Storytelling and Media Consultant

The Syria Campaign is a small, fast moving and powerful human rights organisation that is building new ways for digital and creative communications to have impact. We work to support Syria’s heroes in the struggle for freedom and democracy, partnering with civil society inside and outside the country.

We’ve raised the profile of Syrian groups like the White Helmets rescue workers, helping secure them millions of dollars to continue their life-saving work and making them famous around the world. We’ve supported the Families for Freedom, a women-led movement of the families of the disappeared in Syria, to ensure their demands are heard and take their ‘Freedom Bus’ across Europe. We work with dozens of partners across Syria who trust us deeply. Syria is full of heroes and we’re privileged enough to work with them. You can read about some of what we’ve done here.

The recent fall of the Assad regime is not just the result of military efforts led by men with guns. For nearly 14 years, Syrian women and men have bravely called for change, despite facing immense challenges. Citizens have endured unimaginable human rights abuses — torture, detention, siege and chemical weapons attacks —yet a strong civil society is at the forefront of the fight for justice and accountability.

Now is a rare and critical moment for Syrians to shape a democratic and inclusive future. We have seen what is possible when civil society pushes forward. There is the potential for Syrians to set the precedent for an inclusive political process, and lead the way towards building a Syria founded on democracy, freedom, justice and accountability. It will not be easy but it will require The Syria Campaign to play a vital role in elevating the voices and demands of survivors, protecting civic space from disinformation, leading creative campaigns that strengthen the global justice movement and monitoring and exposing any human rights abuses by de facto authorities.

As the communications and storytelling team we aim to:

• Develop and maintain key messages around important issues that concern human rights defenders such as: Arbitrary detention, chemical attacks, justice and accountability, refugee return, disinformation, peace-building, inclusive political participation and global solidarity.
• Create and/or amplify momentum around certain events to push for more coverage of our partners’ stories and demands in the media.
• Tell stories from and around Syria to keep Syria in the spotlight and draw the world’s attention when action is needed.
• Reach and maintain a strong presence on social media as a source of information, mobilization and actions to our audience.
• Inspire new audiences to act in support of our campaigns and our partners

We are looking for a highly creative storytelling and media consultant to support our 12-person team.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Drafting and sending press releases and media advisories to inform the media around important Syria moments and events.
• Identifying and pitching stories to Syrian, regional and international media that support our ongoing campaigns, amplify the voices of those involved and highlight their demands.
• Improving, expanding and diversifying TSC’s media lists.
• Identifying and conducting interviews with speakers for our creative content to support ongoing campaigns and social media publications.
• Creating a momentum around the first anniversary of the Syrian revolution after the fall of Assad, by securing media coverage and amplifying powerful stories.
• Helping to build the capacity of the TSC team and our partners’ in terms of representation and speaking to the media.

Qualifications

We want a creative storytelling and media consultant able to think of new ways to bring the demands of civil society to an audience around the world.

The core competencies which any successful candidate will display are:

• Fluency in both Arabic and English languages.
• Strong writing and storytelling skills.
• Strong knowledge of the wide spectrum of media from mainstream to alternative media.
• Strong connections across different desks at media outlets in the US, UK and Europe.
• Strong knowledge of the Syrian context and sensitivity to issues such as detention and other atrocities committed in Syria.
• Professionalism, efficiency and results-oriented delivery on short timelines
• Strong teamwork skills, comfortable in a highly collaborative team culture
• Commitment to a free and democratic future for Syria, and global justice more broadly. Knowledge of key human rights frameworks.
• Experience working remotely [desirable but not required]

The deal

We are looking for a consultant to begin as soon as possible, with the role running until May 2025. This position can be either full-time or part-time, with the possibility of extension depending on the needs of our ongoing work.

The consultant will be working with the communications and media team and reporting to The Syria Campaign Communications Director.

The job is remote and can be done anywhere in European, Levant or East Coast US time zones.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary in line with international organisations.
• Access to our existing media list that has hundreds of media contacts across the world.
• Access to our list of Syrian and international partners such as families, survivors and activists groups.
• A thriving, supporting and flexible working environment with a small but inspiring team.