UN WOMEN Jobs - 64275- Communications and Advocacy Specialist

Communications and Advocacy Specialist

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kampala, UGANDA

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

13-Mar-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-C

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 Year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Country Representative, the Communications and Advocacy Specialist implements the corporate communications strategy, designs, manages and facilitates the implementation of the Country Office communications, advocacy campaigns, and publication strategies with a view to influencing the development agenda, to promote public and media outreach and to mobilize political and financial support for UN Women.

The Communications and Advocacy Specialist supervises and leads the communications activities of staff of the country office and has a strong regular working relationship with the Regional Communications team. The Communications and Advocacy Specialist also works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations teams in the Country Office, UN Communication Team in Uganda, UN Women HQ Communications team, government and CSO partners in Uganda, and international and local media, ensuring successful UN Women communication strategy implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Plan and design strategies for communications and outreach:

Plan and execute communications needs assessments for CO such as projects, country programme and corporate change initiatives, as necessary;
Develop the CO communications and outreach strategy based on the corporate communications strategy, including advocacy campaigns;
Provide advice on inclusion of communications components in programme formulation to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of UN Women’s development programme;
Develop and maintain close contacts with government officials, multilateral and bilateral donors, civil society and private sector for implementation of the communications strategy, organization of roundtable discussions, press conferences, briefing sessions, interviews, and launches.

Create and promote campaigns and activities:

Create and promote campaigns to local media that position UN Women and influence the development agenda based on current programmes and new initiatives;
Create, promote and maintain public information campaigns on UN Women activities, results of the Commission on the Status of Women, CEDAW reports, and others in association with program staff;
Manage, promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives and publications for campaigns and UN days;
Create and implement promotional activities to position UN Women as a leader on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment within the development space;
Represent UN Women in the UN Communication Group for implementation of joint UN information campaigns.

Design and implement the CO publications strategy and plan:

Develop and implement the CO publications strategy and plan based on the corporate publications policy;
Identify and develop storylines for publications and substantive articles for local media, contribute to debates on key development issues;
Coordinate and manage of all CO publication activities, including content management, norms for publishing, design, liaison with printers and other suppliers to oversee production and supervision of publications dissemination.

Design and maintain UN Women Uganda web presence including social media:

Supervise and prepare the content for the web sites and social media;
Design the office external web sites and social media engagements based on corporate requirements in cooperation with the ICT staff.

Maintain media and press contacts and serve as public information focal point:

Develop and maintain regular media contacts and provide newsworthy information to the national public and donors;
Ensure access for journalists to subject matter experts, including regular coverage of UN Women program activities by media (print, radio and television);
Provide responses to inquiries for public information materials;
Provide innovative and creative solutions to sensitive or corporately strategic public communications issues;

Provide communications support to resource mobilization:

Provide input to the UN Women Quarterly and Annual Progress Reports and programmatic donor reports;
Format, package and submit programme initiatives for donor review in close collaboration with programme staff;

Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and management:

Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
Monitor practices, and project-specific news and developments;
Organize and provide training, consultancy and advice to UN Women staff on communications.

Competencies

Core values:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Respect for Diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation

Work in teams:

Build and promote effective teams. Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communication and Information Sharing:

Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to elaborate and implement communications and publications strategies;
Ability to develop and manage media campaigns;
Excellent communication skills (oral and written);
Proven networking skills, and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate;
Strong multi-tasking skills;
Strong IT skills;
Focuses on impact and results for the client;
Interact effectively with all levels of the organization, including senior management;
Ability to build strong relationships with partners;
Ability to work under tight deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree in communications, media relations, journalism, public relations, business development, international development, or other related humanities or social sciences degrees.

Experience:

5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in public relations, communications, advocacy, campaigning or international development;
Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization is helpful but not mandatory;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software package including Powerpoint, Publisher, Adobe CS, or other publication design software, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems, including social media platforms;
Specific training in media relations, photography or creative writing would be an asset;
Experience in public speaking and/or event management would also be an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English and one or more local language in the duty station.