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Job Description and Requirements
TITLE: Communication Strategy for Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: April 24th to July 31, 2023
LEVEL OF EFFORT: up to 45 days
BACKGROUND
The Jordan Economic Reform Activity Task Order 1 (ERA TO1) is a 5-year, $54 million program funded by USAID, which aims to support the Government of Jordan (GOJ) to prioritize and implement economic reforms. Through coordination with the GOJ, the Jordanian and international private sector, other donors, and Jordanian civil society, ERA TO 1 will (1) advance economic reforms, (2) strengthen the business enabling environment, (3) increase exports and local, regional, and international investments, and (4) respond to emerging priorities.
The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is a leading institution that plays a key role in stimulating and enhancing economic activity in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, enabling it to become a global investment destination on the Red Sea. ERA is working with ASEZA on a digital marketing and social media content development for investment promotion. Additionally, as part of the technical assistance support to ASEZA, ERA identified the need for a coordinated and unified communications and outreach strategy with the aim to raise awareness about the unique offerings of the special economic zone and attract investors.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this scope is to develop a communication strategy for Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) to guide investment promotion efforts to position. Aqaba as an investment and business hub that offers access to regional and international markets. Establishing a communication strategy provides both a strategic vision and roadmap for ASEZA’s long-term outreach. The communication strategy will help ASEZA to map out a series of activities and programs to actively engage with key stakeholders (internal and external) in an effective and streamlined manner and support ASEZA to achieve its core objectives.
The results will be measured against the following ERA indicator:
Number of Capacity-Building activities for government employees completed.
Number of Effective Communication Channels
G.2 Percent of USG-assisted organization with improved performance.
Additional KPIs to measure the success of the communication strategy include:
Awareness and Reach: This KPI measures the number of people who are aware of ASEZA and its offerings. It includes metrics such as website traffic, social media followers, media coverage, and advertising reach.
Engagement: This KPI measures the level of engagement with ASEZA’s content, including website engagement metrics (bounce rates, time spent on site, etc.), social media engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.), and email open rates and click-through rates.
Conversion: This KPI measures the number of leads or investors who convert into actual investment or business activities in ASEZA. Metrics to track include the number of inquiries, meetings, requests for proposals (RFPs), and actual investments made.
Reputation: This KPI measures the reputation of ASEZA in the eyes of key stakeholders, including investors, government officials, and industry experts. Metrics to track include survey results, media sentiment, and third-party endorsements.
ROI: This KPI measures the return on investment of ASEZA’s communication strategy. Metrics to track include the cost of the strategy, the value of investments and business activities generated, and the overall economic impact of ASEZA’s development.
Benchmarking: This KPI measures the performance of ASEZA’s communication strategy against competitors or other relevant benchmarks. Metrics to track include market share, investor sentiment, and industry rankings.
DETAILED REPSONSIBILITIS
The communication consultant will undertake the following tasks and activities:
Activity
LOE
Activity I. Preparation and road map development:
Define the parameters of the exercise – including the scope of the exercise and methodology and identify a main focal point at ASEZA
Assess the current state of internal and external communication challenges and opportunities within ASEZA through stakeholder engagement – solicit feedback from wide range of key personnel and stakeholders.
Lead focus group sessions with ASEZA representatives to define the objectives of the strategy, timeline, and priority areas to address and capture the outcomes of these discussions in a market analysis.
Draft a preliminary “road map” for the execution of the strategy
10 working days
Activity II. Research and analysis: conduct a series of audits, research and external stakeholder consultations building on the feedback gathered from the focus group sessions under Activity I., and develop concrete evidence to support, modify or refute.
Competitor/peer analysis – map out possible competitors (local and regional) and conduct competitor/peer analysis of the communication strategies of other FTZ in Jordan and the region.
Target Audience Research and Segmentation – research and identify target ASEZA audience groups. Identify main motivations of each target audience and the messages that would resonate for each group.
Audits – conduct desk audits (brand, traditional media, social media and human capacity and skill) to understand ASEZA’s communication and resources at its disposal. The purpose of the audit is to determine how to best leverage the existing resources and additional resources needed.
10 working days
Activity III. Synthesis: synthesize the findings from Activity II to define the strategy’s objectives and develop a situation analysis, the two grounding factors of the final document.
SWOT analysis: conduct a SWOT analysis to determine the strategic needs of ASEZA.
Strategic objectives: in collaboration with the ASEZA main focal point, set specific and measurable objectives. Feedback emerging from the internal focus groups, audits, and external stakeholder interviews should serve as the basis for developing a list of strategy objectives.
Risk assessment and response: working with the ASEZA focal point, identify potential threats to ASEZA, define major consequences and worst possible outcome. The consultant will categorize likelihood of occurrence, potential impact, and suggest possible control measures for each identified risk. The outcomes of this activity will be incorporated in the situation analysis and the risks and assumptions section of the final strategy.
Identify channels and messages:
Channels/tools: develop a list of appropriate channels through which to communicate the strategy’s objectives. The list will include internal channels for ASEZA team and external channels to reach stakeholders and target audience considering preferences collected through the feedback surveys carried out during external stakeholder consultations.
Messages: draft key messages for ASEZA highlighting the advantages and incentives of investing in Aqaba and the role of the special economic zone authority. The messages should aim to crystalize ASEZA’s promotion strategy and enable investors to understand the unique benefits of ASEZA. The messages should be memorable and compelling and seek to educate, persuade, create awareness and call to action.
Message testing: conduct message testing with the target audience through focus groups and/or surveys to determine which messages resonate best. Based on the results, the consultant shall refine the key messages to ensure that they are effective in reaching the target audience.
Situational analysis: draft situational analysis outlining the main issues that need to be addressed by the communication strategy, drawing attention to the opportunities for ASEZA that emerged from the SWOT analysis including the resources available to tackle the challenges and obstacles present. This will include a presentation to Senior Management providing the opportunity for them to raise questions and concerns early in the draft stage and allow the consultant adequate time to incorporate responses in the final strategy
15 working days
Activity IV. Draft the communication strategy
Work and implementation plan: draw up a table that indicates the key communication activities per objective, a brief description of the activity, strategic value, target audience, key messages per target audience, identified channels of communication to reach each audience, and the estimate cost and efforts for each activity. If there are specific projects, or events that will take place, or that ASEZA should participate in, these will be highlighted. The work plan will also include proposed timescales and particular milestones within the strategy. These timeframes will be captured in the implementation plan and the milestones can be considered for monitoring and evaluation. Both will allow ASEZA to measure clear steps towards ultimate goals.
Final strategy: draft the final strategy that will include key messages relevant to every target audience group that have been tested with sample of audience. The strategy will also outline recommended tools and channels per audience and specify the internal and external implementation approach and a communication KPIs section. The general outline of the strategy will include but not limited to the following sections:
Executive summary
Introduction
Strategy approach and methodology
Communication objectives
Key audiences (primary and secondary audiences)
Key messages
Communication tools and channels
Implementation plan and timeframe
Presentation: produce a visual PowerPoint presentation to present the communication strategy process, activities, and implementation plan to ASEZA’s senior management. A graphic designer could be tasked with creating a nice visual presentation of the document
10 working days
Total LOE
45 days
DELIVERABLES
The consultant will submit the deliverables as per the following schedule:
No.
Deliverable
Description
Timeframe
1
Situation analysis report
The consultant will conduct a situation analysis that should focus on mapping the potential target audiences and categorize them based on their importance and influence to ASEZA’s objectives and interventions. The mapping should assess and list the available communication activities and tools used (all audits mentioned above), the SWOT analysis. The results of this mapping exercise should be laid out in a detailed situation analysis report that includes key findings and recommendations for the communication strategy
7 weeks from the start date
2
Communication Strategy document
The communication strategy will include but not limited to the (1) an executive summary (2) strategy approach and methodology (3) communication objectives (4) key audiences (primary and secondary audiences) (5) key messages (6) communication tools and channels (7) implementation plan (8) monitoring and impact evaluation (9) risks and assumptions
9 weeks from the start date
3
Communication Strategy presentation
Prepare a visual PowerPoint presentation of the communication strategy and present it to ASEZA’s senior management.
10 weeks from the start date
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field such as communications, marketing, business, new media, or public relations
Minimum of four (4) years of experience in developing communication strategies for governments or other relevant organizations.
Expertise in marketing, branding, and public relations.
Knowledge of the economic, political, and cultural landscape in the region, as well as an understanding of global trends and best practices in investment attraction.
Strong research and analytical skills, coupled with the ability to analyze data to inform communication strategies and tactics
Strong English and Arabic communication skills (oral and written)
LOCATION OF ASSINGMENT
This assignment shall be conducted in Amman.
REPORTING
The consultant will report to the Investment Promotion Team Lead.
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications no later than Thursday, April 06, 2023
