UNV Jobs - 36740- United Nations Volunteers Office in New York Comm

United Nations Volunteers Office in New York Communications and Advocacy Consultant

Advertised on behalf of

UNV

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-May-2013

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

8 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

8 months

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

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming and mobilizing volunteers.

UNV is administered by and aligned with the strategic goals of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including those relating to support to the United Nations System as a whole. It operates amidst growing recognition that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will require the ingenuity, solidarity, and creativity of millions of ordinary people through voluntary action. As part of those, every year more than 7300 UN Volunteers, representing 160 different nationalities, are active participants in the programmes of the United Nations itself and almost all United Nations Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies in more than 130 countries.

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – the majority in Bonn with some dozen positions in different UN peacekeeping missions, and other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo). In the field, UNV has country office teams, composed of UNV Programme Officers (UNV volunteers) and Country Office Assistants, in many of the UNDP country offices. The major organizational groups within UNV are:

The Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC);The Evaluation Unit;
The Corporate Planning and Performance Unit;
The Volunteer Programme and Management Group (VPMG) comprising the Peace and Development Divisions; Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS); Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS); supported by a Quality Assurance Unit;
The Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD); and
The Management Services Division (MSD) comprising sections for Information Support Services, Finance, Human Resources, as well as Units for Common Services and Administration.

Organizational Setting:

The UNV Office in New York is part of the Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD) of UNV and is the focal point for strengthening UNV’s relationship with UNDP/HQ and for partnership building with locally-based UN Agencies and Diplomatic missions. Its focus is on maintaining and strengthening relations with UNDP headquarters, UN Secretariat headquarters and UN system agencies; representing UNV in key New York-based forums and taskforces; liaising with Bonn, Germany. The consultancy will require interaction with these partners primarily and others that will be identified, as part of the office’s responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UNV Partnerships and Communications Division, the Chief of the UNV Office in New York (ONY) and in close collaboration with the Communications Section, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

Assist in building the ONY’s communication strategy for outreach efforts internally and externally

Prepare a monthly internal newsletter aimed at informing UNV’s 150 staff in Bonn and 7,000+ volunteers in the field about activities at the UN HQ in New York

Act as the focal point for the drafting, editing and proofreading of the UNV ONY weekly report

Develop a calendar of UN special events and conferences from April-December 2013

Manage ONY’s UNV portal

Network with UNV’s online community; research and implement digital services for campaigns; and manage multimedia content and engagement tools

Engage the ONY in the UNV social media initiatives (twitter and Facebook) and leverage them to boost the visibility of UNV in New York
Conceptualize and execute a social media engagement initiative for ONY
Provide live updates for ONY UNV during New York events

Advocate for UNV’s work in support of the broader UN development agenda; support outreach and communication activities to relevant stakeholders, partners in the New York area and the UN system

Liaise with UNV’s Communications Section on media and communication activities and explore the potential for action in New York
Strengthen existing relations with UN communications colleagues (special focus on DPI and UNDP) to enhance UNV’s profile across the UN system
Support in the promotion, preparation, and organization of the UNDP Executive Board, launch of the youth volunteering program, MDG High Level Political Panel, and International Volunteer Day 2013
Organize UNV promotional materials for ONY

One ONY Newsletter

Independently develop a newsletter on New York events, meetings, and conferences that have a special focus on volunteerism, youth, post-2015, and any other information deemed useful for UNV staff worldwide
Monthly 2013

Four Weekly Reports

Compile the notes from Youth and Post-2015 intern into one weekly report before submission to Chief of UNV ONY
Monthly 2013

Social Media

Create, monitor and update ONY social media pages
Monthly 2013

Calendar of Events

Calendar of special and UNV events in NYC area to be distributed internally
May 2013

ONY Communications Strategy

Finalize the modalities for a ONY communications strategy for 2013 (events include the launch of UNV’s youth volunteering program, a side event at the MDG HLPF, and coordination plans for IVD 2013)
June 2013

Youth Volunteering Program

UNV ONY Oral Briefing to ECOSOC
Assist UNV Communications Section in spreading the awareness and visibility of the official launch of the youth volunteering program in NYC
May and July 2013

MDG High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

Coordinate and plan a side event during the MDG High Level Political Forum. Ensure the visibility of UNV and volunteerism during the event
September 2013

International Volunteer Day 2013

Promote, coordinate, and prepare for IVD 2013 in the New York area.
December 2013

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrate integrity by modeling values and UN ethics standards
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNV
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity, adaptability, and tolerance
Skills to work as a valuable team member
Constructive and enthusiastic approach to program of work
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Functional Competencies:

Good knowledge of UNV’s mandate.
Strong editorial and writing skills including a strong knowledge of web based communication tools.
Ability to edit images or prepare graphics for the web
Demonstrated understanding of effective social media outreach and monitoring
Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize information from a number of sources
Ability to provide quality publications, reports, and newsletters with minimal instruction, supervision and time
Capacity to manage workload with minimum supervision and meet competing communication deadlines
Capability to problem solve; show initiative, flexibility, and adaptability to changing situations
Well organized and independently motivated

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in International Relations, Development or a related field

Experience:

Minimum one year relevant work experience
Strong interpersonal, communication/presentation and negotiation skills
Research ability; strategic, analytical and drafting abilities
Good understanding of and commitment to volunteerism and volunteer action and familiarity with civil society organizations at both international and national levels
Knowledge of volunteering issues and their link to social development, an asset
Volunteer experience, an asset
Sound knowledge of the United Nations system and UNDP, in particular at UN HQ
Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English required. Good working knowledge of either Spanish or French is a plus.

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