About CIVICUS
CIVICUS exists to defend people power. As a growing global alliance of over 15,000 members in 189 countries, we work together to monitor violations of basic civic freedoms, call out the perpetrators of violations and strengthen the power of people to organise by supporting a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society. We strive to promote excluded voices, especially from the Global South.
About the Role
The Research and Communications Officer provides research and communications support to the CIVICUS Lens initiative and the State of Civil Society Report. In the research capacity, the officer conducts, transcribes and edits interviews with civil society sources and performs desk research to gather and verify information. In the communications capacity, they lead the design and implementation of media and social media strategies, which includes pitching op-eds to journalists and tracking the editorial flow of all research products. The role is responsible for producing visual content such as infographics and social media kits, maintaining the publications database, monitoring social media performance and organising webinars and launch events. Additionally, the officer manages the production and distribution of multilingual content by coordinating directly with designers, translators and editors.
Key Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, political science, international relations or development studies.
- Proficiency in English.
- Competence in French and/or Spanish (intermediate level).
- Minimum 3-year relevant experience.
- Familiarity with key international civil society networks and inter-governmental institutions.
- Understanding of the global media landscape.
- Understanding of social media platform dynamics.
- Excellent written and oral communications skills.
- Experience with social media messaging and distribution.
- Ability to translate complex issues into accessible pitches and to develop messaging that resonates with target audiences.
- Basic design skills (Canva, Piktochart).
- Interpersonal skills: inclination and ability to work as part of a diverse, multicultural virtual team.
- Behavioural skills: well-organised, able to work independently and to deliver under pressure and within deadlines, with high attention to detail.
Please click here for a full Job Description
How to Apply
The closing deadline for applications is on the 23rd February 2026 at 11:59pm SAST.
Interested candidates should click here to apply or go to https://civicus.bamboohr.com/careers
Your application should comprise of:
- A full CV, including educational and professional qualifications, a full employment history showing the more significant positions, responsibilities held, and relevant achievements.
- A covering note of not more than one page outlining your motivation for applying for the role.
Short listed candidates will be contacted 2 weeks after the closing date to schedule interviews.
We appreciate and consider each application submitted. However, given the large volume of applications received, we find it impossible to respond to each applicant immediately. You will hear from us within three weeks only if you’re shortlisted for the next steps. We will update all applicants once the position has been filled.
CIVICUS reserves the right to withdraw any of our vacancies at any time.
