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.

UN WOMEN West & Central Africa Regional Office work includes support to and oversight for thirteen (13) country offices where UN Women has presence and a Multi Country Office covering four offices without UN Women country office presence more specifically this includes strategic programme development and policy/ technical advice, oversight, programme and operational support and quality assurance, supporting UN interagency, coordination and intergovernmental support, representation and advocacy, strategic partnerships and resource mobilization and knowledge management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Regional Director, the Communication Specialist Consultant is responsible for:

• Overseeing the implementation of the WCARO communication strategy in collaboration with the global communication and advocacy team, the programmeme teams and regional communications specialists.
• Designing and implementing global and regional multi-stakeholder campaigns that amplify advocacy priorities for all programme units and maximize the visibility of UN Women WCARO and its results.
• Developing a strong narrative and engaging communication materials for a variety of channels and target audience.

Lead the development and implementation of communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans:

• Oversee the implementation of WCARO communication strategy.
• Develop an annual communication plan in line with WCARO communication strategy and programme units workplans.
• Integrate communication, advocacy, and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives.
• Provide advice and guidance to and coordinate with programme managers and team leads on programme/project-specific communication tools and strategies.

Oversee the design and dissemination of outreach  and advocacy materials

• Develop and produce communication and advocacy instruments and materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and articles and coordinate its dissemination through effective channels;
• Ensure the visibility of events, campaigns and key activities planned by WCARO and field offices (e.g. 16 Days of activism, Beijing+30, etc.)
• Lead the engagement and supervision of video producers and other communication specialists to produce audio/ visual materials on UN Women’s work; establish systems for sharing such materials across the region.

 Oversee the ROs online presence.

• Oversee and manage regional social media accounts and web site, including developing design and content in line with corporate social media policy.
• Coordinate COs’ web-presence in the line with corporate web policy.
• Develop regional social media strategy for regional campaigns.
• Analyze social media analytics together with the communications team to support the expansion of UN Women’s reach over social media in the region.

Manage the Communication Team

• Coordinate with the regional programme and regional communications, and headquarters.
• Review and ensure the implementation of the communication team’s work plan.
• Monitor and report on the results of communication and advocacy activities.

The Specialist will carry out any other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the effective functioning of the communications department.

key Performance Indicators

• Annual communication plan designed in a participatory manner.
• Increased coverage of UN Women's mandate and achievements in the region.
• Enhanced quality and frequency of content created by programme and CO teams.

Deliverables

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Strong knowledge of managing web-based knowledge management systems
• Strong understanding of production, graphic design and photography standards
• Strong knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Strong oral and written communication and editing skills
• Strong communication, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to provide advice and be strategic and analytical
• Good knowledge of the local country media landscape
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues is desirable

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field 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 5 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy, preferably in West and Central Africa, is required.
• Experience in the use of social media is required.
• Experience in media relations is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Knowledge of Portuguese is an asset.

How to Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

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 based on 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.)