Communication Officer

**WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and**

**gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.**

**Job Title**:Communication Officer

**Type of Contract**:Consultant

**Division: ARC - **Communication Consultant

**Duty Station (City, Country)**: Johannesburg, South Africa (with potential relocation to Abidjan within contract period)

**Duration**:11 months

**BACKGROUND**:
The African Risk Capacity Specialized Agency of the African Union provides African sovereigns with capacity building services for early warning, contingency planning and risk finance. The Agency established its first financial affiliate, ARC Ltd, in late 2013. Operating on mutual insurance principles, ARC Ltd issues parametric weather insurance policies to governments. It uses ARC’s risk modelling and early warning software platform _Africa RiskView _to estimate the impact of weather events on vulnerable populations - and the response costs required to assist them - before a hazard season begins, and as it progresses. In the case of drought, index-based insurance payouts, based on _Africa RiskView, _are triggered at or before harvest time if the rains are poor, or as soon as a severe flood or cyclone have occurred. By allowing ARC Member States to capitalize on the natural diversification of weather risk across the continent and access the international markets as a single pool, ARC Ltd reduces transaction costs and premiums to the lowest level possible while remaining financially sustainable.

This early financing immediately following a weather shock is key to improving the efficiency of disaster response, transferring the burden of climate risk away from governments - and the farmers and pastoralists whom they protect - to the ARC, which can handle that risk much better including accessing private sector finance.

With an initial $200 million in seed capital and commitments provided by the governments of Germany (KfW Development Bank on behalf of BMZ) and the United Kingdom (through DFID), ARC Ltd issued drought insurance policies totaling nearly $130 million in coverage for a total premium cost of $17 million to a first group of African governments - Kenya, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal - in May 2014, marking the launch of the inaugural ARC pool. In January 2015, ARC Ltd made its first insurance payouts of just over $26 million to Mauritania, Niger and Senegal as a result of drought conditions in these countries in 2014. The timely funds provided to these Member States enabled them to implement an early response programme to their affected communities, ahead of any humanitarian aid, spearheading efforts to help countries move from managing crises to managing risks in a timely manner.

Three additional countries joined the pool in May 2015, increasing the drought coverage to over $190 million for the 2015/16 rainfall seasons. ARC has a target of up to 30 countries receiving coverage for drought, flood and cyclones totaling approximately $1.5 billion of coverage by 2020. This planned country level coverage alone, with premium payments of $300 million from participating African states, represents indirect insurance coverage for approximately 150 million vulnerable Africans, a significant contribution to the G7’s Elmau commitment of providing climate risk insurance to up to an additional 400 million poor people globally by 2020.

The ARC design and establishment phase was managed by WFP, under a MoU with the African Union, and WFP continues to provide administrative services support to the ARC Agency through an administrative services agreement.

**JOB PURPOSE**:
To develop, plan and implement strategic communications, working closely with senior leadership to align communications plans with business and advocacy objectives of both ARC Agency and ARC Ltd (the ARC Group). This includes the development and management of ARC’s longer-term communications infrastructure, including procurement of consultancy, public affairs, graphic design or other necessary services within an agreed budget and in line with desired outcomes and objectives.

**a) Public Relations/Media Relations Management **- raising the profile of the ARC Group among its stakeholders, the media and the general public and sharing information about ARC’s products, programmes and services. PR-related activities include:

- Development and implementation of strategic and forward-looking communications strategies - particularly in light of potential insurance payouts or basis risk events - among African stakeholders through African media, in the international finance, development and industry/trade press;
- Anticipating the communications needs of the Agency and the Company and advising the both institutions accordingly;
- Preparation and dissemination of press releases and media advisory/brief - at least i