages will be an advantage. 

Important Note: 

The Communications Officer is required to have the following professional and technical qualifications. Only the applicants who hold these qualifications will be shortlisted and contacted. Women, persons with disabilities, youth, victims and their family members are strongly encouraged to apply and to indicate this information in their application.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING THE BEST OFFER  

Upon the advertisement of the Procurement Notice, any qualified Communications Officer is expected to submit via email: a CV with contact details of at least 3 professional references, a motivation letter (max 1 page) explaining suitability for the position, a gallery of previously developed work/content, and in a separate email a financial proposal with their expected daily rate in GMD. Accordingly, Individual Applicants will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following scenario: 

▪ Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and 

▪ Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical 

and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals are: 

1. Technical Criteria weight is 70% 
2. Financial Criteria weight is 30% 

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 

Contract award shall be made to the applicant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: 

1. a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and 
2. b) having received the cumulative highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. 

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. 

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will be equal to 30.  

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical criteria and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer. 

PAYMENT MILESTONES AND AUTHORITY 

The qualified Communications Officer shall receive his/her service fees upon certification of the completed tasks as satisfactory by the Special Adviser on Transitional Justice, as per the following payment schedule: 

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROPRIETARY INTERESTS 

The Communications Officer shall not either during the term or after termination of the assignment, disclose any proprietary or confidential information related to the consultancy service without prior written consent. Proprietary interests on all materials and documents prepared by the Communications Officer under the assignment shall become and remain properties of the Attorney General’s Chambers & the Ministry of Justice or Democracy International. 

HOW TO APPLY AND ANNEXES TO THE TOR 

Interested individuals are to submit two documents, a Technical and a Financial  proposal to bids@posttrrc.com no later than 14 February 2025. Please read section 8  of this ToR for details of what to include in the Technical and Financial proposal. 

Interested individuals are encouraged to read the Government’s White Paper on the TRRC  recommendations, and its subsequent Implementation Plan, both available for download  here: https://www.moj.gm/downloads 

This TOR is approved by: 

Signature:

Date: 

1/15/2025

Name and Designation: Ida Persson, Special Adviser to the Minister of Justice on  Transitional Justice