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 in Bangladesh is supporting the Government of Bangladesh with the Rohingya humanitarian crisis response. UN Women has developed a humanitarian response programme in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to meet the specific needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized Rohingya Refugee Women and Girls and the women and girls in the host communities affected by the refugee influx in Cox’s Bazar. The objective of the programme is to ensure protection, as well as equitable and safe access to and benefit from urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance and information, as well as learning, leadership and self-reliance/livelihoods opportunities for the most vulnerable, and marginalized Rohingya and host community women and adolescent girls while assisting them to live with dignity. The programme also promotes women’s participation and leadership in the camps and host community and peace and social cohesion building activities including through engagement with and capacity strengthening and sensitization of camp management and police, as well as women’s CSOs/networks and media. UN Women further works in Bangladeshi host communities in Cox’s Bazar to promote women’s socio-economic empowerment as a means for social cohesion, recovery and resilience building. UN Women co-chairs the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group for the Rohingya Refugee Response with UNHCR and manages the ISCG Gender Hub to promote gender-responsive humanitarian action across the humanitarian coordination system and humanitarian agencies in Cox’s Bazar. The Sub-office in Cox’s Bazar was established in January 2018 to reinforce management of programmes in Cox’s Bazar district.

Reporting to the Gender and Humanitarian Action Programme Specialist: the Communications Associate supports the formulation and implementation of the communications and advocacy strategies to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. The Communications Associate promotes a client-oriented approach in UN Women.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.    Provide coordination support in the development of a coherent Cox’s bazar sub-office communications and advocacy strategy:

• Provide inputs and background information for the development of the sub-office communication strategy;
• Provide support to advocacy efforts and campaigns by organizing roundtable discussions, press conferences, and other publicity events and providing inputs to briefing materials and press releases;
• Provide support to programme and other sub-office staff on UN Women corporate communications guidelines and printing norms;
• Track and monitor print and social media and report relevant information to senior staff to inform strategy development.

2.    Support engagement with and capacity strengthening for journalists on gender-responsive journalism:

• Support conducting needs analysis, planning for training module, identifying relevant technical experts to conduct training for journalists on gender-responsive journalism and implement the training;
• Support organizing monthly meetings and dialogues between journalists and key stakeholders like women humanitarians, with women police, with Community Policing Fora members, with GiHA on specific themes;
• Support organizing visits of the journalists to the camps and host community in UN Women’s project locations;
• Support organizing discussions on women’s portrayal in media, with media representatives, women’s human rights organizations, relevant Government, and UN.

3.    Provide coordination support to the development of advocacy materials:

• Support identifying storylines and achievements for online and print publications;
• Draft press releases, articles, key messages and other advocacy materials;
• Coordinate the translation, adaptation, or rewriting of information received for the local context; disseminate materials to appropriate stakeholders;
• Coordinate the publication of materials for final approval; maintain relationships with printers/ publishers;
• Maintain library/ database of reference materials, photos, and digital assets;
• Follow guidelines from Country/regional offices and headquarters.

 4.    Provide support in the management of the social media presence and website:

• Support identifying stories, and providing inputs to the development of content for the website hosted at the Regional Office and social media channels;
• Update the website and social media channels, ensure consistency in branding;
• Support researching, compiling and producing reports on web statistics on a regular basis and electronic surveys, as required;
• Maintain files, databases, and systems relevant to the digital presence.

 5.    Provide media relations support to the head of sub-office:

• Serve as a focal point on UN Women activities open to the press, as necessary;
• Maintain and update database of relevant press in Cox’s Bazar;
• Respond to request for information and arrange interviews, as delegated;
• Provide substantive inputs to talking points.

 6.    Facilitate knowledge management and sharing:

• Contribute to the identification of best practices and lessons learned;
• Support organizing trainings and workshops on communication practices;
• Provide/ exchange information with Country office, regional offices and headquarters.

 7.    Other:

• Perform other tasks as assigned by supervisor;
• Provide support on special web/digital/media projects undertaken by the Country/regional offices/headquarters.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely inputs to communication and advocacy materials;
• Timely organization of discussions, conferences, briefings and other events;
• Timely provision of relevant background information;
• Accurately edited and well written contents;
• Timely delivery of high quality communication and advocacy materials;
• Webpages are regularly maintained, updated and relevant.

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:

• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality;
• Strong event planning skills;
• Strong knowledge of social media and communication strategies and methods;
• Ability to identify relevant events and stories and communicate them to a mass audience;
• Strong multimedia skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:    

• Completion of secondary education required;
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations or Journalism is an asset.

Experience:    

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in providing support to the formulation and implementation of internal and external communications and advocacy strategies and related plans;
• Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), web based management systems, designing, producing A/V, infographics
• Experience in the use of social media and digital communications.

Language Requirements:    

• Fluency in English and Bangla is required;
• Fluency Chittagonian language will be a desired asset.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment;
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.