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.  

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova 2023-2027 (UNSDCF), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on gender equality.

Reporting to the Communications Specialist, the Communications Officer ensures the timely and quality formulation and implementation of the communications and advocacy plans to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. The Communication Officer will support advocacy efforts, maintenance of media relations, and organizational outreach efforts, in order to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. The Communications Officer collaborates closely with other Country Office colleagues, as well as the Regional Office counterparts, to ensure communications activities and organizational outreach efforts are aligned with corporate communications policies and initiatives and follow innovative approaches and good practices. The Communications Officer promotes a client-oriented approach in UN Women. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Plan and design communications and outreach/advocacy plans and ensure their efficient implementation:

  • Prepare and conduct communications needs assessments for the Country Office (CO) projects, programmes and corporate change initiatives; 
  • Elaborate, implement and continuously monitor the communication activities and plans, including appropriate feedback mechanisms and monitoring tools; 
  • Contributes to identification of appropriate suppliers for the provision of goods and services for communication activities; Develops relevant Terms of References and technical specifications;  
  • Coordinate and evaluate all project service providers related to communication & visibility products and service delivered to the project; Oversee the organization and realization of events, coordinate the project teams on all communication and visibility aspects;  
  • Provide inputs to Programme in order to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into programme formulation, as necessary. 
  • Monitor and analyze media reports; Provide inputs to the quarterly and annual Office work plan and progress/annual reports;

Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of communication and advocacy materials:

  • Develop communications materials, including brochures, publications, briefing materials, and human stories, and manage their dissemination;  
  • Manage the translation/adaption/rewriting of global or regional communications materials;
  • Coordinate design, printing and dissemination of publications, establish and maintain relationships with printers/ publishers
  • Design concepts and oversee shooting of audio-visual materials, maintain relationships with providers of audio-visual materials;  
  • Maintain library/ database of reference materials and photos and digital assets, as necessary; 
  • Follow guidelines from RO/HQ. 

Maintain social media presence and website:

  • Manage website content and maintenance based on corporate requirements;
  • Update the website, ensure consistency in branding;
  • Identify stories within projects and programmes, and develop content for the website and social media channels;  
  • Ensure social media management in line with corporate social media policy; ensure timely and on the spot social media presence like stories, reels, posts during events;
  • Ensure compelling online presence through the creation of digital content and taking photos during events;
  • Follow new trends in social media and ensure their integration into the social media strategy of the CO;
  • Maintain files, databases, and systems relevant to the CO’s digital presence, as necessary. 
  • Ensure visibility and presentation of the impact projects and programmes activities; manage website analytics and social media monitoring;

Coordinate media relations for projects and programmes:

  • Manage relationships with the media, serve as a focal point on UN Women programmes and activities open to the press, as necessary;  
  • Establish and maintain relationships with press in country; maintain and update database of relevant press, as necessary; 
  • Respond to media inquiries and information requests, arrange interviews; prepare and disseminate press invitations; 
  • Design concepts of various communication products such as TV and radio programmes, podcasts, interviews and other promotional or information materials in cooperation with staff and partners;
  • Ensures timely preparation of talking points, their relevance to the event and compliance with organization’s mandate and priorities. 

Facilitate knowledge management and sharing:

  • Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
  • Prepare and provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy to staff and partners, as appropriate.
  • Provide/ exchange information with RO and other COs from the region. 

Maintain relationships with partners and donors:

  • Draft communication and visibility guidelines and ensure dissemination to partners;
  • Provide regular feedback on the communication products developed within joint projects;
  • Ensure effective communication within joint initiatives;
  • Provide inputs to donor reports and information packages for donor review.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

    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 establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients 
    • Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality 
    • Excellent event planning skills 
    • Excellent knowledge of social media and communications strategy and methods  
    • Ability to identify relevant events and stories and communicate them to a mass audience 
    • Strong multimedia skills 
    • Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment 

    Required Skills and Experience

    Education and Certification

    • Master’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Social sciences or any other relevant field is required.
    • A bachelor’s degree with two additional years of relevant experience might be accepted in lieu of the master's degree.
    • Additional training and certification in communication and related areas is a strong advantage.  

    Experience

    • A minimum of 5 years’ experience in communications at the national or international level, including experience in media relations is required.
    • Experience in developing and implementing media/communications plans, including organizing awareness campaigns is required.
    • Experience in advanced use of social media and digital communications is required.  
    • Experience in the use of Drupal or other website management tools is an advantage.
    • Experience in photography would is an advantage.
    • Experience working in a large development agency is an advantage.
    • Previous experience with gender issues, with UN Women and UN system is an advantage.

    APPLICATION PROCESS AND SUBMISSION PACKAGE 

    Interested candidates are invited to submit applications with the following documents. 

    Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. 

    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.

    Diversity and inclusion:

    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 on the basis of 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.

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