Communication Officer

Overview

Promote WHO's work on health emergencies and manage communication strategies.

You have:

• An advanced level university degree in health promotion, public or international relations, journalism, political science, or other related field.
• At least seven years' relevant experience in communication and/or advocacy.
• Proven experience in writing advocacy documents and in the production of communication materials and products.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with German media.
• Excellent English writing skills; demonstrated ability to produce engaging communication and advocacy material.
• Desirable: Expert knowledge of German.
• Ability to work under pressure to achieve multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge or understanding of WHO mandate and goals.

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 129,905 USD and 167,486 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.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems division (WSE) is responsible to build a system of collaborative surveillance enabling better decisions to avert and manage public health threats and risks. Its goal is to enable, strengthen and support countries, regional and global actors in averting and managing public health threats and risks through collaborative problem solving and decision-making for short-term action and long-term policies, informed by better data and analytics. The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is a new office of WHO, located in Berlin, and part of the WSE division. It works with partners to enable the generation of public health relevant information to provide timely actionable insights in response to health emergencies; and improve decision making in response to prepare for, avert and respond to public health threats. It also aims to reduce fragmentation and inefficiency by creating an ecosystem that promotes collaboration across multiple professional disciplines, sectors, and initiatives; and empower decision makers, public health professionals, and civil society to make informed public health decisions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the Communication Officer is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to needs:

1. Promotes WHO, the Programme and the Hub's work through appropriate platforms, support and coordinate media queries/pitches, and prepare ADG's and Directors for interviews/briefings. Plan, coordinate and implement the ADG communication across multiple media channels, including management of social media content and visibility.

2. Oversees the development and targeted distribution of news items to media and networks.

3. Nurtures trusted and productive relationships with international and German media and other globally influential actors to ensure a positive, relevant and up-to-date image of WHO with key stakeholders, and to foster a good understanding of the work of the Hub's work, WHO's work on surveillance, and the WHO Health Emergencies Programme's work more broadly.

4. Responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness of communications and advocacy priorities, strategies and products pertaining to communications and external relations activities of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. In coordination with communications colleagues in headquarters and regions, advise WHE, and specifically the WHO Pandemic Hub, on media outreach priorities and strategies.

5. Provides editorial guidance (i.e. copy editing and proofreading) to the technical team.

6. Supports WHO regional (and as needed, country) offices, and relevant HQ departments, to be able to communicate about WHO's role in collaborative surveillance, especially via the work of the WHO Pandemic Hub.

7. Provides support to resource mobilization efforts through research and message development, in coordination with resource mobilization focal points at relevant levels of the organization.

8. Performs all other related duties as assigned.

9. As needed, work with relevant colleagues and vendors to develop high-quality innovative media tools, including audio-visual, photographic and printed materials, input to television and radio programmes, multimedia presentations, social media, videos and press releases, etc., to advocate for and promote the visibility, achievements and success stories of WHO, the Programme, and the work of the WHO Hub.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced level university degree in health promotion, public or international relations, journalism, political science, or other related field from an accredited / recognized institute. Desirable: Certifications in communication techniques such as graphic design, visual language and the use of social media.

Experience

Essential: At least seven years' relevant experience at national and international levels in communication and/or advocacy, part of which should include supporting development, public health, humanitarian emergency or health outbreak response and recovery activities.

Proven experience in writing advocacy documents and in the production of communication materials and products.

Demonstrated experience in complex international contexts involving technical, cultural and political elements.

Demonstrated experience engaging with a broad range of the German media.

Desirable: Experience with inter-agency collaboration or in WHO, UN, UN agencies or other international organizations.

Prior working experience with WHO, UN or with an international nongovernmental organization.

Experience in organizing advocacy campaigns.

Experience in managing publishing and clearance processes.

Experience producing multimedia content.

Experience of the European media landscape.

Skills

Excellent English writing skills; demonstrated ability to produce engaging communication and advocacy material [possessing similar skills in German is highly desirable]. Demonstrated ability in working with communications products and journalists in new and traditional media. Excellent understanding of the German media / influencers landscape. Demonstrated ability to work under pressure to achieve multiple deadlines. Proven skills in the management - from design to implementation - of communication/media products and tactics. Excellent interpersonal skills complemented by the ability to conceptualize ideas and advocate consensus. Ability to "think out of the box" and to make innovative proposals to extend communication reach. Knowledge or understanding of WHO mandate and goals.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Producing results Moving forward in a changing environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable: Expert knowledge of German. Intermediate knowledge of other WHO Language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 77,326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 3106 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected]

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO's contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

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Potential interview questions