Introduction

Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), a registered public interest environmental law organization established a think tank institute, the Africa Institute for Environmental Law (AIEL). AIEL was established to undertake the functions of research, training, capacity building and teaching aimed at influencing policies on natural resource governance and  the environment. AIEL’s vision is to become a leading internationally recognized research-intensive institute on natural resources governance / environmental law. AIEL  has four  core objectives enlisted below;

1. To produce evidence-based researches that strengthen the capacity of natural resource governance institutions on  effective implementation of laws and policies that promote sustainable utilization of natural resources.
2. To design and deliver high quality training programmes that lead to systemic impact with regards to specific natural resources governance and environmental law issues.
3. To raise stakeholder awareness on sustainable and inclusive  natural resource governance and environmental laws by holding seminars, workshops, symposia  and other awareness raising activities.
4. To encourage government, CSOs and citizens to facilitate the utilization of local research findings to promote sustainable natural resources governance/management.

To deliver on its mandate and attain its strategic goals, AIEL is setting up an internal structure. It is against this backdrop that AIEL is recruiting  for a Research and Communications Intern. This is an exciting opportunity for a committed individual, to contribute towards the growth and development of AIEL.The Research and Communications intern will thus play a critical role as AIEL seeks to position itself for growth through improved visibility, production of quality research outputs and provision of high level trainings and capacity building to key actors enlisted in the AIEL strategy. 

Purpose

To support AIEL research projects through conducting research, analysing results and updating AIEL documents and social media handles.

Summary of Key Responsibilities:

The Research and Communications Intern will be responsible for:

• Taking minutes during AIEL meetings and dialogue sessions
• Assist in the preparation of AIEL activity reports,
• Assist in different AIEL research projects
• Take part in the compilation of AIEL proposals,journal papers research papers,blogs and other key  Information, Education and Communication(IEC) materials
• Implement the AIEL’s communication and visibility strategy;
• Carry out web-based updates on programme implementation;
•  Support the Communications team in creating, editing and posting creative content on AIEL Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn platforms using technical content and program updates.
• Support the Communications team in maintaining a collection of photos, graphics, icons, infographics, databites video clips to use in various digital content for AIEL
• Regularly monitor website and social media metrics and analyze monthly.
• Maintain a digital database and support the physical library of AIEL tools and resources.
•  Expand digital dissemination outlets for information sharing such as websites, webinars, social media, videos, data visualizations, infographics, emails listservs, 
• Assist  in and perform overall programme activities as may be assigned under the reporting matrix.

Qualifications and Professional Requirements

Interested candidates should have at least the following qualifications:

• Degree in social sciences or a relevant field with focus in Communications, Political Economy, Law, Governance, Gender Studies, Environmental Governance
• Preferably one to three years working experience  with at least one to two years of experience working as a communications professional for a non-profit, for-profit,; or related professional experience.
• Excellent command of English. Language abilities in French and Portuguese  or any other local language is an added advantage.
• Experience in use and interpretation of social media dashboards/management tools (Hootsuite) and social/web analytics software (Google Analytics).
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop),  presentation designing and visual communications collateral creation is a plus.
• Creative problem-solver with an eye for good design; on the cutting edge of emerging media trends and technologies.
• Strong writing and copy editing skills.
• Excellent organization and time management skills, including ability to juggle multiple tasks and respond rapidly to new events and competing priorities.
• Detail oriented, self-motivated and comfortable working in a small, collaborative team environment.
• Excellence in all MS Office Applications, particularly Word and PowerPoint.

Application

Interested candidates who meet the above requirements should submit their CV including cover letter which describes suitability of the person to take this assignment including information on relevant experience, achievements, and two recommendations (including one academic one) to  procurementzw@gmail.com by 12 April. The following title VAC:Research and Communications Intern for AIEL 21 should be clearly stated in the email subject.