Principal Public Communication Officer at Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

Qualifications

For appointment to this grade, an officer must have:-

• Accumulative number of Nine (9) years relevant experience and served at the level of Senior Information Officer II DPP 9/JG ‘L’ and above OR in a comparable and relevant position in the Public Service or Private Sector;
• Bachelor’s degree in any of the following disciplines: Mass Communication, Communication Studies, Journalism, Public Relations, Social Sciences or any other approved equivalent qualifications from recognized institution;
• Postgraduate diploma in any of the following disciplines, in the case of serving holders of social science degree: Mass communication, Communication Studies, Public Relations, Journalism, International Relations or its equivalent and relevant qualifications from a recognized Institution/University;
• A clear understanding of the working of the media and the socio-political environment in Kenya;
• Good oral and written communication skills both in English and Kiswahili;
• Advanced computer application skills;
• Demonstrated professional and managerial competence as reflected in work performance and results;
• Extensive experience in writing/editing articles;
• Membership to a relevant professional body.

NOTE:   Possession of a Senior Management Course lasting not less than four recognized institution and experience of working across a broad including digital and print will be an added advantage. (4) weeks from range of media

Core Skills/Competencies

In addition to the above requirements, an officer must have the following skills;

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Good public relations, persuasion and negotiation skills;
• Research and evaluation skills
• Policy implementation skills;
• Leadership skills;
• Negotiation skills;
• ICT skills;
• Interviewing skills;
• Social media savvy;
• Photography and videography skill;
• Planning and Coordination skills;
• Problem solving skills;
• Managerial and organizational skills
• Analytical skills; and
• Supervisory skills;

Personal qualities

In addition to the above requirements, an officer must have the following personal qualities;

• Ability to articulate the ODPP’s mandate, vision, mission and policies to elicit the desired change among its publics;
• Creativity and innovativeness;
• Problem solving;
• Honesty and integrity;
• A strong team player;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Leadership, advocacy, relationship building and collaboration;
• Result oriented; and
• Self-driven.

Responsibilities

An officer at this level will be responsible to the Senior Assistant Director of Public Communication for the assigned Public Communication function. Specifically, duties and responsibilities will entail

• Contributing to the development of the ODPP communication and media strategy, to ensure the division meets the ODPP needs in the delivery of public prosecution services;
• Cascading the division work plan to all staff in the division to ensure the staff activities are aligned with the division strategy;
• Coordinating communication activities in the division to ensure the activities are delivered within set timelines and quality standards;
• Developing content for website and social media platforms to ensure ODPP reaches a wide audience and to supplement the other forms of communication employed by ODPP;
• Designing, printing and disseminating IEC materials in line with the ODPP media quality standards to ensure the materials supplement the other forms of communication used by ODPP;
• Conducting daily press review to pick out and analyze the information presented by the media on ODPP to ensure any damage control is conducted in a timely manner;
• Advising management on adverse media reporting to ensure minimal damage to the ODPP reputation;
• Managing assigned projects and programs to ensure delivery against set quality standards and timelines;
• Editing stories on various topical issues to ensure the stories meet the set quality standards for ODPP publications;
• Scheduling interviews with internal and external stakeholders to ensure required information is obtained;
• Organizing events to ensure the events are quality and meet the objectives of the Public Affairs and Communication Division;
• Managing media liaison and briefings to facilitate timely communication by ODPP, and to ensure the right information is communicated to the media, as well as to facilitate the management of negative publicity on ODPP;
• Producing documentary productions to add variety to the forms of communication employed by ODPP in order to appeal to a wide range of audiences;
• Conducting photography to ensure the content developed by ODPP is enhanced by appropriate photographs;
• Developing, editing and publishing e-newsletter to support efficiency in the use of resources to expand audience reach, and carter for all times of audiences;
• Preparing the division budget to ensure allocation of sufficient resources for the implementation of the ODPP communication strategy and overseeing proper utilisation of the resources;
• Preparing procurement plans for all planned and approved programmes and activities and monitoring their implementation;
• Initiating and carrying out research on various public communication issues and developing appropriate interventions;
• Developing standards and regulations in the management of Public Communications functions;
• Identifying ODPP events that require packaging for dissemination to the media and the public; and
• Mentoring and coaching staff working under him/her to enhance performance.