Writing Coach & Editor at Oxfam

Oxfam in the Horn East and Central Africa (HECA) is working on rolling out a regional ‘Building Forward Better’ campaign to:

1. Draw attention to and reinvigorate the commitment to a fairer post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
2. Foster accountable and transparent COVID-19 response and economic recovery.

The change goal for the campaign is for national, regional governments and institutions commit towards building forward better economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oxfam knows that one critical way individuals and partners can contribute to the building forward better debate is through writing. The HECA regional platform hopes to support marginalized voices across the region to write and publish a variety of pieces, including stories, opinion pieces and blogs sharing their thoughts on areas such as tackling inequality, feminist economic recovery, post-COVID-19 economic recovery, debt crisis, people’s vaccines, shrinking civic space and how all these impact on HECA economies from building forward better. The written submissions will offer recommendations to inform how economies should re-structure post-COVID-19. We hope that in doing this, we will improve the ability of marginalized voices to influence and contribute to public thinking and decision-making.

The HECA regional platform therefore seeks an experienced writing coach and editor conduct a writing training workshop for approximately 3 days and then provide individualized writing and editing support to Oxfam staff, partners and marginalized voices living and working in Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The initial contract would be for a 1 month-period (17 days for both writing workshop and individualized writing support) from September 2021 with an approximate time commitment of 10 hours per week. The consultant will coach, review, edit and revise written materials, with objective of publishing approximately 20 high-quality written products in regional outlets as well as a briefing paper on building forward better.

Scope of work:

1. Conduct a three days writing workshop for Oxfam staff and partners
2. Establishing the purpose and intended readership of written and ensuring that the writing style is appropriate
3. Improving presentation and wording so that text is easy to read and understand
4. Providing extensive coaching and editing, adjusting writing style and structure where necessary
5. Ensuring key messages from written materials can be used on social media (typically Twitter and Facebook)
6. Recommending information that might be used for infographics within written materials
7. Ensuring references are cited correctly and checking facts and statistics for accuracy, while questioning potential errors
8. Ensuring grammar, punctuation and spelling is of the highest standard and consistency
9. Eliminating abbreviations where appropriate and using acronyms properly but sparingly
10. Monitoring paragraph length and content, eliminating repetition, and excising redundant text
11. Checking overall structure and relevance of headings, simplifying technical language, eliminating jargon as far as possible, and introducing definitions when appropriate
12. Rewriting long, complicated sentences, removing ambiguity and eliminating discriminatory language
13. Proposing interesting and imaginative layout for material to enhance readership
14. Providing feedback to writers by email and/or phone in a supportive manner that helps build writer’s skills
15. Advising on publication options and supporting pitching of written pieces to various print/online platforms.

Qualifications:

1. Significant experience providing writing coaching and editing support on a variety of written products, including creative writing, opinion pieces and blogs.
2. Familiarity with social, political and economic context within the Horn, East and Central Africa (HECA) region.
3. Experience working and writing about humanitarian issues.
4. Knowledge of publishing outlets within the region, including print and online newspapers, blogs and other outlets.
5. The ideal candidate would be able to work in both English and French.

Deliverables:

1. Coaching and editing support to 15-25 writers identified by Oxfam Country Programmes
2. Supporting writers to finalize pieces for publication
3. Ensuring publication of approximately 20 high quality written products in regional outlets.

Reporting:

The Consultant will report to the Regional Media and Communications Advisor. Questions regarding the terms of reference can be forwarded to martin.namasaka@oxfam.org copying ssc.consultancy@oxfam.org.