Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination and violence 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. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs and services needed to implement these standards.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) UN Women currently has a wide portfolio supporting government and CSO effort to end violence against women and girls (EVAW). With the financial support of Sweden and the EU, UN Women work has been anchored since 2016 in the normative framework the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention). Defined under the IMPACT 3 section in the UN Women Strategic Note 2021-2025, this work shall contribute to support enhancing legislative and institutional framework on protection from domestic violence (DV) in BiH, prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG) on individual and community level and availability and quality service provision across BiH in line with the Istanbul Convention.

For the purpose of supporting the EVAW portfolio in making visible the multitude of actions implemented in partnership with government and CSO counterparts, as well as communicating clearly and actively about all the results achieved for women and girls in BiH, UN Women is seeking to engage a National Communications Consultant to support the implementation of visibility and communications activities, including events, campaigns and development of knowledge products in the area of ending violence against women.

Duties and Responsibilities

Raising awareness among the public about the efforts and results achieved in ending violence against women by UN Women and government and CSO partners is the overall objective of the work.

Furthermore, the aim of the task is to contribute to better visibility of the issue of violence against women, actions undertaken by UN Women and partners, as well as the results of those action, show casing how the work impacted the lives of women and girls.

The objective of this consultancy is to support UN Women communications activities in ending violence against women. This work includes developing and shaping communications products and activities, support to developing and implementing campaign concepts, and contributing to the visibility of UN Women and partners’ actions and results.

Under the supervision of the EVAW Programme Coordinator, the National Communication Consultant will work in collaboration with the EVAW team and UN Women BiH Communications Associate.

Based on UN Women BiH Communications Strategy and in consultation with the EVAW team, the National Communication Consultant is expected to  design and propose communications actions and products to enhance the visibility of the EVAW portfolio work and results as following:

• Support design and implementation of campaign concepts - at least 1 campaign concept designed and implemented;
• Develop communications products (success stories, infographics, quote cards, photos, videos, and similar content, as agreed with EVAW team) - at least 10 products developed;
• Support development and design of knowledge products (factsheets, newsletters, advocacy briefs, reports, studies, analyses) - at least 3 knowledge products finalized;
• Support organization of in-person and online events from a communications perspective (media outreach, press conferences, press releases, use of online platforms) – up to 8 events supported;
• Create social media content - up to 30 social media posts related to EVAW topics;
• Produce regular reports on visibility and communications results and targets for the UN Women EVAW portfolio - at least 2 reports produced on visibility results;
• Provide other inputs and perform other tasks as necessary according to agreed work plan.

The consultant will be expected to complete the following tasks within the indicative timeframe:

The consultancy will last max 60 days, in the period from 1 May 2023 to 31 January 2024. The assignment might require some presence at UN Women premises in Sarajevo.       

The consultancy generally does not require travel. Any possible travel to field locations for events will be agreed and arranged in advance in consultation with the supervisor and covered by UN Women.

All deliverables should be submitted to the UN Women EVAW Prevention Coordinator. Final report on the consultancy should be delivered by 31 January 2024 in English and should not exceed 10 pages.

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

1. Reports including workplans;
2. Relevant deliverables as indicated in the deliverables table and/or links to developed communications products;
3. Final report on the entire assignment.

Competencies

CORE VALUES:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Development and Operational Effectiveness
• Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
• Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
• Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems
• Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate
• Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• University Degree (BA) in media and communications, journalism or related field. A Master’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field such as international development, gender studies or social science will be considered an asset.

Skills and Experience:

• At least 5 years of demonstrated work experience in communications including experience in media relations. Relevant experience at the national level in delivering communications services to promote activities of international development organizations will be considered an asset.
• At least 2 years of experience in managing media campaigns, online outreach and use of multimedia;
• At least 3 years of experience in producing communication materials (print and online) for a variety of media;
• At least 2 years of experience in use of web editing tools and social media platforms;
• Experience in promotion of gender issues and working with women is an asset;
• Good understanding of new and evolving technologies and digital platforms is desirable
• Previous experience within the UN System is an advantage;
• Fluency in English and B/H/S, excellent spoken and written skills.

Evaluation

UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process that takes into account both the technical qualification of potential consultants as well as the financial proposals submitted in support of consultant applications. Candidate applications will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of applicant qualifications and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
• having received the highest score out of below defined technical, interview and financial criteria.

Based on a desk technical evaluation, only candidates receiving a minimum of 50 points at technical evaluation will be considered for validation interview.  

Criteria:

Technical Evaluation - documents based (70%) Out of which:

• University Degree (BA) in media and communications, journalism, or related field. SATISFACTORY/UNSATISFACTORY
• A Master’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field such as international development, gender studies or social science – 5 points
• At least 5 years of demonstrated work experience in communications including experience in media relations – 20 points
• Relevant experience at the national level in delivering communications services to promote activities of international development organizations – 5 points
• At least 2 years of experience in managing media campaigns, online outreach and use of multimedia – 10 points
• At least 3 years of experience in producing communication materials (print and online) for a variety of media – 10 points
• At least 2 years of experience in use of web editing tools and social media platforms – 5 points
• Experience in promotion of gender issues and working with women – 5 points
• Good understanding of new and evolving technologies and digital platforms – 5 points
• Previous experience within the UN System – 5 points
• Fluency in English and B/H/S, excellent spoken and written skills.

Financial Evaluation (30%)

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30 S - score received on financial evaluation;

Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round;

F - financial offer under the consideration.

Qualified women and men and members of minorities are encouraged to apply. UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents:

1. Expression of interest
2. Detailed financial proposal in BAM inclusive of all costs (except for travel related costs)
3. Completed UN Women Personal History (P11) form, that can be downloaded from UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc (live.com)
4. Two samples or links to previous work (published communications products)

For any additional information, please contact unwomen.bih@unwomen.org.

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc (live.com)
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), the Financial Proposal, and Expression of Interest into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;'
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

 Qualified women and men and members of minorities are encouraged to apply. UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.  

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. 

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application. 

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.  All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.