Job opening: Communications Officer

Project Communications Officer (Quezon City, Philippines office)

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a growing global alliance of over 800 members in 90 countries whose vision is a just and toxic‐free world without incineration. GAIA was founded in 2000 in South Africa and brings together grassroots organizations who are fighting for environmental justice, waging and winning campaigns against multimillion dollar waste corporations, taking on the corporate-driven “take-make-waste” model that is destroying our planet, and advancing bottom-up solutions that are good for communities, workers, the environment, and the climate. (To learn more, see www.no-burn.org.)

We are looking for a creative and experienced Project Communications Officer that will develop and implement communications strategies and campaigns in the Asia‐Pacific region, and support GAIA’s communications internationally.

A  successful candidate should have strong writing and communication skills, with experience developing and implementing communications strategies and campaigns. The candidate should also be an effective networker and organizer with a commitment to the principles of environmental justice, who is excited by the opportunity to increase GAIA member engagement, regional strategizing, and cross-border solidarity. The communications officer is expected to contribute to the planning and implementation of campaigns and projects to promote Zero Waste as an environmental health and justice solution and work with communities to stop pollution from waste burning.

The Communications Officer will work primarily with GAIA’s Asia Pacific team who are composed of staff from the Philippines, Australia and India.  He/she will also work closely with GAIA’s International Coordinator based in California, USA and GAIA’s communications team based in the US and the UK. She/he will be part of GAIA’s international coordination team, which includes people based in Chile, the Philippines, Australia, India, US, UK and Belgium.


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Please note that specific responsibilities and time allocation will be determined based on skill levels. All staff members globally, regardless of position, are expected to carry certain responsibilities to maintain our network infrastructure and online platforms. Candidates with many years of experience will be expected to provide higher-level strategic guidance and will work with junior level staff to produce written and visual content and maintain online platforms.
•    In coordination with other staff and members, help strengthen and improve how GAIA communicates its vision and campaigns to target audiences. This includes crafting audience-appropriate messaging, determining appropriate tactics and platforms for sharing our messages, shaping and sharpening GAIA’s brand, and providing both ongoing and campaign-specific communications guidance to staff and members.
•    As part of the Asia‐Pacific team, lead the development and implementation of regional communications strategies and materials;
•    Tap into the wealth of stories and expertise in the GAIA network and leverage these network resources to both support member campaigns engage GAIA’s varied audiences around the world, with a focus on the Asia‐Pacific.
•    Ensure the effective us of GAIA’s online platforms in order to reach target audiences and achieve our desired outcomes(including our website, blog, and social media.);
•    Develop and supervise the development of written content and creative visual work such as articles, memes, photo galleries, short videos, infographics, etc.
•    Track relevant issues in the media and online, as well as on our email lists, and seek hooks and openings related to communications goals;
•    Develop and maintain relations with traditional and new media contacts and partners in Asia‐Pacific especially in key countries such as India, China, and the Philippines among others;
•    Ensure high-quality reports, articles, and other written materials from GAIA offices in all regions.
•    Help develop communication strategies and products to keep GAIA membership informed, involved and supported in their campaigns relevant to GAIA goals and advocacies.
•    Build the capacity of GAIA’s grassroots membership to effectively communicate their campaigns and victories with a broad audience.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

•    At least three (3) years of experience in developing and implementing communication strategies, and in media relations work in Asia‐Pacific;
•    A strong understanding and knowledge of Asia Pacific regional media, as well as key global media markets;
•    Collaborative team‐player with strong interpersonal communication skills and demonstrated experience in working with people from different cultures and nationalities in the region;
•    Demonstrated capacity for issue analysis, and strong writing and public speaking skills including advanced skills in communicating complex issues to the public;
•    Highly computer literate, and experienced with new media technologies and social networking tools;
•    Fluent in English (ability to speak or write in other regional languages a plus);
•    Demonstrated ability to turn projects around in a timely manner, maintain attention to detail, and adhere to deadlines;
•    Passion for social and environmental justice, and a commitment to communications strategies which elevate the work of our grassroots membership and create space for communities to speak for themselves; and
•    Willingness to travel internationally on a regular basis, and flexibility in working with international staff, including biweekly calls outside of regular work hours.


DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•    Experience with grassroots organizing or networking strongly preferred.
•    Website content management experience preferred.
•    Experience supervising junior staff and/or interns.


LOCATION, COMPENSATION AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position will be based in Manila, Philippines – the country with the world’s only national ban on waste incineration.

We offer a competitive salary, leaves, health insurance and other similar employment protections. We take pride in our ability to support one another's work in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, and look forward to introducing the successful candidate to our welcoming and highly motivated team and members.

We are seeking candidates who are excited to make an initial commitment of at least one year to this work.


EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

GAIA is committed to the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity for all employees, regardless of sex, marital status, nationality, religion, age, sexual orientation and any other characteristics unrelated to the performance of the job.    People from historically marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.


TO APPLY:

Please send your resume, letter of intent, and two different writing samples and/or communication products demonstrating different communications skill sets to Froilan Grate at froilan(at)no-burn.org.

This position will be open until filled.   Screening and interviews will begin on July 11, 2016.

The most fuel-efficient cars in the Philippines

The Philippine Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with Petron, conducted a fuel-efficiency test of cars available in the Philippines. I understand the test was an initial effort of the DOE's program to beef up its Philippine Energy Standards and Labelling Program, a very laudable initiative from the DOE and a huge help to local consumers shopping for cars.

The test conducted was for highway driving with air con turned on. It was voluntary and the car manufacturer provided the driver, albeit with an independent observer in tow. The results therefore are to be taken with a sizeable degree of caution. For more details on the test look here.

Among 38 gas-fed vehicles, the Suzuki Celerio A/T (PHP 549,000) was the most fuel efficient car consuming 29.14 kilometers per liter (km/L). Among the 32-diesel-fed cars, the winner was Isuzu D-Max (PHP 872,000) registering a 38.46 km/L consumption. But if fuel economy in pesos is what you want, given the price differential of diesel and gasoline in the Philippines, you might want to consider: 1) Audi A3 2.0 TDI FWD 6AT (Diesel) at 28.46km/L; 2) Accent Sedan 1.6 FWD 6MT (Diesel) at 29.41km/L; 3) Peugeot 301 1.6 FWD 6MT (Diesel) at 29.35km/L; and 4) Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI FWD 5MT (Diesel) at 28.08km/L.

 Here is the complete result of the test run:

AUDI

* A3 2.0 TDI FWD 6AT (Diesel) - 28.46km/L

* Q5 2.0 TDI AWD 7AT (Diesel) - 20.79km/L

BAIC

* A113 1.3 FWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 18.58km/L

* M20 1.5 RWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 15.48km/L

* MZ40 1.2 RWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 14.54km/L

CHEVROLET

* Sail 1.5 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 18.26km/L

FORD

* Fiesta 1.0 Sport+ FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 23.39km/L

* Focus 1.5 Sport FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 19.20km/L

FOTON

* Toplander 2.8 RWD 5MT (Diesel) - 16.07km/L

* Toplander 2.8 4WD 5MT (Diesel) - 14.81km/L

HONDA

* Brio 1.3 S FWD 5AT (Gasoline) - 24.78km/L

* Brio Amaze 1.3 V FWD 5AT (Gasoline) - 23.77km/L

* City 1.5 E FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 26.02km/L

* Civic 1.5 RS FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 27.56km/L

* CR-V 2.0 S FWD 5AT (Gasoline) - 20.59km/L

* HR-V 1.8 E FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 24.82km/L

* Jazz 1.5 VX FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 28.60km/L

* Mobilio 1.5 V FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 24.69km/L

HYUNDAI

* Accent Hatch 1.6 FWD 7AT (Diesel) - 25.64km/L

* Accent Sedan 1.6 FWD 6MT (Diesel) - 29.41km/L

* Elantra 1.6 FWD 6MT (Gasoline) - 27.83km/L

* Santa Fe 2.2 FWD 6AT (Diesel) - 22.76km/L

* Tucson 2.0 FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 21.18km/L

* Tucson CRDI 2.0 FWD 6AT (Diesel) - 24.80km/L

ISUZU

* Crosswind XT 2.5 RWD 5MT (Diesel) - 20.76km/L

* D-Max 3.0 RWD 5MT (Diesel) - 38.46km/L

* MU-X LS-A 3.0 RWD 5AT (Diesel) - 23.53km/L

KIA

* Carnival 2.2 FWD 6AT (Diesel) - 19.20km/L

* Forte 1.6 4-Door FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 16.65km/L

* Forte Koup 2.0 2-Door FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 20.62km/L

* Picanto 1.2 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 19.55km/L

* Rio 4-Door 1.4 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 17.41km/L

* Sorento 2.2 AWD 6AT (Diesel) - 21.67km/L

* Soul 1.6 FWD 7AT (Diesel) - 23.28km/L

* Sportage 2.0 AWD 6AT (Diesel) - 21.31km/L

MAHINDRA

* Enforcer DC 2.5 4WD 5MT (Diesel) - 17.28km/L

* Xylo 2.2 RWD 5MT (Diesel) - 20.26km/L

MAZDA

* 2 R 1.5 FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 25.95km/L

* 2 V 1.5 FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 26.72km/L

MINI

* Cooper 3-Door Hatch 1.5 FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 21.59km/L

MITSUBISHI

* Mirage 1.2 FWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 25.64km/L

* Mirage 1.2 FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 27.05km/L

* Montero Sport 2.4 4WD 6MT (Diesel) - 18.48km/L

* Montero Sport 2.4 4WD 8AT (Diesel) - 17.79km/L

NISSAN

* Almera 1.2 FWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 21.26km/L

* Juke 1.6 FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 23.67km/L

* Navara 2.5 RWD 6MT (Diesel) - 17.85km/L

* Sylphy 1.6 FWD MT (Gasoline) - 24.18km/L

* Urvan 2.5 RWD 5MT (Diesel) - 15.41km/L

PEUGEOT

* 301 1.6 FWD 6MT (Diesel) - 29.35km/L

* Expert Tepee 2.0 FWD 6AT (Diesel) - 17.95km/L

PORSCHE

* Cayenne 3.0 AWD 8AT (Diesel) - 18.48km/L

SUBARU

* Forester 2.0 AWD CVT (Gasoline) - 16.71km/L

* Legacy S 2.5 AWD CVT (Gasoline) - 20.01km/L

* XV 2.0 AWD CVT (Gasoline) - 19.46km/L

SUZUKI

* Celerio 1.0 FWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 27.70km/L

* Celerio 1.0 FWD CVT (Gasoline) - 29.14km/L

* Ciaz GL 1.4 FWD 5MT (Gasoline) - 27.94km/L

* Ciaz GLX 1.4 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 22.93km/L

* Ertiga GLX 1.4 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 22.03km/L

* Swift 1.2 FWD 4AT (Gasoline) - 22.35km/L

TATA

* Indigo LX 1.4 FWD 5MT (Diesel) - 22.36km/L

* Manza Aura 1.3 FWD 5MT (Diesel) - 23.79km/L

* Vista Ignis 1.3 FWD 5MT (Diesel) - 23.51km/L

TOYOTA

* Fortuner 2.4 RWD 6AT (Diesel) - 18.91km/L

* Hilux 2.4 RWD 6AT (Diesel) - 21.59km/L

* Innova 2.8 RWD 6AT (Diesel) - 25.25km/L

VOLKSWAGEN

* Jetta 2.0 TDI FWD 5MT (Diesel) - 28.08km/L

VOLVO

* V40 2.0 Turbo FWD 6AT (Gasoline) - 16.31km/L

* XC60 D4 2.0 FWD 8AT (Diesel) - 20.82km/L

Cinematheque Centre Manila

The Film Development Council of the Philippines runs the Cinematheque Centre Manila film theater on 855 T. M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila. Cinematheque Centre Manila screens only the best films of Philippine cinema and is also a venue for different film festivals in the country, many of which are sponsored by foreign embassies.

The screening schedule is posted on the organization's website here and updates are also posted on Cinematheque Centre Manila's Facebook page. The theater seats around a hundred, and charges very minimally, definitely much cheaper than the theaters you find in shopping malls and for far better movies. If you have a lazy afternoon and nothing to do, or if you find yourself tired walking around the Rizal Park or touring the National Museum, the theater would be a good place to rest your feet and watch a movie as it is quite near both sites.

How to Reach it

Take the LRT 1 city train and get off at United Nations (UN) Avenue Station. It is a short walk from there.