Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia: Out-reach strategy and public campaign (PR Specialist)

Project ID: P165314

Project Title: Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia

Borrower Bid Reference: AM-AASW-253583-CS-INDV

Announcement

“Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia” Project

JSDF Grant No. TF0B2613

The “Armenian Association of Social Workers” non-governmental organization (hereafter AASW) announces a tender for the selection of the “Consultant on Outreach Strategy and Public Campaign (Public Relations Consultant) ” assignment within the framework of the “Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia” Project (hereinafter Project).

The main objective of this consultancy is to lead the design and implementation of the Project beneficiary outreach activities and Project communication campaign, specifically to provide efficient implementation of 1) beneficiary outreach campaign (communication with project target beneficiaries, etc.) 2) policy-level and project implementation communication campaign (conferences, round-table discussions, closing event, communication with mass media, etc.).

 The assignment will be implemented in October 2021 – June 2023 period. 

1. Scope of work 

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager (PM), who will act on behalf of the Client, the Consultant on Outreach Strategy and Public Campaign (Public Relations (PR) Specialist or Consultant) shall be responsible for the provision of technical assistance to the Project team for the design and implementation of effective beneficiary outreach and Project communication campaign in accordance of the Project Operational Manual (POM) and in compliance with provided communication and donor visibility (JSDF and World Bank) guidelines.

The Consultant will provide guidelines on an effective PR for the project (targeted to poor and vulnerable that are current beneficiaries of the Family Benefit Program), provide support in the implementation of effective project PR and communication during the Project activities, support in organization of relevant events, ensure timely update of the website and social media posts, cooperate with mass media representatives and NGOs.  

1. To implement beneficiary outreach campaign (communication with project target beneficiaries), the Consultant will:

• Based on a profiling of project targeted beneficiaries (including main demographic characteristics and communication’s preferences), prepare a Project PR & Communication plan (from October 2021 till the end of the Project) with suggestions related to project publications (leaflets on social case management issues and  beneficiaries’ entrepreneurship support, brief articles for project website, project media coverage through regional and national TV and Radio stations, etc.) and communication activities to  raise public awareness on Project activities (including project website news publications on organized events) and to support smooth implementation of the project, including facilitation of the experience sharing and promotion of best practices among the Project sub-grant program beneficiaries. The PR & Communication plan should include a detailed list of tasks, duration and frequency of such tasks and assigned responsibilities.
• Carry out on-going content development (announcements for project activities, blog articles, update of video gallery, photos, etc.) and technical administration of the Project website and pages in social media networks (Facebook and Instagram), as well as follow-up with the messages received through these communication channels. 

2. To implement policy-level and project implementation communication campaign (conferences, round-table discussions, closing event, cooperation with mass media, etc.) the Consultant will:

• Participate in planning and support in organization of the policy-level and project implementation communication campaign events (conferences, round-table discussions, dissemination of the methodological materials agreed with the MLSA and WB, closing event, etc.).
• Provide PR coverage of the Capacity building and entrepreneurship support component of the project (at least 10 publications on BMS trainings, 10 publications on sub-grant evaluation process, 20 success stories on sub-grant project implementation and 7 publications on trade fair exhibitions presented by the Project website and/or mass media). This coverage must include information from the 5 marzes of implementation.
• Provide PR coverage of the policy-level and project implementation communication campaign events (at least 15 publications by the Project website and/or mass media), organize at least 3 press-conferences and preparation of relevant press-releases.

3. To implement administrative functions related to project beneficiary outreach and public campaign the Consultant will:

• Participate and contribute in preparation of technical specifications (ToRs, other procurement-related documents) and identify qualified suppliers related to the beneficiary outreach and Project communication campaign (participate in evaluation committees as appropriate);

• Contribute in the preparation of the quarterly progress reports on beneficiary outreach and Project communication campaign,

• Ensure the strict provision of communication and donor visibility (JSDF and World Bank) guidelines and collaboration with the WB CO Communication team, 
• Carry out regular visits to Project target sites as per beneficiary outreach and Project communication campaign needs,
• Provide verbal or written presentations on the Project (as per project needs)
• Participate in regular implementation support missions undertaken by the World Bank;
• Perform administrative duties related to the Project communication (as per project needs)
• Carry out other duties as per need of the Project.

The Consultant should satisfy the following qualifications and requirements (this part will be removed from the ToR attached to the Contract):

• University degree in communications, journalism, public relations (PR) or a related field;
• At least 3 years of working experience related to the PR,
• Good understanding of the mass media sector of Armenia,
• Capability and proven experience in drafting messages in various formats (articles, press releases, websites, success stories, blog entries, FB posts, etc.) targeting a variety of audiences,
• Experience in social media management,
• Experience of PR activities with international organizations and/or projects (is an advantage),
• Experience of PR activities in the social sector, especially to audience that include poor and vulnerable families or individuals,
• High motivation to be involved in the implementation of the Project, ability to work effectively as a team player in a dynamic environment,
• Flexibility to travel in Project target marzes,
• Excellent knowledge of the Armenian, working level knowledge of English (verbal/writing),
• Good computer and ICT skills (web site administration, social media, multimedia, etc.).

1.         Background

The assignment envisaged by this Terms of Reference (ToR) will be provided within the framework of the “Promoting Social Inclusion and Self-Reliant Livelihood Activities in Armenia” Project (hereinafter PSISLA or the Project) implemented under the Grant Agreement (JSDF Grant No. TF0B2613) signed between the “Armenian Association of Social Workers” Non-Governmental Organization (AASW) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/International Development Association (hereinafter World Bank), acting as administrator of grant funds, on May 06, 2020.

The grant was received under the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) which is financed by the Government of Japan.

The Project is planned to be implemented within 2020-2023 time period.  

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase access to social assistance benefits and services, and provide self-employment support for about 11,000 extremely vulnerable individuals in selected regions in Armenia. The PDO will be achieved by strengthening the role of existing community and state (territorial) social workers as connectors between the households and available social assistance benefits and services and by providing entrepreneurship support to FBP beneficiaries as a pathway to graduate out of the program.

The project is expected to reach about 11,200 beneficiaries in five marzes of Armenia: Armavir, Ararat, Shirak, Lori, and Kotayk. The project beneficiaries will consist of two groups: 1) members of selected FBP recipient households who will receive (i) self-employment support or (ii) access to other social assistance benefits or services according to their needs as assessed by social case managers; and 2) social workers trained by the project.

The Project includes three components:

(i)        Component 1. Development and implementation of a pilot counseling program:

This component will support the country’s efforts to design and implement a structured social case management approach that can serve as a tool to enhance the internal cohesion of services and benefits in the country’s social protection and labor system. The objective of the Component-1 is twofold: a) to increase the accessibility of social services for the most vulnerable populations (FBP beneficiaries) in Armenia, and b) to activate those FBP beneficiaries with spare labor to become self-reliant by providing a number of (self-) employment opportunities. These objectives will be achieved by policy and technical support to the development of a social case management system and through development of operational procedures for identification, registration, enrollment and targeting beneficiaries as well as procedures for grievance redress, monitoring, community outreach, information campaign and capacity building.

The specific activities within the “Outreach Strategy/Plan and Public Campaign” Sub-Component-3 of the Component-1 includes the development of plans aiming to reach out poor and vulnerable households living in the project implementation areas, as well as the rollout of public campaigns to ensure a smooth project implementation.   The outreach and public campaigns will be comprised of the following two main interconnected working dimensions: 1) Beneficiary outreach campaign; 2) Policy-level and Project implementation communication campaign.

(ii)       Component 2. Capacity building and entrepreneurship support:

This component will strengthen the supply of programs supporting entrepreneurship by testing the provision of small business grants and the accompanying business training/coaching to FBP beneficiary households with spare labor to support their “graduation” out of the program. Based on lessons learned, including from the previous JSDF project, the project will emphasize strong screening, comprehensive evaluation and continuous capacity building (including training, mentoring, and coaching) to ensure sustainability of project outcomes.

(iii)      Component 3: Project management and administration; monitoring and evaluation; and knowledge dissemination.

This component will ensure proper implementation and monitoring of the grant activities, including various monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities aimed at assessing project performance and outcomes, as well as, knowledge dissemination activities. The AASW will be responsible for overall Project coordination, activity implementation, procurement, financial management, disbursement, monitoring, technical coordination, evaluation, and reporting to the World Bank.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (MLSA) is the main project partner institution.  The “Armenian Association of Social Workers” NGO, the JSDF grant recipient and Project Implementing Agency (PIA) is the contracting body for the assignment specified under this ToR. The AASW (founded in 2004) as the primary professional representative body of social workers in Armenia aims to advocate for the improvement of social policies and programs and strengthening standards of social work practice.

Application

All interested candidates meeting the above-listed requirements are requested to submit their letters of interest and CVs to the e-mail address below until October 14, 2021.

Please clearly indicate the title of the position (PR Consultant) in the subject line of the e-mail. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the interview.

E-mail:  procurement@aasw.org

Tel:  (374 93) 514499 (for questions and clarifications)

CONTACT INFORMATION
Organization/Department Armenia Association of Social Workers
Name Anna Ashughyan
Address K. Ulnetsi 64, Yerevan 0069
City 
Province/State Armenia
Postal Code 
Country Armenia
Phone 093 514499
Email anna.ashughyan@aasw.org
Website http://aasw.org