UNDP Jobs - 90034- Communication consultant (IRH)

Communication consultant (IRH)

Location :

Home-based with possible missions

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

18-Feb-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated March 2020 – February 2023

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

up to 260 working days

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 Slovak Republic – UNDP Partnership started in 2003 with the partnership with Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA). In 2009, the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic (MFSR) joined the partnership with its specific programme aimed at supporting partners with efforts to reform public finance management systems.

Currently the central element of the partnership with the Slovak Republic is based on two pillars; (i) the partnership with the MFEA framed by the project UNDP-Slovakia Partnership: Effective Development Cooperation Solutions for the SDGs (August 2018 – August 2021), and (ii) the partnership with MFSR framed by the project Public and Private Finance for Development (ending in 2022). The overall partnership main focus areas are:

Public finance management–strengthening selected partner countries´ capacities in public finance management (through Public and Private Finance for Development; see: https://publicfinance.undp.sk/en/).
Private sector engagement in development cooperation - building the capacity of Slovak ODA national partners, in creating an enabling environment for increased opportunities for private entities to enter the development market and build capacity of the private entities in utilizing those opportunities (See: https://rozvojmajstri.com//).
Support to private sector engagement through specific tools, Resource Mobilization Facility and Challenge Fund, both implemented in cooperation with the UNDP Country offices (COs). The Resource Mobilization Facility supports the UNDP COs with funding and specific expertise for the preparation of (pre)feasibility studies for larger development investment projects. The Challenge Fund aims to bring innovative solutions to address development challenges in the target countries.
Strengthening Slovakia’s positioning as development cooperation provider in the field of security sector reform (SSR). Slovakia supports the second phase of UNDP’s flagship Women in the Military Initiative, which has widely been recognized as best practice and ground-breaking, including by NATO.
Capacity development for Slovak development specialists in public institutions, namely MFEA, MFSR, SlovakAid Agency and other relevant ODA actors for providing effective and high-quality ODA to its partners.

All interventions are primary focused on the Western Balkans and Moldova, but not strictly limited to that geographic area.

One of the partnership objectives is to ensure the communication and visibility of the initiatives supported by the projects, their results and impact between the interested public and expert’s community. The partnership does not have one integrated communication strategy, rather it concentrates on specific contextual areas.

The communication is channeled mainly through web sites and social media, and Slovak media. The communication related to the initiatives implemented in partner countries are covered by the UNDP Country Offices. Building the relations with relevant communication stakeholders is also the part of the assignment.

Objectives:

The assignment objective is to increase the partnership overall visibility, knowledge and awareness about partnership initiatives between target audience and interested public with special emphasis on sharing the Slovak experience in public finance management through various communication channels.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant shall fulfill the objectives of this assignment by conducting the following activities:

In cooperation with the Donor and IRH Partnership and Communication Teams prepare the Communication Strategy and related Communication action plan specifying the activities and timeframes, roles and responsibilities of actors, target audience and the main communication tools and products to be used;
Manage existing partnership websites;
Social media and social networking including initiating partnerships with other relevant online and social media channels;
Other tasks related to graphic design, web design, web content
Liaising with media to communicate key messages to defined target audiences
Media coverage in Slovakia, including press releases, press conferences, photo coverage and interviews, etc.;
Developing stories and articles to be published in newspapers/magazines/online platforms;
Updating and editing the information and promotional materials, including press kits, promotional leaflets, brochures, information packages;
Cooperates with the graphic designers on developing the layouts and graphics;
Analytics: regular tracking of web and social media statistics and preparation of regular reports Researching and monitoring relevant websites and social media channels if needed;
Preparing technical specification of services to be provided by other external contractors in support of promotional and visibility activities and with related procurement process;
Support the UNDP Country Offices with the partnership communication if requested;
In cooperation with UNDP IRH communication team prepare the programme related content for the UNDP corporate website;
Liaising with partnership partners, UNDP communication officers and focal points in respective UNDP Country Offices and in UNDP Regional Centre in Istanbul; Donors representatives and SlovakAid communication team;
Effectively monitoring and evaluating various communications tools and activities, to measure the impact on achieving the overall objective;
Support the Project Team with event management.

Expected Results and Deliverables:

The following key results and deliverables are expected:

Communication strategy developed; Communication action plan developed and updated;
The partnership dedicated website developed, maintained and regularly updated;
The programme related content for the UNDP corporate website developed;
Social media platforms regularly updated;
Communication products designed, developed and disseminated to target audiences;
The programme activities and results promoted and visibility increased via appropriated communication channels in Slovakia and abroad.

Duration and Remuneration:

It is estimated that the above tasks would require up to 260 working days during the assignment period. The work will be primarily home based with occasional travel as needed. Payments will be made in installments upon submission of a satisfactory progress report against expected results and deliverables, a time-sheet providing details of time spent on respective tasks and deliverables, their timely execution, and acceptance by the Partnership Manager. Payments will be made on monthly basis.

Any approved travel will be covered separately in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations. A mission must be approved by the Partnership Manager.

Travel:

No missions are foreseen at this stage. Any travel necessary for the completion of the assignment will be covered separately in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Commitment to UNDP and OCHA mission, vision and values;
Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Functional Competencies

General development agenda overview;
Strong interpersonal, communication and networking skills;
Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.?

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Minimum BA degree in journalism, political science, social science, public affairs, public relations, development studies, communications or other relevant fields.

Experience

At least 5 years of experience in media or media agency or media department, online communications, active use of social media, publication and report writing proven by the portfolio of communication and visibility materials (please submit links in the Motivation section);
At least 2 years of experience in website development and management (proven by specific websites developed and managed by the Consultant – please submit links in the Motivation section);
Experience with web-based applications, and basic knowledge of HTML, as well as video and photo editing and design software
Experience producing analytics reports, solid social media skills and good understanding of web metrics;
Knowledge and experience in local and international media market;

Language

Excellent English writing and communication skills are required;
Slovak language proficiency is required.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The contract award should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a. Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and b. having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max 35 points

Criteria A (Academic background specified in the announcement) – max 5 points
Criteria B (At least 5 years of experience in media and online communications, active use of social media, publication and report writing, including research and data collection) – max 10 points
Criteria C (At least 2 years of experience in website development and management – max 10 points
Criteria D (Understanding of development cooperation or demonstrated regional experience in similar assignments) – max 10 points.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points.

Application Procedure:

The application submission is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications.

Step 1: Interested candidates must include the following documents when submitting the applications (Please group all your documents into a single PDF attachment as the system only allows one document to be uploaded).

Cover letter in English explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position (maximum 1000 characters). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Portfolio of promotional materials developed by a candidate – please submit links in the “Resume and Motivation” section along with the cover letter.
Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc).

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and requested to provide a financial offer.

Payment will be made in installments upon submission of time-sheets and certification by the Programme Manager on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs. Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

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.