Managing Editor

The Managing Editor’s overall responsibility is to ensure that communications materials produced by MSF Australia are of the highest quality: clear, compelling, accurate and on-brand. The role requires a thoughtful and precise editor who understands the value of authentic storytelling to bring to life MSF’s medical-humanitarian mission and in particular reflect MSFA’s commitment to patient-centred care. The role leads an editorial team of two who manage MSFA’s key publications and medical communications objectives, as well as the organisation’s approach to inclusive and ethical representation within our communications materials.

The role has the responsibility for refining and implementing improved editorial processes for MSFA to help produce stellar content that achieves its objectives, which range from fundraising to recruitment to advocating for change. This pivotal role sits within the communications team as part of the broader Engagement department, providing expertise across the spectrum of MSFA content. Daily responsibilities could include providing strategic editorial advice for a communications campaign, defining communication needs for an advocacy campaign, proofreading editorials, providing privacy guidance for images or videos, or sub-editing fundraising reports.

The role is the focal point for editorial policies, processes and tools, such as the brand and text style guidelines and content calendar and is responsible for ensuring these guidelines are well understood and embedded across MSFA.

MAIN TASKS AND DUTIES

• Providing strategic editorial advice in the development of communications campaigns and content including developing messaging and defining content priorities.
• Reviewing, editing and fact-checking creative content produced by MSFA staff and external agencies to ensure adherence with MSF guidelines including for accuracy, style, privacy, brand, and diversity, equity and inclusion principles. The content includes material to promote the organisation’s medical humanitarian work for fundraising, recruitment, awareness-raising and advocacy purposes, including digital, social, and print content.
• Making judgement calls to determine when to escalate content for additional checks such as medical review or heads of department review, or when content may pose a risk to MSF operations or reputation.
• Contributing to developing and implementing refined and streamlined editorial procedures and tools across MSFA to ensure that processes are efficient and consistent, and that communications material is of the highest quality. This includes contributing to updating our brand and representation guidelines.
• Driving an integrated approach to content planning and production, including by maintaining MSFA’s content calendar.
• Strengthening the commitment to high editorial standards across the organisation and among sub-contractors, such as by holding regular learning and review sessions to ensure that guidelines and tools are well understood and used.
• Being the Engagement department focal point for privacy, including responsibility for ensuring all content is compliant with privacy legislation.
• Contributing to communications projects, including producing digital and print communications that reflect MSF’s core principles and motivate donors and supporters to engage, act, and give.
• Staying informed about MSF operations worldwide and related news affecting the humanitarian sector.
• Participating in MSF’s international editors’ group, List_Editors in order to maintain high editorial standards internationally; liaising with other international communications colleagues as required
• Negotiating with suppliers and contractors particularly for publications

Leadership

• Lead and effectively line-manage the Editor & Publications Coordinator and the Medical Communications Coordinator, ensuring that staff carry out their tasks and duties in line with their role requirements. Implement annual performance reviews and ensure that staff receive appropriate development and training to enable them to perform in their roles.
• Lead by example. In MSFA, the following five values form the foundations of our culture: Transparency, Respect, Understanding of Diversity, Stepping In and CollaboraTion (TRUST). As a leader, your behaviours and actions are expected to consistently reinforce these values.
• Lead and support the editorial team through changes in culture, process and systems which work towards delivery of MSFA’s strategic goals.
• Coordinate long-term planning and reporting of the editorial team. Monitor progress against the plans and take appropriate action to realign or adjust when needed.

Medical communications 

Provide direction and support to the Medical Communications Coordinator in order to: 

• Manage the implementation of MSF Australia’s medical communications strategic objectives, in the key areas of women’s and child health, and sexual violence care, working in collaboration with the Medical Unit.
• Raise awareness and inform on issues of women’s and child health and sexual violence care through the production of print and digital communications materials, for both mainstream and specialist medical audiences. This includes contributing to MSF Australia print and digital publications, as well as for the MSF movement where strategically appropriate.
• Produce communications materials and assist with messaging in support of the Medical Unit’s presence at external events.
• Ensure medical review of content produced by MSFA as required.

Publications 

Provide direction and support to the Editor and Publications Coordinator in order to: 

• Manage the production of key MSFA publications including the annual report and quarterly donor magazine (The Pulse)
• Produce communications materials for MSF Australia print and digital publications, and for distribution to the MSF movement where appropriate, such as field worker stories and web updates
• Manage the production of MSF’s internal newsletter ‘Weekly Update’ for MSF Australia Association members and staff

Budget

• Manage the medical communications and publications budgets
• Provide quarterly reviews of budget requirements to the Head of Communications

Relationships

• Reporting to the Head of Communications
• Managing the Medical Communications Coordinator and Editor & Publications Coordinator
• Coordinating with fellow members of the communications team to identify and develop communications materials, provide editorial review and implement editorial processes
• Coordinating with all other departments in Sydney particularly the digital, fundraising and program unit teams.
• Coordinating with the Head of Communications, Head of Fundraising and Director of Engagement, particularly for content review and brand management
• Liaising with international MSF communications colleagues responsible for creative content production and editing
• Participating in the MSFA Representation Working Group

Selection Criteria

Essential

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in communications, journalism or related field
• 5+ years of writing and editing experience, ideally in a similar role such as in the communications department of a private, public or not-for-profit organisation or in journalism
• Outstanding written communication skills including flawless grasp of English grammar and familiarity with style and brand guide usage
• Strong interpersonal and verbal communications skills with proven ability to liaise with a broad range of stakeholders, and experience or interest in running learning sessions
• Experience managing an editorial team or similar
• Strong organisation and time management skills in order to manage a high volume of detailed work with conflicting priorities
• Covid Vaccination Certificate  
• Current right to work in Australia (non-sponsored)
• Commitment to the aims and principles of MSF

Desirable

• Experience producing fundraising or marketing content
• Skills in a language other than English such as Arabic, French or Spanish
• Broad knowledge of or interest in international affairs, humanitarian issues, and global health