Communication Assistant (Communication and ADAP), GS-5, Montevideo, Uruguay

Contract

This is a G-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 4,876 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up

For every child, an advocate

UNICEF has been present in Uruguay since 1992. Since then, it has provided technical cooperation and financial assistance to the Government and to the society in different areas to promote the rights of children and adolescents and generate opportunities for all of them to achieve the full development of their abilities. UNICEF work is based on a cooperation program that is agreed with the government every five years. A new cooperation program between UNICEF and Uruguay's Government started in March 2021.

UNICEF provides technical assistance and advice for monitoring, supporting and promoting children's rights on the following areas within the country:

• Support policies to reduce levels of poverty affecting children with special focus on early child development.
• Prevention of non-communicable diseases on children under five.
• Improve graduation rates in upper secondary education.
• Guarantee the access of children with disabilities to inclusive education.
• Reduce the number of children and adolescents living in institutional care.
• Prevention of violence against girls and boys.
• Empower adolescents to participate in decision making processes.
• Improve alternatives to deprivation of liberty for adolescents in conflict with the law.
• Raise awareness about child rights among Uruguay's general public and the engagement of the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs) and academic institutions in promoting, protecting and monitoring child rights.

How can you make a difference?

Strategic office context:

The Communication Assistant (Communication and Adolescent Development & Participation – ADAP) G-5 will be based in UNICEF Uruguay country office.

UNICEF has been present in Uruguay since 1992, providing technical cooperation and financial assistance to the Government and to the society in different areas to promote the rights of children and adolescents and generate opportunities for all of them to achieve the full development of their abilities. UNICEF work is based on a cooperation programme that is agreed with the Government every five years. The current cooperation programme is under execution, with which the country will work until 2025.

One of the outputs that contributes to outcome 3 of the cooperation programme, which states that ‘by 2025 children and adolescent rights have a sustained higher place in the public agenda and the private sector, informed by relevant and improved data, with enhanced adolescent participation’, focuses on promoting and qualifying adolescent participation and advocacy. This output 3.2 sets as an objective that adolescents, especially the most vulnerable, participate in decision-making processes that affect them through mechanisms at the national and subnational levels, including in the areas of sustainable development and climate change. Since 2019 and with the consolidation of the current cooperation programme, this agenda has been growing in volume, number of issues associated with adolescent participation and advocacy work, which require strengthening the resources allocated to it.

To achieve this, and for children and adolescents to grow in a society that recognizes their rights and increases its commitment to guarantee them, it is also necessary that the general public, decision-makers (public and private), media, professionals, community workers and families, demonstrate greater awareness, understanding, and commitment to sustained actions in favour of child and adolescent rights, as it stands in output 3.1. This implies working closely with programme area in order to coordinate and support communication strategies that intend to transform perceptions on poverty, influence on practices on violence against children, improve graduation rates in upper secondary education, advocate on the impact that climate change have on children, mental health issues, among other programmatic goals.

Purpose of the Position

Under the supervision of the Communication Officer NOB, the Communication Assistant (Communication and ADAP) will support the development of the youth engagement strategy defined by the office and communication on programme priorities. This position is required to support the implementation of participation strategies, and the implementation of communication strategies on programme priorities. In this sense, the incumbent will work in coordination with the programmatic team, as well as with external partners, to carry out different initiatives for adolescent participation.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the staff member may be assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

• Support adolescents’ participation in those issues that most interest them and the implementation of advocacy strategies and campaigns to promote their rights:

• Implement strategies to contribute to ensure that adolescents are informed and know the issues that are relevant to them and about their right to participate.

• Contribute to promote the social recognition of adolescents, their right to participate and to be heard.
• Collaborate with external partners (institutions which work with youth within the Government and civil society but also the ones who work on issues that matter to adolescents) in order to sensitize on the importance of hearing and taking into consideration youth opinions and voices when making decisions on matters that affect them.
• Promote spaces for active listening and consultation to ensure that adolescents “raise their voices” and their opinions are considered by those who make decisions at the three levels of government.
• Promote youth participation in their communities, in public policies and budgets.
• Identify youth movements and support their causes through digital platforms and communication strategies.
• Support in monitoring the production and quality of communication materials that give an account of the participation processes, the relevance of the adolescents’ contributions and give a glimpse on the impact of their participation towards external audiences.

• Support the Communication Officer to maintain close collaboration with programmes team, PFP and Regional and HQ key stakeholders for effective and coherence development of youth participation activities as part of the country office strategy.

• Assist in evidence generation and dissemination on adolescents´ needs and living conditions in Uruguay:

• Contribute to the generation and dissemination of evidence and knowledge from studies, surveys and qualitative consultations on the perceptions and opinions of adolescents.

• Assist on a strategy to disseminate and sensitize referent adults on adolescents needs on key issues for their development, in order for them to reach their full potential and can live a full and healthy adolescence.
• Support the generation of campaigns that promote adolescents’ points of views on issues affecting them.
• Support the generation of evidence on the well-being of adolescents.
• Support the generation of opportunities for incidence in the political agenda of adolescents and youth.

• Support the monitoring and evaluation of youth engagement strategies, campaigns and platforms Assist in the preparation of relevant reports.

• Collaborate in the implementation of communication campaigns, initiatives, and advocacy strategies to support programmatic goals, especially those related to adolescents:

• Assist in the work and initiatives of UNICEF Uruguay’s programmatic areas from a communicational perspective, create communication strategies to address programmatic issues and provide communication support during all stages of the process.

• Collaborate in the design and implementation of planned communication campaigns.
• Support advocacy strategies to sensitize about programmatic issues such as poverty, violence, children living in institutions, early childhood development, healthy eating, education, climate change, mental health, etc.
• Keep in close contact with the programmatic area in order to identify possible topics of their work that can be used for institutional communication purposes.
• Follow up on the production of communication contents (e.g., films, videos, audio-visuals, reports, etc.), and oversee the qualitative aspects of production, (e.g., quality control, subjects defined, chosen approach, reviews of layout and graphic design etc.) in order to maintain an integrated and unique communication style for the entire organization and to meet the communication standards as set out by Uruguay Country Office.
• Assist in the organization of initiatives and events planned in the defined workplan.
• Any other task assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate:

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Experience: Minimum of five years of relevant work experience in institutional communication, campaigning and projects focused on young people.

Additionally, an asset will be:

• Experience in supporting youth engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in designing content for youth audiences and/or community moderation of youth focused platforms.
• Background/familiarity with digital engagement and/or youth mobilization is an asset.
• Experience in community-based or locally managed programs and/or projects is an asset.
• Experience in international organization or non-profit sector is an asset.
• Experience in working with multidisciplinary teams, public stakeholders and/or having studies related to social matters is an asset.

Education: Completion of secondary education is required.

Training at university level in one of the following fields: Communications, Social Science, Journalism, Public Relations or any other related field or discipline relevant to the job, is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Spanish is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1), Works Collaboratively with others (1), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1), Innovates and Embraces Change (1), Thinks and Acts Strategically (1), Drive to achieve impactful results (1), Manages ambiguity and complexity (1).

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

Remarks:

Click on the following item to view the complete Job Profile: URG SJP Communication Assistant - Communication and ADAP CLASSIFIED.pdf

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Non-Uruguayan candidates must be in possession of an existing Uruguayan visa or be a Uruguayan permanent resident/citizen, which allows them to legally work in Uruguay.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.