Communication Advisor

Organizational Setting

FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of FAO Representative in Azerbaijan (FAOR), direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative in Azerbaijan (AFAOR), technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officers (LTO) of each project, technical guidance of the REU Communications Officer and in close coordination with the project managers, technical experts and project staff (national specialists and international consultants) and in accordance with prevailing FAO Corporate Communications policies and practices, and close work with the Communication Team, the National Communication Advisor will be responsible for performing the following activities.

Technical Focus

Technical support on the implementation of communications and outreach for projects, strategies, and activities in connection with the FAO Strategic Objectives, field programmes and activities implemented.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Support the production and implementation of communications strategy for country and special projects within the area of responsibility by help identify thematic priorities and target audiences to meet FAO's global, regional and country-level communications objectives of leading the narrative; • Effectuate regular visits to projects’ sites, collect relevant information and prepare visibility materials, documenting project-related trainings and activities; • Draft media releases, statements and media briefing notes, and secure clearances, working in conjunction with relevant focal points and keeping sensitive to needs of both internal and external audiences; • Facilitate project activities’ coverage by national and local media (TV, radio, web broadcasts); develop communication materials to be widely distributed to media; • Help organize informative broadcasts, raising visibility and interest around the projects, their goals and objectives, and related activities; • Support the planning and preparation of events aimed at increasing the media coverage, raising the visibility of FAO Azerbaijan projects, and to publicise the projects’ goals and achievements in an effective manner; • Propose and execute innovative campaigns and ideas to increase engagement, reach and brand awareness; • Use analytics tools to track and measure the impact of social media efforts on the overall communications goals, including website management; • Bring in the technical expertise through exchange of ideas with marketing professionals to improve the impact of projects’ visibility activities; • Maintain a photo and video database, containing material obtained during projects’ activities, as well as any related visibility materials; • Perform any other duty as required. • Liaise with the Office of Communication (OCC) will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes.

All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including: FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf); FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm; FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en; Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf; Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf; UN map standards (available to staff); FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff). Social Media Branding guidelines: https://www.fao.org/3/cb5044en/cb5044en.pdf For videos intended for social media, liaise with OCCI to clear the scripts prior to editing. The social media videos should follow the branding guidelines outlined here: https://www.fao.org/3/cb5044en/cb5044en.pdf Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• A University/Bachelor degree on communications, social sciences or development studies with a focus on community development is required; • A minimum of 7 years’ experience in public relations, with proven ability to demonstrate previously developed materials; • Excellent knowledge of English and Azerbaijan languages is required (written, oral, comprehension); • National of Azerbaijan or a legal resident in the country.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Readiness to travel frequently within the country; • Experience working in rural context considered an asset; • Proven experience in using social media platforms, tools and tactics for engagement; • Experience in developing social media packages and experience with graphic design and video editing is an asset; • Strong track record in developing compelling content with the aim to generate empathy and to mobilize action; • Previous experience working in different types of media, such as TV, radio, newspapers or social media; • Advanced use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), good IT and social media skills (Facebook, twitter, etc.), in particular experience with PR related graphic programs; • Experience in working on communication campaigns with multiple stakeholders.