Senior Communications and Media Officer

Who we are

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) is an international NGO that has been working with indigenous peoples and forest peoples since 1990. We work in 18 countries across South and Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, with around 50 partner organisations based in the tropical forest belt.

We work directly and in solidarity with communities and peoples, supporting them to secure their rights to their traditional lands, territories, and resources, protect their forests and ways of life, and choose their own futures.

The role

Consistent with our Theory of Change, Forest Peoples Programme’s advocacy and communications strategies are diverse and decentralized. They are generated in a largely bottom-up way with our partners, via our program staff (organised in country and thematic teams). This allows us to be sensitive to local social, political and legal contexts, and partner priorities. It also guides our highly collaborative approach to communications. 

Communications at FPP is as much about facilitating exchanges among partners and between Indigenous peoples and forest peoples, as it is about communicating with policy makers, academics, and a broader public. FPP’s core principle of the right to self-determination means that we strive to ensure that FPP’s own ‘voice’ is consistent with the priorities and aspirations of Indigenous peoples and forest peoples. That we compliment and amplify, but neither diminish nor eclipse, the voices of Indigenous peoples and forest peoples themselves. 

FPP’s communications team is embarking on a period of restructuring and reorienting. The goal is to become better placed to support a strategic approach to communications in our programmatic and country-focused work, while retaining a core function of handling FPP’s central/organizational communications needs.

As part of that restructuring, this new post of Senior Media and Communications Officer will serve a dual purpose of providing additional capacity in the day-to-day activities of the department, and taking a leading role in rolling out our restructuring plans. There may be some responsibilities around cultivating media relations, and/or line management responsibilities, depending on the profile of the successful candidate. The role reports directly to the Communications Coordinator, who will be working restricted hours for the first 10 months of this appointment.

FPP works with 52 long-term partners and allies, across 18 countries. The Senior Media and Communications Officer will gain a good working knowledge of the entire landscape, and intimate knowledge of some specific contexts in which FPP teams are focused. Fundamentally of course, we are all accountable to the Indigenous peoples and forest peoples we work with and for.

Initially, the role is likely to have a heavy focus on rolling out the new team structure and strategy, transitioning within a year to focus more on media relations or advocacy-linked strategic communications, depending on the profile of the recruit.

About you

This post would suit an experienced practitioner with a good understanding of communicating in a multilingual, cross-cultural, and highly consultative environment. Additional languages (especially French or Bahasa Indonesia) are a distinct advantage.

Essential requirements:

• At least 5 years’ experience in communications work in an international, collaborative, and advocacy-focussed environment. This will have ideally been within an indigenous peoples’ organisation, or NGO, advocacy or international context.
• Experience of work in multilingual and cross-cultural contexts and environments, preferably with indigenous peoples or local communities.
• Strong alignment with FPP’s vision, mission and values, including commitment to human rights (in particular the rights of Indigenous peoples and forest peoples), as well as interest in the interface between the rights of Indigenous and forest peoples, biodiversity and climate protection, political economy, and international affairs. An unwavering commitment to the self-determination of all peoples.
• Demonstrable experience of strategic thinking regarding advocacy, communications and media, and in planning and implementing projects in a collaborative way.
• Demonstrable experience of communicating complex advocacy issues and grassroots experiences in compelling, creative ways, to a wide range of audiences across a wide range of media.
• Strong media relations experience, at national and international levels. An existing network of relevant media contacts is a distinct advantage.
• You must be able to manage your own workload, and set your own limits. You will need to have the confidence to say no to colleagues, and the people skills to maintain positive working relationships while you do so. A positive attitude, and an ability to be sensitive, flexible and adaptable to changing contexts and evolving strategies, is vital.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with demonstratable experience of writing copy, editing and publishing for print and digital media. Experience in producing multimedia products (films, animations, graphics, podcasts, websites etc) is also highly desirable.

Applicants based in the UK or seeking to be based in the UK must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application as FPP is not in a position to sponsor visa applications. Applicants based outside the UK may be considered for the role on a consultancy basis, subject to local employment and tax regulations. 

Benefits

We offer a flexible, inclusive, and supportive work environment. Our benefits include:

• 25 days’ annual leave (full-time equivalent), plus public holidays, and additional days off between Christmas and New Year
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible working arrangements to help staff maintain a healthy work-life balance

We value collaboration, diversity, and the unique contribution of each individual, and welcome applicants from indigenous peoples and other backgrounds.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Closing date: Midday on Friday, 5 September 2025.