STOP: Communication Position

The Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recruiting qualified Communication staff to participate in STOP teams.  Effective program communication and social mobilization are important components of the polio eradication initiative. In September 2006, the STOP program sent its first participants into the field to work specifically in communication. The STOP program coordinates with both UNICEF and WHO in the recruitment, training, and placement of these participants.  STOP communication participants will assist WHO, UNICEF, and ministries of health by:

• Developing and implementing national and subnational polio communications plans
• Developing appropriate messages and materials for the public, health-care providers, vaccinators, and the media
• Serving on committees to ensure effective coordination among various communications partners
  
  

While planning, monitoring, and evaluating communication activities for polio supplemental immunization activities (SIAs), STOP communication participants need to be extremely flexible self-starters who work well under difficult conditions with people of different cultures.

STOP is seeking volunteers who are technically savvy in communication program planning and implementation.  The following qualifications and experience are desired:

• Development of health-communication messages or activities based on communication science and marketing constructs
• Writing for the media, including articles, talking points, and background documents
• Social mobilization
• Media relations
• Serving on committees to ensure effective coordination among partners
• Experience with information, education, and communication strategies
• Five to seven years of relevant work experience
• Fluency in English
• Fluency in a second language, particularly French; Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Spanish are also useful

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