Job Opportunity: Research and Communications Officer – CIVICUS CIVICUS is recruiting a Research and Communications Officer to support its global advocacy and research work, particularly within the CIVICUS Lens initiative and the State of Civil Society Report. This role offers an opportunity to contribute directly to defending civic freedoms, amplifying excluded voices, and strengthening civil society worldwide. About CIVICUS CIVICUS exists to defend people power. It is a global alliance of more than 15,000 members across 189 countries, working collectively to monitor violations of civic freedoms, hold perpetrators accountable, and strengthen civil society’s ability to organise and influence change. A core focus of CIVICUS is amplifying voices from the Global South and promoting inclusive, accountable, and innovative civic action. Role Overview The Research and Communications Officer plays a dual role, combining research support with communications and media engagement. The position supports flagship CIVICUS research products while ensuring findings reach diverse audiences through effective media, digital, and visual communication strategies. Key Responsibilities The role involves a combination of analytical, editorial, and communications-focused tasks, including: conducting, transcribing, and editing interviews with civil society sources; performing desk research to gather, verify, and contextualise information for CIVICUS publications; supporting the production of the State of Civil Society Report and CIVICUS Lens outputs; designing and implementing media and social media strategies for research publications; pitching op-eds and story ideas to journalists and monitoring editorial workflows; producing visual materials such as infographics and social media toolkits; maintaining the publications database and tracking social media performance metrics; organising webinars, report launches, and public engagement events; coordinating the production and dissemination of multilingual content by working with designers, translators, and editors. Required Qualifications and Experience Applicants should meet the following criteria: a Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, political science, international relations, or development studies; proficiency in English; intermediate competence in French and/or Spanish; a minimum of three years’ relevant professional experience; familiarity with international civil society networks and intergovernmental institutions; understanding of the global media environment and social media platform dynamics; excellent written and verbal communication skills; experience crafting and distributing social media messaging; ability to translate complex civic and political issues into clear, compelling messages for diverse audiences; basic design skills using tools such as Canva or Piktochart. Skills and Personal Attributes CIVICUS is seeking candidates who demonstrate: strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively in a diverse, multicultural, virtual team; high levels of organisation, independence, and attention to detail; the ability to work under pressure, manage competing deadlines, and deliver high-quality outputs consistently. Application Process The application deadline is 23 February 2026 at 11:59 pm SAST. Interested candidates should apply via the CIVICUS careers portal at:https://civicus.bamboohr.com/careers Applications must include: a full CV, detailing educational background, employment history, responsibilities, and key achievements; a covering note of no more than one page, outlining motivation for applying for the role. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted approximately two weeks after the closing date to schedule interviews. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will receive individual feedback, though all applicants will be notified once the position has been filled. Important Note CIVICUS reserves the right to withdraw this vacancy at any stage of the recruitment process. This role represents a valuable opportunity for communications and research professionals seeking to contribute to global civic space monitoring and advocacy at an international level. For more opportunities such as these please follow us on Facebook, Instagram , WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and Telegram Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization that is offering this position. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.