Communications Officer

Role Summary

The Field Communications Officer is SAPA's eyes, ears, and storyteller on the ground in Sudan. Based in-country and traveling to active project sites, you capture the raw material of SAPA's impact — footage, photographs, interviews, and firsthand accounts — and turn it into accurate, dignified content for SAPA's global audiences. You are the critical link between field teams and SAPA Global Communications, ensuring stories are gathered safely, sourced responsibly, and delivered ready for production.

This role suits someone who is comfortable in demanding field environments, fluent in both Sudanese context and global storytelling, and disciplined about facts. Every figure and claim you submit must be verifiable.

Key Responsibilities

1. Field content capture

• Plan and execute content-gathering trips to hospitals, clinics, IDP camps, and partner sites, capturing professional-quality video, photography, and audio.
• Conduct and record interviews with patients, medical staff, beneficiaries, and field partners (with informed consent and dignity safeguards).
• Log, caption, and organize all field assets with accurate metadata — location, date, names, consent status — and transfer them securely to SAPA Global Communications.

2. Local media & partner liaison

• Serve as SAPA's first point of contact for Sudanese media, local journalists, and community stakeholders.
• Coordinate local interviews, site visits, and press access for SAPA spokespeople and visiting delegations.
• Build and maintain relationships with implementing partners, ministries, and community leaders to support accurate, respectful storytelling.

3. On-ground coordination with sites & hospitals

• Work directly with hospital administrators, field coordinators, and medical teams to identify story opportunities and verify operational data before it is published.
• Brief field staff on consent, photography, and messaging guidelines, and ensure all content reflects SAPA's standards and the dignity of those served.
• Flag emerging needs, milestones, and human-interest moments to SAPA Global Communications in real time.

4. Daily content, writing & outreach

• Draft field dispatches, captions, and short-form copy in Arabic and English for SAPA's social channels (@SAPA_Global) and editorial use.
• Support social media and daily content needs from the field, ensuring a steady flow of timely, ground-truth material.
• Contribute reporting and source material for media/PR outreach, donor updates, and advocacy campaigns.
• Coordinate with the Director and remote team on design and video production needs, providing the assets and context they require.

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in communications, journalism, media production, or humanitarian field reporting.
• Fluent Arabic and English, with strong writing skills in both languages.
• Demonstrated ability to capture professional photo and video content (DSLR/mirrorless and mobile) and basic editing.
• Strong knowledge of the Sudanese context and the ability to operate respectfully in sensitive, conflict-affected settings.
• Rigorous about accuracy — only verified, sourced data and quotes are submitted for publication.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Sudan to active project sites, sometimes on short notice.

Assets (Preferred)

• Experience with humanitarian or health-sector organizations.
• Video editing and motion/reel production skills.
• Familiarity with consent, safeguarding, and do-no-harm storytelling principles.
• Existing relationships within Sudanese media and civil society.

Working Conditions

• Field-based role with regular travel to project sites across Sudan.
• Periods of work in resource-limited and high-pressure environments; adherence to SAPA security protocols is required.
• Reports remotely to the Director, SAPA Global Communications, with a high degree of day-to-day autonomy.

What Success Looks Like (First 90 Days)

• A reliable, consistent flow of well-logged field assets reaching SAPA Global Communications each week.
• Established working relationships with at least the priority hospital and field sites.
• A documented field content workflow — consent, capture, labeling, and secure transfer — running smoothly.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following to SAPA Global Communications:

1. A current CV or résumé.
2. A short cover note (English and Arabic) explaining your interest and fit.
3. A portfolio or 2–3 work samples (posts, articles, reels, photo sets, or campaigns you produced)

Organization Background
The Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA) is a nonprofit, professional, and
humanitarian organization established in January 2019. SAPA is registered in the State of Texas
as a 501(c)(3) organization and operates with a U.S.-based headquarters.
SAPA has grown into the leading Sudanese medical humanitarian organization, supporting
hospitals, health facilities, and emergency medical services in conflict-affected and displacement
settings across Sudan and neighboring countries. Its work spans emergency response, health
system strengthening, advocacy, and institutional partnerships with multilateral and international
donors.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. SAPA is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds.