Country Communications Officer Full-Time

Roles and Responsibilities

1) Localisation of Communications Strategy

• Translate the global COAST communications strategy into actionable plans for Mozambique.
• Map key stakeholders at community, provincial, and national levels to inform engagement activities.
• Design and implement a short-term event and outreach plan aligned with COAST objectives.

2) Localisation of COAST Brand Assets

• Adapt COAST brand materials to the Mozambican context, ensuring cultural and linguistic relevance.
• Develop and produce communication assets for country stakeholders and in local languages if needed.
• Maintain consistency with COAST and FCDO branding guidelines across all materials.

3) Digital Content Creation

• Produce engaging content for the COAST Facility LinkedIn page and medium blog, showcasing impact stories and program updates.
• Ensure content reflects local context while maintaining global brand tone and standards.
• Track engagement and suggest improvements for digital outreach.

4) Guidance to Grantees and Technical Assistance Partners

• Support grantees and TA partners in applying COAST and FCDO branding guidelines correctly.
• Promote impact storytelling by collecting and curating images, videos, and narratives from implementation sites.
• Review partner-produced materials for compliance with branding and messaging standards.

Person Specification

Essential

Education:

• Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years in communications, stakeholder engagement, or public relations.
• Proven experience in localising global strategies for national contexts.
• Strong track record in content creation for social media and blogs.
• Demonstrated experience working on environmental topics such as coastal resilience, climate change, aquaculture, or related fields.
• Relevant experience working in consortium is an advantage.

Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Portuguese and English.
• Proficiency in Canva for creating visual assets.
• Strong stakeholder mapping and engagement capabilities.

Knowledge:

• Familiarity with development programs and donor branding requirements (e.g., FCDO).
• Understanding of Mozambican socio-cultural dynamics and media landscape.

Values:

• Passionate about environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

Desirable

• Experience in behaviour and social change communications.
• Photography and video editing skills.
• Knowledge of additional local languages in Mozambique.
• Familiarity with analytics tools for social media performance tracking.

Background of COAST

COAST Programme is a key part of the UK governments under the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) portfolio. BPF was launched in 2021. There are 4 components under COAST:

• Component A (COAST Facility): Technical assistance, grants, demand-led assistance (delivered by DAI).
• Component B: BlueTech Innovation Super-Highway (delivered by WorldFish).
• Component C: Blue Carbon Action Partnership (delivered by WEF).
• Component D: MEL (delivered by ITAD).

DAI is the lead supplier for Component A and this Terms of Reference is for Component A only.

The Priority Countries for COAST Component A (known as the COAST Facility) are Mozambique, the Philippines, Indonesia and Viet Nam. The COAST Facility includes 3 sub-components (SCs):

• SC1: Strengthening planning and policy in priority countries through the design and delivery of Technical Assistance (TA) packages; including TA to support national and sub-national capacities in coastal and marine management, data collection, evidence generation in decision making; analysis and capacity building; support the integration of ocean / climate objectives into non-ocean and climate sectors policies and plans; could include political economy analysis, security and sensitivity analysis for priority countries.
• SC2 – Inclusive coastal stewardship and livelihoods in priority countries through the provision of grant funding: including for capacity building, local level action on COAST priority themes and geographies; prioritising integrated approaches, local led community governance, stewardship and sustainable use of resources.
• SC3 – Responsive coastal management and governance support through the design and delivery of Technical Assistance (TA) packages: that provide support to UK posts in ODA eligible countries; This could include  support and analysis to help integrate coastal/ climate / ocean issues into other sectors policy and plans plus TA support to COAST themes and priorities.

DAI’s vision for COAST Facility

Human activities such as harmful fishing practices, coastal habitat conversion, and pollution directly contribute to biodiversity loss and degradation of ocean and coastal ecosystems and ecosystem services. This degradation amplifies coastal populations’ vulnerability, particularly in developing countries already burdened by high poverty, and frequently dependent on fragile ocean and coastal livelihoods such as artisanal fisheries and aquaculture. While the ocean is the primary source of animal protein for billions, climate change raises the stakes and compounds the problems as coastal areas are increasingly exposed to sea level rise, intense storms, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification, posing existential threats to both marine life and human communities.

DAI recognises the need to address these challenges holistically, integrating targeted interventions to improve both environmental and social systems. Our vision for the COAST Facility is “to revolutionise coastal and marine ecosystem management through a pioneering approach that uniquely combines local community empowerment with national reform and global advocacy.”

We propose an integrated methodology founded on five core delivery principles to direct our delivery approach. These principles are appropriate for addressing coastal and ocean challenges effectively; ensuring flexible and innovative solutions; the ability to deliver, manage and maximise impact; and ensure a high standard of programme and activity management tailored to the complexity of COAST.  They are a holistic approach, community-centred solutions, collaborative partnerships, legacy and sustainability, and learning and adaptation.

The COAST Facility team consists of a central Project Management Unit (PMU) and country teams in each priority country. DAI’s COAST consortia partners are Blue Green Advisors, DevLearn, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Wildlife Conservation Society.