Communications Advisor | HPA - Laos

Volunteer Placement Details

Position Title: Communications Advisor

Country: Laos

Location: Vientiane with occasional travel to communities in Laos

Partner Organization: HPA

Duration: 3-6 months (flexible)

Start Date: To be determined

Pre-departure Training: VWB/VSF will provide training orientation.

Eligibility: Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only

Language: English (essential). Volunteer will have support of translator for some duties

Academic Requirements: Degree and/or experience in communications and/or marketing or a related field

Fundraising: VWB/VSF encourages each volunteer to raise funds towards the organization’s operations.

Volunteer Support Package

VWB offers you an incredible experience to take part in an international volunteer experience where you will expand your personal and professional skills while contributing to global development. VWB commits to supporting you throughout your volunteer journey and will cover the majority of the costs involved in being an overseas volunteer, including: 

• Return airfare to placement country 
• Pre-departure training
• In-country orientation upon arrival in country of placement 
• Return airfare to placement country 
• Visa/permit costs 
• The cost of required for vaccinations and anti-malarial medication 
• Overseas emergency travel health insurance 
• A monthly living allowance (MLA) that will be paid into the volunteer’s bank account in Canada. The MLA is designed to be sufficient to cover simple housing, basic food requirements, and other typical monthly living expenses. 
• Debrief after the placement  

Placement Goals and Responsibilities

As the Communications Advisor based in Vientiane, Laos, you will support Health Poverty Action (HPA) to support the development of a Communication Strategy and the work plan implementation.

As part of your role, you will:

• Support in the development of a Communication strategy
• Support in developing a work plan to implement the strategy
• Support to develop brand guidelines
• Build capacity in social media presence – content writing, frequency of posts, channel optimization
• Share best practices and build capacity in writing and sharing success/impact stories
• Build capacity of staff members by developing and providing training on the communications strategy and work plan as well as specific workshops on topics such as optimizing social media presence
• Promote gender equality by including women and girls in promotional materials and targeting women and girls throughout the communication strategy
• Ensure an environmental and sustainability climate action lens is applied throughout the placement by reducing the carbon footprint of the materials, for example by using environmentally materials  
• Promote good governance and human rights practices by promoting/educating women’s rights where relevant
• Participate in pre-assignment training 
• Submit reports as required by the partner organization and by VWB

Required Experience and Skills

• Degree and/or relevant experience in Communications/Marketing or a related field 
• Demonstrated experience in the development of communication strategy, brand guidelines and tools
• Knowledge of social media platforms, content writing and writing success/impact stories
• Knowledge of gender sensitivity/equality concepts and applications in comunication channels
• Minimum two (2) years relevant professional experience in your field of expertise
• A commitment to gender equality, One Health principles, and international volunteering
• Flexibility, adaptability, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity
• Experience with group facilitation and trainings, including content development considered an asset
• Experience living and working internationally considered an asset

Working Conditions

• Stairs in the office
• Community roads in poor conditions
• Rainy season – possible flooding and slippery roads