Communication Officer (Emergencies), P-3, Manila, Philippines (WPRO)(Roster/Generic Vacancy Announcement)

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 113,168 USD and 148,184 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 Communication for Health (C4H) programme:

• Uses communication as a tool to contribute to better health outcomes in the Western Pacific—targeting particular audiences for specific purposes, responding to gaps in understanding or other barriers to the adoption of health-protecting behaviours, measuring results and applying learning to future communications interventions;
• Uses a "grounds up" approach, listening to and responding to the real needs and preferences of the community; and
• Draws on a broad range of technical skills and leverages collaboration with key stakeholders, strategic partners and other WHO technical programmes to create multidisciplinary and intersectoral public health strategies.

PURPOSE OF THE POST

The Communications Officer (Emergencies) develops and implements communication plans and activities as part of WHO’s work on health emergencies in the Western Pacific Region. Communication is one of the eight focus areas in the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies and constitutes an essential element of surveillance, risk assessment, emergency preparedness and response. In line with the Strategic Communications Framework for WHO in the Western Pacific Region, the incumbent develops products that are accessible, relevant, actionable, timely, credible and understandable in relation to WHO’s work on emergency preparedness and response. In line with For the Future, the vision for WHO’s work with Member States to make the Western Pacific the safest and healthiest Region, the incumbent will contribute to implementation of the Communication for Health (C4H) approach, including by incorporating behavioural insights, undertaking measurement, evaluation and learning, documenting best practices and making the case for investment in C4H, in the context of emergency communications. The incumbent may be deployed to emergency operations, when required.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Communications Officer (Emergencies) reports directly to the Communications Officer, and the second-level supervisor is the Communications Manager.

The nature of the role requires close collaboration with staff across the Regional Director's Office (RDO)—including within the Communications Unit (COM), as well as colleagues in the External Relations and Partnerships (ERP) and Information, Products and Services (IPS) units—and WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) and incident management support teams (IMSTs) during graded emergencies, as well as communications and emergencies focal points in WHO country offices across the Region, WHO headquarters and other regional offices. The incumbent’s duties may also involve working with external stakeholders such as service providers, UN agencies, NGOs, media, researchers, donors, youth groups, etc. S/he will support multidisciplinary, cross-cutting approaches to work. Work is regularly reviewed in discussion with the first- and second-level supervisors, and in close coordination with WHE.

The incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:

1. Develop and implement communications strategies and plans on WHO’s work to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies in the Region, in line with the C4H approach. This will include assessment of gaps/needs (e.g. through multi-source listening covering social media, surveys, focus groups, etc.), planning of appropriate activities, and measurement and evaluation of these (setting targets and indicators, measuring outputs, outcomes and impacts, analyzing and reporting on these, and applying learnings to future activities);
2. Work with countries to gather, develop and disseminate impact stories highlighting WHO’s work with Member States and partners in emergencies including the production of web stories, photos, videos, graphics etc.
3. Provide support to WHO country offices and Member States across the Region, including capacity building for the development, implementation and evaluation of emergency communications using the C4H approach and in line with risk communications priorities;
4. Advise on, craft and evaluate traditional and social media content and activities related to public health emergencies including talking points, Q&As, media releases and press conferences, and foster good relationships with key journalists (e.g. enabling timely and accurate responses to inquiries), so that WHO is the “go to” source for information on health emergencies in the Region;
5. Advise on, craft and evaluate social media content specific to public health emergencies, and oversee the work of the Associate (Social Media - Emergencies);
6. Support timely updates and maintenance of emergency-related pages on the regional WHO website.
7. Organize and evaluate strategic dissemination to various stakeholders of information on WHO’s work and achievements in relation to emergencies in the Region;
8. In coordination with the Region’s External Relations and Partnerships Unit, provide support to resource mobilization efforts for WHO’s work on emergencies in the Region;
9. Upon request, provide technical support, backstopping and gap-filling for emergency activities at any level of the Organization or scale of emergency; and
10. Perform other related duties, as requested by the supervisor.

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in communications, journalism, international relations, global studies, political science, history, social science, public health or a related field from a recognized university. Desirable: Advanced university degree in a relevant field.

Experience

Essential:

• At least five years' relevant experience, including international exposure in communications, external relations, community engagement and/or measurement, evaluation and learning.
• Experience in developing, implementing and evaluating communications strategies, including digital platforms (social media, web).

Desirable:

• Experience of working on outbreaks and public health emergencies.
• Experience in the UN system, preferably with WHO.
• Knowledge of/experience of working in countries and areas of the WHO Western Pacific Region.
• Experience of working on large projects/programmes with a range of stakeholders.

Skills

• Functional Skills and Knowledge (Describe skills and knowledge specific to the post):
• Ability to communicate effectively, including demonstrated skills in writing and editing;
• Knowledge of WHO’s mandate and goals, including in relation to health emergencies;
• Proven ability to multi-task, prioritize, research and write within short deadlines;
• Capacity to work well as part of a team, motivate others and deliver resuts under pressure;
• Sound analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills, including proposing and executing innovating solutions;
• Skills in measuring and evaluating communications activities and applying learning to future activities;
• Skills in capacity building;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and capacity for effective engagement with a range of stakeholders;
• Tact, discretion and diplomacy;
• Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse cultural and educational backgrounds and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Excellent level of written and spoken English is essential. Desirable: Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Other Skills (e.g. IT)

• Proficient in standard MS Office software applications. Well-developed presentation skills.

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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 62,692 (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 2518 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 and to populate the roster therefore successful candidates could be recommended to fill either fixed-term or temporary positions as and when need arise.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test 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.

• 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.

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

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• 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 final candidates.

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

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. 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.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

• *For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual