Interim Digital Communication Assistant

**About MSF**

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or people excluded from access to health care. The organisation has health projects in more than 70 countries. MSF South Africa is located in Johannesburg, with an office in Cape Town. MSF SA is governed by the MSF Southern Africa Association, which is made up of more than 300 members from seven countries in the region.

**MSF SA has the following organisational responsibilities**:

- Recruit medical and support staff to work internationally on MSF projects.
- Provide strategic medical and technical support and training to MSF projects (especially those focusing on HIV/AIDS and TB).
- Communicate to the public, and collaborate with humanitarian, health, activist and academic organisations and institutions.
- Advocate for specific health issues, particularly access to treatment, medicines and diagnostics.
- Raise funds to maintain MSF's medical humanitarian work.

**Job Overview**

The Digital Communication Assistant will work closely with the digital and media relations communication team to raise awareness about MSF and its work by maintaining quality digital communications across platforms and cultivating interactions with MSF South African audiences via social media.

**Reports to: Communication Manager**: Digital and Media Relations

**Unit**: Communication
- Time management skills.
- Website management skills.
- Community Management skills.
- Social Media Monitoring and Reporting.
- Understand how content works on digital platforms.
- Analytical skills.

**KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES**:
**Website**
- Edit identified articles by ensuring they are correctly tagged and quality images are used.
- Optimising content on the website for improved user experience and Search Engine Optimisation.
- Ensure relevant content is hyperlinked to improve Google search ranking and SEO.
- Ensure the layout is consistent throughout all articles.

**Social Media**
- Work with the social media Officer to help build and manage MSF South Africa’s online communities.
- Monitor and respond to social media trends observed in a proactive fashion.
- Measure and report social media activities.

**Community management**
- **Acquisition and Content Validity**
- Working with the Social Media officer, regularly update the community management strategy.
- Update the community management documents for any problematic comments/ questions during this period.
- Categorise the queries and responses.

**Using listening tools**:

- Put MSF SA’s audiences first with an effective social customer care strategy. Work with the Social Media Officer to nurture our communities, ensuring that no comment or question is left unanswered.
- Monitor brand mentions and spot patterns in mentions. Identify who mentioned a given keyword or query most frequently to find influential community members interacting with our pages and, leverage their voices, take an opportunity to engage.
- Focus on keywords that are relevant to MSF and monitor brand mentions across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Monitor hashtags, fans/follower posts on MSF pages. Respond to queries/comments as quickly as possible. Work with the team to efficiently answer comments as they come in - seek assistance from the team to reduce errors, especially when unsure how to respond.
- **Crisis Management**
- Support the implementation of the social media crisis management strategy.

**Follow MSF operations to support communications activities**
- Closely following developments in MSF operations by reading regular operational updates.

**Other Tasks**
- Perform other tasks as requested by the social media officer and other team members.

**REQUIREMENTS**

**QUALIFICATIONS**
- Bachelor's degree or post-graduate qualification in journalism, communication or marketing

**KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS**
- Interpersonal / collaboration skills.
- Communication skills (ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written communication, understanding and following written and oral instructions).
- Problem-solving skills, including the ability to handle stressful situations in a professional manner.
- Quality of work skills.
- Understanding of communications processes and approaches.
- Good working knowledge of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, related Apps & other social networking tools & platforms.
- Experience in using social media monitoring tools.
- Ability to coordinate and organize effectively.
- Proactive and flexible approach to work and ability to work well within a team.
- Excellent verbal and written proficiency in English.
- Interest in humanitarian and global health issues.
- Awareness of best industry practices.
- Experience in managing social media accounts and/or campaigns.

**Personal attributes**
- Attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently, as part of a team and int