Background

The principal mandate of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) is to establish the fate of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who went missing as a consequence of the tragic events of 1963-1964 and 1974 and to provide answers to families of missing persons who remain in grief. CMP’s work includes the obtaining of information that may lead to the exhumation, identification and return of remains of missing persons. This process enables the relatives of the victims to recover the remains of their loved ones, arrange for a proper burial and provide closure to a long period of anguish and uncertainty, thereby promoting a process of reconciliation, healing and dialogue between both communities. The investigation process is a key component of the CMP project and it is particularly transversal to the whole identification process and will assist in locating burial sites of missing persons. The CMP project also aims to strengthen the capacity for civil society to engage in sustained cooperation and reconciliation, through the important participation of bi-communal activities and cooperation in all stages of the process.

The United Nations Development Programme, Programme Management Office (UNDP PMO) in Nicosia, Cyprus, seeks to contract on behalf of the CMP two part-time Communication Associates (one Greek Speaking and one Turkish Speaking) to contribute to CMP’s mandate. Both communication associates will work one day per week together, the second day on their own, hence working up to two days per week. Additional remote working might be requested in case of any need.

The Communication Associate reports to the UNDP Operations Manager and will work closely with CMP teams and the UNDP operations unit. CMP Member(s) will be requested to review deliverables/timesheets from the substantive side and provide their opinion prior to approval of services and payment by the UNDP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Supports the preparation and implementation of communications strategies and publications policy

• Re-design and maintenance of CMP website.
• Create and maintain social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Collection of information, preparation of content for web site and digital media platforms.
• Dissemination of information and publications; assistance at public events such as seminars, press conferences.
• Logistical support to the organization of publicity/outreach for the activities, knowledge-sharing events and promotional opportunities.
• Maintenance of media / information database and photo library.
• Extraction of data from various sources.
• Retrieval of statistical data from internal and external sources.
• Arrangement of briefings and regular meetings with national and international media.
• Logistical support to information campaigns (International Missing Persons Day, etc.).
• Review of translations, contacts with printers and other suppliers to ensure production.

Facilitation of knowledge building and management

• Identification, documenting and drafting of best practices and lessons learned.
• Participation in training for the staff on effective communications and publicity.

Competencies

Core

• Innovation - Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Leadership - Ability to persuade others to follow
• People Management - Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Communication - Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery - Ability to get things done

Technical/Functional

Primary

• Basic research and analytical skills;
• Results-based approach;
• Strong communication skills;
• Client orientation;

Secondary

• Quality assurance;
• Self-management and emotional intelligence;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with minimum or no supervision as well as part of a team;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• High level of creativity and excellent writing skills;
• Ability to identify problems and proposes solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Communications or related field is required.

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant experience in media or public relations/communication.
• Minimum of 1 years’ experience (within the above-mentioned years of experience) in website administration (including content management system) and/or administering social networks is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).
• Understanding of media and online tools is a strong asset.
• Editing and copywriting skills, including articles, reports and press releases is a strong asset.

Language Requirements:           

• Fluency in English.
• Fluency in Greek.

Other requirements:    

• Nationals or others legally authorized to work in Cyprus.

Application

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• CV: Applicants are required to submit a CV.
• References: Contact details of 3 referees.
• Financial Proposal: Applicants are requested to submit financial proposal. The financial proposal will specify the daily fee in EUR per working day. A day will be calculated as 8 hours in total (half an hour break and 7.5 hours of work), could be pro-rated to the actual hours worked and shall cover all expenditures including fees, health insurance, vaccination, international (all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel) or local travel (place of residence to office / investigation site and office / investigation site to place of residence), cost of living and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services. Leave benefits (annual, sick, paternity, maternity) are not applicable to an Individual Contractor and absent days, including weekends and office holidays, are not payable.

Evaluation / Selection Process

All applicants will be screened against their qualifications and the competencies set above. Candidates fully meeting the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

Technical Criteria (CV review and interviews) – 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

CV review: 30 points;

• Educational qualifications as defined in the ToR (10 points)
• Experience as defined in the ToR (20 points).

Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the CV review (i.e., a score of at least 21 points) will be invited for an interview.

Interview: 40 points

• Experience in communication strategy development and implementation (10 points)
• Experience in web site design and maintenance (5 points)
• Experience in digital social media platforms (5 points)
• Experience in working in a post-conflict setting, missing persons and/or humanitarian context (10 points)
• Language skills (10 points)

Only those individual consultants who obtained at least 70% of points from the interview (28 out of 40) will be considered for a financial proposal evaluation.

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

Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].

UNDP applies the “Best value for money approach” – the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicant’s qualification and financial proposal.

Payment Term:

Monthly lump-sum payable upon submission of the monthly time-sheet, the monthly report and approval of the UNDP.