UN WOMEN Jobs - 111903- Communications Consultant

Communications Consultant

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-May-2023

Application Deadline :

13-Apr-23 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

10 months

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.

Generation Equality is the world’s leading effort to unlock political will and accelerate investment and implementation on gender equality. It recognizes that a bold, whole of society approach is needed to disrupt entrenched and rising global gender inequality, underscored by intensified ambition, investment and accountability. The initiative brings together organizations from every part of society to catalyze progress, advocate for change and take bold actions together.

Generation Equality was initiated to disrupt decades of under-investment and lack of progress on gender equality implementation. The initiative intends to support the achievement of the SDGs and the realization of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action on women’s rights. With the intersecting challenges to gender inequality of COVID-19, the climate crisis, growing conflicts and intensified economic and political instability, the initiative aims both to stop reversals in women’s and girls’ rights as well as accelerate concrete progress.

Generation Equality was launched in 2021 at events in Mexico and France, and in the presence of Heads of State, VIPs, CEOs and civil society and youth leaders and activists. Initially conceived as a five-year initiative, work will continue through and beyond 2026 to enroll new commitment makers, press for collective action on gender equality and ensure accountability.

The next phase of Generation Equality is expected be accompanied by robust communications, outreach, and stakeholder engagement plans. Such plans will aim to energize and motivate enrolled Generation Equality stakeholders, enlist new partners and commitment makers, and engage opinion formers, policymakers, and public audiences in understanding the global imperative for investment in gender equality. As the initiative continues and more reporting and accountability information becomes available, such communication will aim to underscore the ‘proof of concept’ of the initiative with the intent of driving continued support and investment across stakeholder groups.

As the implementation of Phase II of Generation Equality is underway, technical support and coordination on the development and implementation of the communications strategy is key to its success. The communications consultant will be pivotal in the identification of key moments for dissemination of the progress achieved. Communication assets for advocacy and to increase the visibility on the implementation of commitments will be crucial during the second semester of 2023.

One key milestone will take place this September in New York. UN Women and the Government of Tanzania will co-host a global Midpoint Event for Generation Equality to renew the collective promise for multi-stakeholder action for gender equality. The event is designed to ensure accountability, harness bold new commitments where they are needed and energize audiences around the continued urgency of the gender equality agenda. It will be a rallying moment for gender equality advocates globally—for Member States, Civil Society, youth, the private sector, UN agencies and many more—to reaffirm the commitment to Generation Equality as a transformational accelerator of change. The Communications Consultant will work with internal and external stakeholders to craft and implement the Generation Equality comms strategy and lead on content production for the event.

Channels used for communication will include dedicated Generation Equality website properties, UN Women social media channels, partner and commitment maker communications vehicles and – at pivotal moments during the initiative – outreach to relevant global, national and sector media. UN Women will also collaborate with 18 funding partners on dedicated PR and communications strategies to showcase their commitment to Generation Equality and expand audiences for the initiative through their respective circles of outreach and influence. The approach to this will ensure complementarity with continued visibility for UN Women’s core donors.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Communications and Advocacy, and working within the Global Comms team, and in line with the Project Document for Phase II of Generation Equality, the Communications Consultant will manage and coordinate all communications activities related to Generation Equality. The Communications Consultant will be responsible for developing and implementing the Generation Equality communications strategy and will provide technical communications guidance and expertise to managers, partners and stakeholders in the design and implementation of the communications strategy.

The Communications Consultant will drive and manage the development of all communications content and assets to generate compelling success stories in the field where Generation Equality commitments are being implemented.

This role drives all Generation Equality public mobilization and stakeholder engagement through relevant digital and non-digital platforms and, in coordination with the UN Women Communications Section, continues to position Generation Equality in traditional and social media channels.

The Communications Consultant will also be responsible for identifying and maintaining relevant tracking mechanisms and project plans to ensure that communications goals are on track and that progress is consistent.

This role also provides technical communications and and coordination support to Generation Equality partners to advance Action Coalitions and Civil Society engagement, progress and visibility in support of the objectives and goals of the overall communications strategy.

Functions:

Lead and manage GEF strategic communications including:

Develop and implement an elaborated communications strategy to ensure robust communications and amplification of GEF results and ongoing visibility.

Lead and manage day to day GEF communications including content development, oversight of all GEF platforms to ensure platforms are fully leveraged.

Lead and manage communications planning and delivery for 2023 midpoint event and its run-up to drive visibility and excitement around the potential for new commitments.

Lead and manage communications planning and implementation for global moment in 2025-26 and leverage communications platforms and opportunities to showcase accountability and results.

Oversee management and work of external public relations agency and other key vendors

Oversee all media relations for Generation Equality in partnership with colleagues and with external agency including press briefings and news releases, and on-site media management at the Midpoint

Build relationships with PR teams for key commitment makers and galvanize those organizations and their principals to engage in promotion of Generation Equality and the Midpoint specifically

Develop assets and strategies that can be deployed by Generation Equality leaders, partners, signatories and donors to amplify the Midpoint and attend relevant meetings and convenings to share assets and encourage engagement

Branding and Marketing

Oversee and manage GEF branding to ensure consistent, high-impact application of GEF branding including the continued use and refreshment of the #ActforEqual and #GenerationEquality brands and hashtags to organise and animate continued communications about progress, impact and accountability in Generation Equality’s next phase. Ensure tracking of social media mentions and reach.

Leverage and build upon the significant investments made in both brands and their wide recognition and utilization within the sector to date.

Work with relevant partners and with the event co-hosts to ensure branding alignment including of any necessary brand variants.

Codify guidance for branding into an updates brand guidelines document.

Develop and lead sustained marketing initiatives and campaigns to prospective Commitment Makers and for broader public audiences aligned to key external moments including:

Identifying and developing profiles and stories to amplify diverse Commitment Makers and their impact.
Creation of digital marketing materials (in some cases co-originated with multi-sector leaders including government, civil society, youth, UN, philanthropy private sector partnerships leaders) to attract new commitments.

Partner Engagement and Public advocacy

Maximise communications impact through intentional and consistent relationship building with Generation Equality partners and other stakeholders to boslter a community of common communications practice.

Develop and translate as relevant, messaging and communications assets to strengthen communications and alignment across all sectors and stakeholders in key regions to help galvanize a multi-sector commitment push.

Oversee development of assets and content to enhance visibility, engagement and communications alignment of Commitment Makers, Action Coalition Leaders and Compact Signatories.

Amplify and recognise new commitments and celebrate progress through strategic development and placement of communications content and assets across all channels and platforms.

Identify and support communications around key regional and thematic spotlight moments to amplify thought leadership and communicate key gaps and needs to fulfil the Global Acceleration Plan.

Identify and design strategic communications and campaigns to amplify youth and civil society voices and sustain the energy of activations such as the June 2021 ‘Youth Week of Action’ and TikTok activations.

Communication of Results and Visibility, Including for Commitment Makers and Donors

Design and implement communications approaches and activities to energize and motivate existing Generation Equality stakeholders, motivate and enlist new partners and commitment makers, and engage opinion makers, policymakers, and public audiences in understanding the global imperative for investment in gender equality.

Develop and amplify multi-platform communications content to underscore the ‘proof of concept’ of the Generation Equality imitative with the intent of driving continued support and investment across stakeholder groups.

Working with Action Coalitions, Compact and other streams of Generation Equality, develop and build a pipeline of stories of progress and impact as a way of conveying the results of Generation Equality, and share and promote these stories

Develop and Implement Communications Plan for Generation Equality Midpoint Event, September 2023.

Leverage Generation Equality Midpoint Event to drive visibility and excitement around the potential for new commitments.

Develop and implement communications activities to drive public and stakeholder awareness and engagement around the Generation Equality midpoint moment to increase media coverage, social media reach and website/online engagement.

Produce content, assets and messaging to reflect and elevate progress, generate and spotlight new transformative commitments and amplify gap areas that need to be addressed and accelerated.

Develop communications toolkits for partners, Commitment makers, donors and signatories.

Lead and Manage Generation Equality Online Engagement

Consistent and compelling digital and online engagement will be a key success driver in the Generation Equality communications strategy. This will include:

Social media & digital storytelling:
Creation of social media assets and toolkits
Consolidation of the Generation Equality Website infrastructure to present a unified digital ‘public face’ for the initiative, showcasing regular news on progress to illustrate the initiative’s momentum and dynamism.
Ensure full digital accessibility in all online and digital channels so that no woman or girl with a disability or otherwise is left out.

Key Performance Indicators

Social media reach
Engagement of regions/ countries, partners, commitment makers and allies in the communications plan (number posting, sjarimng and using shared assets etc.)
Technical and coordination support provided to the design and development of the communication and public mobilization continuation strategy for Generation Equality.
Coordination facilitated between UN Women teams (including regional and country teams), GEF Secretariat, partners and Action Coalition members on all communications and public mobilization aspects.
External communications about the GE initiative (whether initiated by partners or by UN Women directly) are high quality and on-brand.
Volume, quality and accuracy of media coverage for priority events.
Accuracy and timeliness of event tracking and project management calendars.
Positive feedback from key partners and internal stakeholders on quality and consistency of communications.
Briefing notes, talking points, articles, social media posts, press releases and other communications products developed.

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

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Excellent communications skills working across platforms and channels, online and offline.
Ability to form and maintain meaningful working relationships with various members of the media.
Ability to communicate the value of a product or service.
Excellent organizational skills, including experience in managing conflicting demands, meeting deadlines and adjusting priorities.
High level skills in design for social media and for PowerPoint
Experience in hiring and managing communications vendors (e.g., PR companies, production companies, media specialists, etc.)
A positive attitude and flexibility in managing work tasks in a high-pressure environment.
Good interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
Able to lead, manage, work independently and in a team.
Adheres to a human rights approach in engaging with all persons.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent in Communications, Journalism, Media, Advocacy or similar is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

At least 7 years of experience in strategic communications, campaigns, advocacy, at the international level.
Experience in implementing global communications strategies and campaigns.
Strong knowledge of women’s rights and gender equality issues.
Experience in writing, editing, content production and dissemination for online and offline audiences at the international level.
Experience working with civil society is an asset.
Experience working with the UN is an asset.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English
Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.