UNDP Jobs - 63886- Advocacy and Communication Officer

Advocacy and Communication Officer - (Open to Filipino Nationals Only)

Location :

Manila, PHILIPPINES

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

26-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SC-10

Duration of Initial Contract :

Twelve Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

With possible extension depending on performance and fund availability

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The United Nations in the Philippines consists of nine resident funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations System (UNDP, UNFPA, WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, FAO, ILO, and UNIDO), five project offices (UNAIDS, UN Women, UN Habitat, UNOPS and IFAD) together with UN OCHA that supports Humanitarian Coordination and UNDSS that looks after the safety and security of UN staff members. The United Nations works with the national government and all layers of society primarily to support inclusive and sustainable development in the Philippines and respond to humanitarian crisis in accordance with the respective mandates of the various organizations present in the country.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) leads the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and plays a central role in the coordination of UN operational activities for development in order to ensure alignment of UN assistance with national development priorities, plans and capacity-building in the context of internationally agreed treaty obligations and development goals, and placing the UN centrally in development and international cooperation in the country. The UN Resident Coordinator is also the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator with responsibility for coordinating humanitarian support when called for by the government in response to disasters and crisis.

Communications is an essential component of successful coordination – to ensure that the United Nations in the Philippines communicates as “One UN” and that its work in the Philippines is visible and well understood by all stakeholders and partners. Advocacy is an important part of communications for the United Nations to create awareness around critical issues and initiatives related to development, such as the introduction of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, and other areas related to the work of the United Nations in the Philippines.

To this end, the UNCT has established a United Nations Country Communications Group (UNCCG) which consists of communications officers and focal points from across the membership of the UNCT. The UNCCG aims to promote the impact of UN programs in the areas of development, peace-building, and humanitarian assistance in the Philippines, in response to national needs and priorities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and working in close cooperation with the UN Country Communications Group (UNCCG), the Advocacy and Communications Officer will carry out the following tasks:

Strategic Communications:

Support the United Nations Resident Coordinator in ensuring timely, coherent and efficient advocacy and communications related to the work of the United Nations in the Philippines;
Support the identification of UN-wide priority issues and the development of joint advocacy and communication strategy and key messages;
Support the harmonization of UN-wide advocacy and communications with, and amplify when possible, agency and mandate-specific communications;
Recommend strategic approaches to communicating UN programmes and activities, and coordinate planning and implementation of strategic (internal and external) communications activities, with an aim for convergence with agency specific activities where appropriate;
Coordinate with appropriate institutions and agencies to identify relevant trainings, seminars and other learning opportunities for the UNCCG, and facilitate the participation of members;
Support the development and implementation of the UNCCG Joint Communications and Advocacy Strategy and Annual Work Plan (AWP), as approved by the UNCT, focusing on identifying strategic areas for coordination and innovation, addressing bottlenecks, and collaborating with relevant UNCCG members to deliver the ‘One UN’ story, in line with the ‘Communicating as One’ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

External Relations:

In consultation with the UNCCG and relevant Programme Staff, prepare and disseminate results-oriented reports, speeches, briefers, UN statements/op-ed and presentations for the Resident Coordinator or his/her representative on UN-wide priority issues and key messages while at the same time promoting agency-specific messages;
In coordination and cooperation with the UN Information Centre (UNIC) Manila, arrange appropriate media and public engagements for the Resident Coordinator or his/her representative on UN-wide issues;
Maintains a network of contacts with journalists to assure effective coverage of UN and agency specific issues, activities and projects in the country and recommends UN management on relevant issues;
Represent the RCO in the Humanitarian Communications Group (HCG) and other relevant advocacy and communications network meetings.

Social Media Management:

Ensure high visibility and relevance of the United Nations in the Philippines through social media, including the development of a Social Media Strategy to effectively promote public engagement;
Oversee the design and maintenance of the UN website, Facebook account and other internet based media based on corporate requirements and in close cooperation with the UNCCG and the inter-agency ICT Task Team.

Support to the RCO:

Work closely with the RCO Coordination Assistant in preparing requisitions and procurement requests needed to implement the UNCCG AWP;
Communicate and promote guidelines and documents from the UN Development Group (UNDG), as needed;
Assist in the preparation of the Resident Coordinator’s Annual Report (RCAR);
Provide all other advocacy and communications-related support to the RCO, as needed.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation:

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Communication:

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery:

Ability to deliver quality results against tight deadlines.

Technical/Functional:

Primary:

Strategic Planning:

Ability to make decisions that align with strategy, vision, and mission.

Knowledge Management:

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Social Media:

Ability to represent and promote the UN brand in virtual communities and networks.

Public Relations:

Ability to manage the spread of information between the UN and the public.

Secondary:

Quality Assurance:

Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.

Marketing:

Ability to communicate the value of a product or service.

Partnerships:

Ability to engage with other agencies and forge productive working relationships.

UN System:

Knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Communications or a related field (e.g., Journalism, Development Communication);
A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) combined with qualifying relevant professional experience (at least seven years) may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

With Advanced Degree (Master), at least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the Philippines with particular focus on strategic communications, advocacy and campaign management, preferably in a development context;
With Bachelor’s degree, at least seven (7) years progressively responsible professional work experience in the Philippines with particular focus on strategic communications, advocacy and campaign management, preferably in a development context;
Previous working experience with a UN agency and knowledge of UN reform/Delivering as One an asset;
Excellent administrative and computer skills, including Microsoft Office;
Experience using web-based platforms, social media content managers, graphic design tools (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, InDesign) and video editing software;
Familiarity with the Philippines media environment; and
Excellent research and writing skills.

Language:

Fluency in the English and Filipino.

Note:

The selected candidate will receive a salary that is commensurate with his/her background and work experience. Interested applicants are requested submit their application online and complete the UN Personal History Form (P.11), available in our website http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/operations/jobs/ on or before 26 February 2016. Kindly note that only completed P.11 forms will be reviewed. Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

UNDP is an equal opportunity employer.

Please note that we will contact only the short-listed candidates.