The Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) advances the promotion, protection, and respect for academic freedom, with the goal of developing relevant human rights standards that serve to protect educational spaces, identify best practices, and strengthen democratic principles in the Americas.
Position Purpose:
To ensure that CAFA’s internal and external communications advance its mission and strategic objectives, raise its visibility, and deepen its impact to promote and protect academic freedom in the Americas.
More specifically, the role of consultant will support:
- More professional outward facing visual presence and branding of CAFA
- Increasing visibility of CAFA and of the problematics of Academic Freedom not only within academic circles, but also with opinion and policy makers and with the broader public.
- The consolidation and growth of CAFA’s membership and strategic partnerships.
- Fundraising efforts, increasing visibility of results achieved and of the Coalitions overall profile and relevance to the field.
Reporting to: Executive Director, CAFA.
Location: Flexible.
Job type: Part-time consultancy, until December 2025. Renewable contingent on availability of funds and successful evaluation. Three-month probation period.
Remuneration: USD 1400 for 20 hours per week.
Working schedule: To be agreed with Executive Director.
Start Date: As soon as possible.
Duties and responsibilities:
Media relations and influence on Academic Freedom public discourse (40 %)
- Keep abreast of key themes in traditional and social media related to academic
- freedom as it pertains to CAFA’s communication work.
- Identify and engage priority media outlets, editors and reporters receptive to CAFA’s priority areas of work, building relationships with them, maintaining an update database of contacts and increasing CAFA’s visibility in their publications.
- Produce regular press releases and other publicity materials on CAFA initiatives.
External communication (40 %)
- Support the production of invitations and other relevant materials for in-person and virtual events, including webinars, and their dissemination.
- Develop, produce and distribute content that informs members and friends of CAFA, as well as external audiences, through various channels, including newsletters, email announcements, blogs, the CAFA website and social media.
- Develop and produce a CAFA Podcast, associated with the CAFA-CLACSO Fellowship program.
- Accompany the finalisation of CAFA research publication and communication materials, including the graphic design of such materials.
- Take forward communication and sensitisation campaigns, such as on the Interamerican Principles or the problematics of gender violence and academic freedom.
Internal Communications. (20 %)
- Establish the infrastructure for a strong internal communication system for members and friends of CAFA.
- Assist with all communication demands related to CAFA’s annual conferences.
- Monitor academic freedom news related to members and partner organisations and upload to the CAFA website.
Qualifications and key competencies:
Required:
- A commitment to CAFA ‘s mission.
- Bachelor’s degree in communications and/or journalism.
- At least 5 years of recent experience in communications and media relations.
- Proven experience managing social media platforms and expertise in digital communications, including website management.
- Proven experience working with the press.
- Ability to express ideas/concepts clearly and concisely in written and oral form.
- Fluency in spoken and written Spanish and English.
- Working knowledge of design software (Canva, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and video editing software, and a solid grounding in WordPress.
Desirable:
- Proficiency in Portuguese and/or French.
To apply, please send your cover letter (1 page), CV/resume (2 pages), including two references to camilla.croso@cafa-claa.org. Please indicate the job title and your surname in the subject line of the email.
Applications will be accepted until 2 June 2025 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.