Learning and Communication Specialist

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: Mercy Corps

Deadline: Aug 15, 2025

Job Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Position Title: Learning and Communication Specialist

Duty Station: Addis Ababa

Open Position: 1

Safeguarding Risk Level: Low

Position contingent on new funding

General Position Summary

Under the technical guidance of the Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist plays a key role in amplifying the visibility, impact, and learning generated through Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s humanitarian programs portfolio. This position leads to the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications strategy, with a strong emphasis on humanitarian response documentation, program learning, and multi-stakeholder engagement. Communication specialists will lead to the creation of impactful stories, evidence-based content, and learning products that reflect program achievements and challenges across sectors.

This role will also support meaningful knowledge exchange and documentation across the program cycle, ensuring that evidence, best practices, and innovation inform programming and external influences. Additionally, the Communications specialist will represent Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s humanitarian in external communications forums and cultivate strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, including media, government bodies, peer agencies, research institutions, and donors.

Humanitarian Communications and Knowledge Dissemination

• Collaborate with humanitarian response teams to document emergency interventions, early recovery efforts, and resilience outcomes.
• Design and roll out dissemination strategies for emergency response achievements using traditional and digital media, donor platforms, and sector coordination mechanisms.
• Develop tailored products (e.g., situation reports, case studies, photo essays) that elevate the voices of affected communities and highlight program outcomes and gaps.

Learning, Documentation, and Knowledge Sharing

• Work closely with MEL to package learning outputs and evidence into engaging formats for program teams, partners, and external stakeholders.
• Lead or support documentation efforts for After-Action Reviews (AARs), learning events, and key program milestones.
• Coordinate the production and distribution of internal newsletters, learning briefs, and donor updates in collaboration with the PaQ team.

Partnership Building and External Engagement

• Establish and maintain strong communication networks and partnerships with peer organizations, media outlets, research institutions, UN agencies, and relevant government stakeholders.
• Organize and support stakeholder engagement events, high-level donor visits, and joint visibility campaigns that enhance Mercy Corps’ positioning.
• Collaborate with relevant partners and networks to co-create knowledge products or co-host platforms for learning and dissemination.

Capacity Building and Internal Support

• Build the communications capacity of Mercy Corps Ethiopia team members through training, coaching, and technical support in content development, storytelling, branding, and photography/videography.
• Provide advisory support to program teams on developing communications strategies aligned with donor guidelines and audience expectations.
• Lead or coordinate crisis communication and media engagement in collaboration with Regional and Global Communications teams.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability to program participants and to international standards. This includes active community engagement in the design, implementation, monitoring, and learning of programs.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• BA/MA in communications, journalism, international development, or related field. A master’s degree is preferred.
• At least 4–6 years of progressive experience in communications, media relations, or public affairs, preferably in the humanitarian or development sector.
• Proven experience producing multimedia content (written, visual, digital) and managing dissemination in diverse contexts, including emergency settings.
• Strong understanding of humanitarian principles, donor communication requirements, and branding policies.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex technical content into accessible stories and knowledge products.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Amharic; additional local language skills are a plus.

Success Factors

• Excellent storytelling, writing, and editing skills for diverse platforms and audiences.
• Creative, strategic thinker with strong visual literacy.
• Strong interpersonal, partnership-building, and networking skills.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and deliver high-quality content under tight deadlines.
• Adaptability to diverse cultural and programmatic environments.
• Committed to gender equality, inclusion, and ethical representation in communications.

Ongoing Learning and Development

All Mercy Corps team members are encouraged to dedicate at least 5% of their time to personal or professional learning activities aligned with their role and career goals.

Merit Based Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek solid backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can collectively become stronger and have a sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where merit based equal employment opportunities are available to all.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.