Background
The Project Communication Specialist will be engaged to support three projects in the area of Social Inclusion: Promoting Sustainable Employments 2, Preventing Domestic Violence and Support Facility for Roma Inclusion.
The main objective of the Promoting Sustainable Employments – Phase 2 project is to support the national institutions to better plan, implement and monitor active labour market measures (ALMMs). More specifically, UNDP provides support in the implementation of three employment measures of the 2013 Operational Plan on ALMMs, i.e. Self-employment; Additional employments in existing SMEs and craftsmen shops and Training in skills demanded at the labour market. In addition, the Employment programme will support creation of up to 50 short-term employments through Community works/services to enhance employability of the unemployed who face difficulties in entering the labour market.
The programme is implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP), Employment Service Agency (ESA) and Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship (APE).
The overall objective of the project Preventing Domestic Violence through competent national institutions and accountable and transparent judicial system 2012 – 2013 is to Improve the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the judicial system when dealing with cases of domestic violence, as well as of the National Coordination Body (NCB) mandated to coordinate and monitor the implementation of national policies and measures in the area of domestic violence. Furthermore, the project aims to support the country pre-ratification processes by raising awareness of the benefits from ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (The Istanbul Convention) and involve the Parliament to exercise a proactive approach in addressing issues regarding domestic and gender based violence.
Support Facility for Roma Inclusion focuses on addressing the key causes of Roma social exclusion, including unemployment and financial insecurity. It will contribute to increasing technical skills of national stakeholders, responsible for monitoring and evaluation of public policy making. At local level, the project will be implemented in four municipalities developing innovative ways for increasing opportunities for Roma to become active on the labour market and achieve economic independence. To address the specific needs of Roma women, the project will increase the capacities of women’s action groups to ensure they can be as fully involved as possible in income generation programmes.
To enhance transparency of all three projects, better outreach to potential beneficiaries, raise awareness among population for preventing and combating domestic violence, the Social Inclusion practice intends to engage a Project Communication Specialist that will support all three projects in building and enhancing its knowledge management platform and improve the promotion of project results.
OBJECTIVES
Under direct supervision of the UNDP Head of Unit of Social Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives and in close consultation with the UNDP Communication Officer, the Project Communication Specialist will support communication policy and knowledge management activities that will strengthen the promotion of the project interventions, raise awareness and information sharing among general population while using innovative and most suitable communication tools. In day-to-day activities the incumbent will closely collaborate with the respective project managers and specialists.
Duties and Responsibilities
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Draft communication strategies and action plans for each of the three projects to ensure greater visibility and public understanding of the projects’ goals and results;
- Work closely with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy’s Communications team and UNDP’s Communication Officer to identify the most suitable communication tools for promotion of social inclusion programmes;
- Prepares documents related to the three projects to support affirmative media placements;
- Produce public relations materials and various print material focused on program promotion for internal and external use, and assist with planning and publicizing;
- Support organization of various public events on local and national level in order to achieve better Programme understanding, recognition and visibility;
- Manage and feed the Self-employment or any new websites content with news, innovative topic and useful content; Support and coordinate the creation of promotional videos (documentary or testimonials) filming successful stories on project beneficiaries in different venue, while organizing the entire production process (preparation, production and post-production);
- Create, and coordinate efficiently with vendors (design and print houses, BTL agencies, MB agencies, production houses etc.);
- The expected distribution of workload between the project will be as follows:
− 50% Promoting Sustainable Employments
− 30% Support Facility for Roma Inclusion
− 20% Preventing Domestic Violence
Nonetheless, this may vary in case there are significant changes in the portfolio of projects.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR EVALUATION OF RESULTS:
- Project activities executed in line with UNDP corporate principles;
- Established and maintained good relations with the MLSP’s Communication office and the media while ensuring good affirmative coverage of UNDP’s social inclusion programmes;
- Organized various media events (briefings, face to face meetings, presentations, interviews, press statements etc.) and other local promotional events and improvement of the visibility of the UNDP’s programmes;
- The content of the Self-employment website managed and uploaded with up to date news, articles and other innovative topics;
- Documentary videos and other promotion materials produced while supporting the entire organization of the production.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
- Integrity: Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
- Respect of diversity: Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Core Competencies:
- Client Orientation: Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Team Work: Participates in teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills- Relationship Building: Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
- Stress Management: Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure
- Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
- Client Orientation: Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Functional Competencies
- Development and Operational Effectiveness: Ability to participate in communications planning and its implementation;
- Judgment/Decision Making: identifies key issues in a complex situation and proposes course of action for overcoming of the issues.
Technical Competencies
- Experience in communication or public relations for projects of similar scope;
- Experience in developing and implementing communication plans.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- University Degree in journalism, communications or equivalent.
- Master degree is a strong asset.
Professional experience:
- At least 3 years ( 2 years for candidate with MA) of relevant professional experience performing tasks similar to the required job position;
- Evident experience in web publishing and maintenance;
- A proven ability to use creative and effective communication tools;
- Evident experience in liaising and co-operating with media journalist, government officials, NGOs and private sector;
- Previous experience with civil society sector is a strong asset.
- Excellent computer literacy (MS Office; Windows, Internet); excellent communications, report writing and analytical skills.
Language Requirements:
Language proficiency in both written and oral English and Macedonian. Knowledge of other local languages shall be considered an asset. This is a national project position. The UNDP strives to assure equitable representation of women and minorities in all its activities. UNDP offers a competitive compensation package.