PROJECT ASSISTANT/COMMUNICATION OFFICER IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION 6397 views

VACANCY: PROJECT ASSISTANT/COMMUNICATION OFFICER IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION

Job Title:              Project Assistant and Communication Officer
Duration:             01.05.2026 – 30.04.2027, with possible extension
Location:              Gaborone, Botswana

Background

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is the oldest political foundation in Germany with offices in more than 100 countries. Our foundation focuses on the core ideas and values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. We support a policy for peaceful cooperation and human rights, promote the establishment and consolidation of democratic, social and constitutional structures and are pioneers for free trade unions and a strong civil society.

The FES Botswana office opened in 1974 and has since been in cooperation with local and international partners in areas of civic education to strengthen the civil society and trade unions. FES-Botswana’s main focus is on the empowerment of youth and participation of women. Since 2025 the FES-Botswana serves as the Africa Democracy Hub; a regional component that is central for Africa-wide continental approaches in the thematic area of youth work, political party dialogue and democratic development within the FES Africa Department.

Key Responsibilities

The Project Assistant and Communication Officer supports the planning, implementation, and visibility of projects. The scope of duties shall include:

• Organisation of events in the national and regional FES programmes in Botswana;
• Thematic research, elaboration of papers and presentations as per assignment by the FES Country Director and Programme Manager;
• Cooperation, communication and networking with relevant national and regional project partners;
• Administrative and office management duties;
• Management of activity budgets and compliance with financial rules;
• Implementation of the communication strategy appropriate to the project objectives;
• Management of the official communication, including the website, newsletter, contacts with journalists and supervision of social media accounts;
• Support to the Resident Representative in day-to-day communication and visibility activities (e.g. production of communication materials, social media feeds) and liaise with the media;
• Autonomous contact with suppliers for activities and communications services;
• Support to communication projects: producing press releases, organising events, liaising with press and media organisations, managing the office’s Facebook page;
• Responsibility for reporting indicators (dashboards, performance measurement, etc.) for the communication strategy;
• Cooperation and communication with other FES offices in the region;
• Other tasks as assigned by the Resident Representative within reasonable scope

Qualifications and Competencies

Bachelor Degree (or higher) in Social Sciences or related studies and a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience. Additionally, the candidate should fulfil the following criteria:

• Minimum of 3 years proven experience in event organisation
• Minimum of 2 years of proven previous experience in communication tasks
• Has a good knowledge of ICT technologies and computer applications (Microsoft Proficient)
• Has ideally working knowledge of Canva, Photoshop and Adobe Access
• Be aligned and in support of the values of the foundation
• Be a team player and a very good networker
• Display sound strategic thinking and analytical skills
• Able to negotiate and communicate well
• Has a clear vision for the future of Botswana, its political, economic and socio-cultural development
• Able to work in stressful situations and ability to multitask
• Willing to travel within Botswana and abroad, if needed
• Be fluent in both English and Setswana
• Has a valid Class B drivers license