Background

The “Delivering as One” (DaO) initiative in Viet Nam started in early 2006 with the objective to achieve a more strategic and more effective contribution to the attainment of national development priorities, under national leadership. The strategic intent of DaO is to “improve the effectiveness of the UN system to contribute to national development priorities and move towards providing high-quality policy advice and advocacy, focusing on the UN’s normative role”. The initiative is grounded within the 2005 Hanoi Core Statement on Aid Effectiveness and further reinforced by the recommendations of the November 2006 report of the High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence. In 2007 Viet Nam volunteered to be one of the eight countries to pilot further UN reform at country level.
 
The DaO initiative in Viet Nam focuses on six pillars: One Plan, One Budget (including One Plan Fund), One Leader, One Set of Management Practices, One Green UN House and One Voice. The strategic new One Plan 2012-2016 has been developed in close consultation with Government, other national partners and donors. The One Plan is based on key national priorities, with a focus on providing policy advice and advocacy as well as capacity development for Viet Nam as a Middle-Income Country.
 
In response to calls for a stronger and more coherent One UN voice on key development challenges in Viet Nam, the UN Communication Team was established in late 2006 and brings together a team of communication specialists from various UN Agencies in Vietnam as well as externally funded communication staff.
 
Under the direct supervision of the United National Resident Coordinator (RC) and overall guidance of the UNCT, the Communications Advisor is responsible for conceptualizing, planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of an advocacy and communication strategy to support the UN’s public and policy advocacy; public relations and partnership building; and the UN’s change management, all in support of the UN’s mission in Viet Nam.
 
The UN Communications Advisor of the UN Communications Team will directly supervise sub-team leads to undertake work planning, work assignment and monitoring of progress and is ultimately responsible for the provision of support to the UNCT and UNRC and their advocacy and communications plans. The UN Communications Advisor will advise the RC and UNCT on an effective advocacy and communication strategy and planning matters and will attend relevant management meetings.
 
The UN Communications Advisor will lead and manage the UN Communications Team and will undertake performance assessments of several team members as first reporting officer

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

  • Develops and coordinates implementation of a strategic advocacy and communication plan in support of the UNCT and RC in Viet Nam
  • Provides leadership and advice on strategic approaches to communicating programme activities
  • Provides leadership and oversight to three sub-teams to ensure compliance with set objectives
  • Oversees the interaction with the UN communications network and regularly interacts with (communications) colleagues in other UN and international agencies, with regional and global offices, and with the media
  • Monitors and overall planning and disbursement of joint budget for the One UN Communications Team

Develops and coordinates implementation of strategic advocacy and communication plans, including communication assessment and analysis, development of advocacy and communication plans, strategic use of resources and involvement in key programme processes, in close consultation with the UNCT and Communication Liaison Officers, focusing on achievement of the following results: 

  • Clear analysis and identification of the major communication objectives for the UN in Viet Nam, in the context of the One Plan
  • Clear analysis and identification of UN-wide priority issues to be communicated
  • Development of key messages for UN-wide issues, building on input from agency liaison officers within the team
  • Development of advocacy and communication plans which achieve the identified objectives
  • Recommendations on appropriate advocacy and communication strategies needed to achieve UNCT goals and support the UN's mission in the country

Provides leadership and advice on strategic approaches to communicating programme activities and coordinate planning and implementation of strategic (internal and external) communications activities. Advise senior management of participating agencies on the effective use of tools of mass communication with an attempt to strive for convergence with other agencies’ activities where appropriate, in the context of One Plan and relevant Programme Coordination Groups focusing on the achievement of the following results:

  • Ensures the UN Communications Team to deliver high-quality, strategic communications support services to all agencies participating in the team. Where possible, this will be strengthened further, by seeking links to other UN agency actions or issues, both inside and outside of the UN Communications Team
  • Contextualize and package key messages, speeches, talking points and briefing notes for the RC and UNCT for relevant UN events in general and participating UN agencies in particular.To support the One UN Initiative in Viet Nam through the expression and promotion of a united UN and ensure regular information flow of the One UN Initiative in Viet Nam to key stakeholders in and outside of the country
  • Constructive and timely advice on inclusion of communications components in programme formulations to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of UN’s reform

Provides leadership and oversight to the sub-teams (public and policy advocacy; public relations and partnership building; UN change management and agency liaison) to ensure compliance with set objectives and ensure high quality communications support, focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • Conduct regular meetings, individually and in groups, with the various communications liaison officers in the team
  • Establish regular exchange of information, experience and skills between team members, ensuring an integrated and joint team that makes best use of its capacities
  • Develop new strategies and courses of action identified to ensure high quality communication support provided within the set mandate for the team

Oversees the interaction with the UN communications network and regularly interacts with (communications) colleagues in other UN and international agencies, with regional and global offices, and with the media,  focusing on achievement of the following results: 

  • Development of a joint UN communications and event calendar and ensuring regular exchange of information between the communication team and agency communication focal points 
  • Ensuring a regular exchange of information and updates on the progress of the Delivering as One initiative, as well as the development results the UN is achieving in the country
  • Identify and maintaining strong networks with international and national media to enable better and more accurate reporting of the UN and its work in the country

Monitors and overall planning and disbursement of joint budget for the One UN Communications Team, ensuring they are properly administered, and utilized. Prepares and submits timely progress/status reports for the One UN Communications Advisory Board, participating agencies and donors focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • Manage and oversight joint budget for the team operations as well as mobilize resources to ensure the team structure 
  • Monitor and oversight the team to ensure the continued success of the team responding to differences in contract, grading levels and the use of a common performance assessment system
  • Ensure timely reporting and provide strategic advice to the One UN Communications Advisory Board for their oversight functions

Impact of Results:

The key results have impacts on a stronger and more coherent UN voice through the expression, promotion and branding, both internally and externally, of a united UN.
 
Moreover and more specifically, the impact of these results are critical in the following respects:
  • Contribute to communicating coherent and strategic common UN voice and clear UN advocacy messages as well as publicizing the work of UN in Viet Nam and other issues of relevance for UN in Viet Nam
  • Ensure an effective dissemination and internal communication within UN in Viet Nam on Delivering as One process to inform and engage all staff in the reform process and also ensure external communication to better inform general public, development partners and donor community on progress of Delivering as One and key milestones
  • Improve organisational structure and capacity of the UN Communications Team to better respond to changing needs and demands in context of the reform

Competencies

Competencies and Critical Success Indicators:
 
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda
  • Builds consensus concerning UNDP’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives
  • Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives
Results-Based Programme Development and Management
  • Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach
  • Makes use of a variety of resources within UNDP to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches
  • Ensures the full implementation of country programme and Financial Resources to obtain results
Building Strategic Partnerships
  • Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships
  • Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations
Innovation and Marketing New Approaches
  • Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
  • Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources
Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations)
  • Contributes to the development of resource mobilization strategies at CO level
  • Actively develops partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level
  • Strengthens the capacity of the country office to mobilize resources
Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
  • Promotes UNDP as a learning/knowledge sharing organization
Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise
  • Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures
  • For advisors: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch
  • Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally
  • Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
  • Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments
Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals
  • Advocates for increased priority given to human development issues internationally and in national planning frameworks
  • Advocates for increased resources at international and national level
Client Orientation
  • Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives
  • Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services
  • Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operations
Core Competencies:
  • Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents? Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
  • Building support and political acumen
  • Building staff competence,  creating an environment of creativity and innovation
  • Building and promoting effective teams
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
  • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
  • Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
  • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
  • Fair and transparent  decision making; calculated risk-taking

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

  • Master's degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, or equivalent professional work experience in the advocacy and communication areas combined with an advance university degree in a related field

Experience: 

  • Ten years progressively responsible professional work experience in advocacy and communication, print and broadcast media or interactive digital media, six years of which should in developing countries, and four at the management level

Language Requirements: 

  • Fluency in English and another UN language required. Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station is an asset