Communications Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR ADVERTISEMENT

Position: Communications Officer
Department: Dengue
Location: This post is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. There will be a requirement to travel within Viet Nam and internationally.
Hours of work: Full time Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required.
Tenure: Initially for 1 year, including a 2 month probation period, with possibility of extension
Reporting to: Communications Manager (Katrina Lawson) and CHIM Grant PI (Prof. Bridget Wills)
Vacancy reference: JD-0519-009

Background

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Vietnam (OUCRU-VN) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit based in Viet Nam. We are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. We also have sister units in Kathmandu, Jakarta, Bangkok and Shantou.  As a Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

OUCRU – VN aims to have a positive and significant impact on global health and, in particular, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. This is being achieved via an integrated long-term research programme, contributions to training, the scientific literature, national and international meetings and membership of national and international committees. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals, and to Viet Nam as a whole. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care throughout Viet Nam and the region.

A new grant has just been awarded focusing on bioethics and stakeholder engagement aiming to: a) explore the legal, regulatory and administrative framework necessary to permit controlled human infection models (CHIMs), otherwise known as human challenge studies, to proceed in Vietnam, and b) to identify and mitigate real and perceived risks of such research. The pathogen of particular interest for this work is dengue, but if successful this framework would also permit performance of challenge studies using other pathogens (for example, Shigella and Influenza) that are of current interest to the Vietnamese public health community.

Job summary and Key tasks & responsibilities

• The communications officer will coordinate external and internal communications for the CHIM project.
• In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate for this position will be a comms professional with some experience working in the not-for-profit sector.
• You will be working in a team to implement communcations activities related to the CHIM grant, under the immediate guidance/mentorship of the Communications Manager. You will also work closely with the CHIM social science and public engagement teams. This role has two aspects:

Eternal communications:

• Scanning/monitoring discourse in public domain – with a domestic (Vietnam) focus to start with, possibly extending to Southeast Asia
• Assisting with design and supervising development of study website (login access only to start with – becoming a public website at later stages).
• Maintaining study website and regular content updates.
• Developing and maintaining a library and database of press clippings related to CHIM studies, dengue, and vaccine uptake and acceptability in Vietnam.
• Press and media engagement, including social media.

Internal communications:

• Assist with social science literature, and preparing materials in digestible format for stakeholders
• Preparing materials for international meetings
• Producing and maintaining branded templates for use by the study team
• Assisting the study team with preparation of presentations and documents, including overseeing graphic design and layout of posters, banners and other collateral
• Developing and maintaining an image library for imagery related to the study, including ensuring compliance with ethics regulations
• Contribuing to written reports and publications.

Benefits

• Contracted salary: Negotiable (depending on actual experience and education).
• Optional insurance: In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage
• Two months’ salary for annual bonus and clothes
• Annual leave 18 days each year for the first year
• Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labor Law.

Selection criteria

Essential criteria:

• Experience working as a professional communications officer
• Excellent spoken and written VIETNAMESE and English
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in cross-cultural settings
• Experience monitoring press and social media for special interest topics
• Understanding of principles of branding, and able to write a design brief and supervise production process for branded materials including website
• Highly organized
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, and yet be a team player
• Willingness to perform other tasks requested by CHIM study PI or Communications Manager

Preferred criteria:

• Experience working in communications in not-for-profit and/or health related sector
• Existing personal networks with media and experience managing press releases in Vietnam
• Moderate ability with Photoshop or similar, and desktop publishing.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to send curriculum vitae, application and copies of relevant certificates, either by email or by post to

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit
Laboratory of Clinical Science
Hospital for Tropical Diseases
764 Vo Van Kiet, Ward 1, District 5, HCMC
Tel: 39237954
Email: [email protected]

* The cover letter should detail:

• What part of your education, training oremployment history has best equipped you for this position?
• Why you would make a good candidate for this position?
• Names of two referees who can provide details of relevant experience

* We thanks all applicants but only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Contact person: Ms Nguyen Thi Hong Phuc
Deadline for submission: 5th June 2019