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 equal partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action as well as peace and security. As such, UN Women seeks to complement and enhance the capacity of other UN entities to serve their respective mandates to deliver on gender equality. In Ethiopia, to ensure gendered response to a worsening humanitarian situation, the UN Women Ethiopia Country Office (ECO) is working actively to prevent violence against women and girls through focus on participation, protection, as well as recover and relief efforts. A particular emphasis is being placed on the gendered impacts of conflict, such as meaningful access to justice for women and girls, gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE), protection against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), accountability to affected populations (AAP) and community-based complaint mechanisms (CBCMs). The sudden and drastic changes in the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia warranted an immediate revision of humanitarian programme priorities of the UN Women Ethiopia Country Office. Indeed, within this new emergency setting, UN Women is looking for a International Communications Specialist to support the scaling up of its communications work related to Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Unit’s work on PSEA and GBV. The Communications Specialist will support national colleagues within the Communications Unit to ensure capacity building through strategies, network/ relations, outreach, campaigns, mobilization, and donor initiatives on GBV, SV and PSEA preperdness and response.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure the planning and design of internal and external strategies for communications and outreach:

1. Planning and elaboration of communications needs assessments for the EVAWG and GiHA Unit on humanitarian activities and projects related to SV, GBV and PSEA;
2. Ensure the messages and activities are consistent with UN Women’s mandate;
3. Elaborate communications strategies based on the objectives of the Ethiopia PSEA Network on behalf of UN Women Ethiopia;
4. Constructive and timely advice on inclusion of communications components in programme formulations to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of UN Women’s humanitarian programme.

Support the development and dissemination of public advocacy materials on PSEA, GBV and SV for regional and global efforts:

1. Provide coordinated assistance to the Ethiopia PSEA Network for all publication activities including close cooperation with, and support for, programme-specific communications staff members;
2. Provide support and advice for content management, norms for publishing, liaison with designers, liaison with printers and other suppliers to oversee production and, subsequently, supervision of publications’ dissemination;
3. Identification and development of storylines for publications and substantive articles contributing to debates on key development issues on GBV, PSEA, and SV.

Outreach and Media Activity:

1. Support web, social media and news media relations ensuring the consistency of the materials;
2. Support the management and maintenance of social media presence and other online channels, including identifying and posting material where required, in coordination with other communication officers;
3. Support other media relations and activities (radio, TV, recording of videos) to strengthen the coverage and understanding of UN Women’s PSEA and SGBV presence and work in the country.

Build and maintain communications and advocacy focused partnerships:

1. Development and maintenance of media contacts and providing newsworthy information to national public and donors;
2. Format, package and submit documentation about programme initiatives for donor review in close collaboration with GiHA programme staff;
3. Support the organization and implementation of joint UN information campaigns (such as 16 days Activism), taking the lead where appropriate to promote the Ethiopia PSEA Network;

Ensure the facilitation of knowledge building and management:

1. Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to the GiHA programme goals and activities;
2. Represent UN Women in the Communications and Community Engagement (CCE) sub-working group of the Ethiopia PSEA Network;
3. Provide communications advice and support, where required, this will include supporting programme staff in their relationships with stakeholders and donors.

Competencies

Core Values:

1. Respect for Diversity;
2. Integrity;
3. Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

1. Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
2. Accountability;
3. Creative Problem Solving;
4. Effective Communication;
5. Inclusive Collaboration;
6. Stakeholder Engagement;
7. Leading by Example.

Functional Competencies

1. Strong background in communications, journalism and donor relations;
2. Expertise in working on GBV, PSEA and SV in communications;
3. Strong understanding development of communication strategies for gender mainstreaming in humanitarian settings;
4. Excellent research, analytical and writing skills;
5. Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
6. Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
7. Ability to work independently and meet sudden and tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification

• Master’s degree or equivalent in communications, public relations, or journalism;
• A certification related to photo and video editing is an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years of progressively experience in journalism, communications, and/or outreach;
• Technical experience in humanitarian communications is required;
• Know-how on gender-based violence related matters is an asset;
• Experience in media and donor relations is required;
• Skills in photoshop, video editing, and social media is a strong asset;
• Experience working in the UN System in humanitarian emergencies is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required.
• Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• UNWomen Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.

UNWOMEN 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.