Content Specialist

**About MSF**

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation committed to two objectives: providing medical assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion, natural and man-made disasters; and speaking out about the plight of the people assisted. MSF assists people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. Today, MSF is present in more than 70 countries, where thousands of MSF doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, and other medical and non-medical professionals work together to bring essential health services to people caught in humanitarian crises.

**About MSF Southern Africa Communications Department**

MSF Southern Africa’s Communication Department is mandated to raise awareness and understanding about medical humanitarian issues and the organization’s values and work among the South African society in support of mobilising influence and resources (advocacy, fundraising, and recruitment). The Department pursues this objective through awareness-raising actions, traditional news media liaison, online social media network engagement, and communication projects. At the heart of all these actions lies the capacity to develop messages and content.

**The Input Team** is a unit within the Communications Department that is responsible for the production of original content that aims to meet various departmental objectives of the Section, such as awareness, fundraising, and recruitment, across various platforms.

**Position Mandate, Mission, and Nature of the Role**

The mandate of the Content Specialist is to develop and improve the quality and quantity of MSF Southern Africa’s in-house content production to support MSF’s institutional and operational communication needs, predominantly geared toward online audiences.

The Content Specialist undertakes conceptualisation and production of Search Engine Optimised (SEO) content to deliver strong stories about MSF staff and patients, as well as projects where the organisation implements medical humanitarian action.

The position requires an organised, dynamic, and experienced storyteller with proven experience in production and coordination positions in the digital media environment, news/current affairs outlets, or documentary projects.

**Purpose of the job**

Develops high-quality content for MSF Southern Africa (SnA) that ensures MSF SnA departments’ communications needs are met and aligned to quality standards, including positioning and Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) frameworks and branding guidelines.

**Reports to**:Communication Manager: Content/Positioning (INPUT team)

**Accountabilities**

**Content production**
- Innovates storytelling frameworks/formats to meet MSF SnA’s objectives for a range of internal and external audiences. Identifies and evaluates opportunities (storytelling and content distribution) by testing new ideas and approaches that employ creative thinking.
- Produces original text and designs content as part of the overall content production output of the Content/Positioning Team.
- Produces search engine optimised “evergreen/always-on” web content to fulfill the SEO objectives of the Section.
- Sources and adapts and enhances existing MSF content aligned to MSF SnA Positioning framework, editorial choices, departmental strategies, and insights on content repurposing best practices and analysis to ensure materials are relevant and effective for MSF SnA audiences.
- Curates and compiles the bi-annual Mamela donor magazine, as well as the annual tax certificate, to support the communication needs of the Fundraising: Retentions department. Writes the monthly donor e-newsletter to support the communication needs of the Fundraising: Retentions department.
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**Relationship management & networking**
- Develops and manages a programme to identify, develop and maintain a network of MSF International Mobile Staff (IMS) content producers on assignment, internationally or in the Southern Africa region.
- Manages the process of new IMS briefings to ensure staff understand the importance and role of communications within the Section and Movement.
- Liaises with MSF communications colleagues internationally responsible for creative content production and editing to facilitate creative exchanges that influence insight and practices.

**Strategic advice**
- Provides strategic editorial advice and support to MSF SnA departments to ensure their content is aligned with the Positioning, Branding, and DEI frameworks.

**Skills transfer & training**
- Under the guidance of the Comms Manager: Content/Positioning, the Content Specialist trains MSF colleagues (with different levels of experience) on the basics of content production (e.g. planning, production & approvals), as well as DEI policy and MSF SnA positioning.
- Undertakes training of IMS to gather content and tell compelling stori