Communication Officer P2 – Temporary appointment – 6 months – - Conakry Guinea WCAR

Contract

This is a P-2 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 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 94,391 USD and 128,207 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, a champion

The Central Sahel is one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa. The confluence of conflict, climate change, increasing political instability, lack of sustainable development opportunities and poverty has led to rapidly growing needs in the region. On July 16, 2023, the Executive Director approved the extension of the activation of UNICEF's Emergency Level 2 scale-up procedure for the Sahel crisis affecting (8) countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Togo, until December 19, 2023. The reactivation of the Level 2 Corporate Emergency Activation Procedure (CEAP) Scale-up for the Sahel was duly recommended by Felicite Tchibindat, WCA Regional Director a.i., and endorsed by Manuel Fontaine, EMOPS Director, to extend the L2 CEAP in the sustained phase for the Sahel crisis for an additional period of six months, from 20 July to 19 December 2023, and approved by the Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations. The simplification of the L2 emergency procedures is therefore effective immediately.

In addition, every year Guinea experiences recurrent outbreaks of diseases such as Measles, Polio, Ebola, Lassa fever, Marburg virus, all exacerbated by a weak system of basic service delivery, political instability and the risk of a spillover from the Sahel crisis. In 2023, more than 2.7 million children under 5 years of age need polio vaccination, while 735,610 need measles vaccination, following the underutilization of health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 Ebola outbreak.

In July 2023, there are confirmed cases of Polio in Siguiri in the Kankan region. Good communication and advocacy to mobilize and engage communities, partners, stakeholders and the media are essential for the success of immunization activities.

Due to the humanitarian situation mentioned above, the presence of an Emergency Communication Officer is required given the emergency situation in Guinea and the limited capacity of the Communications Section staff to support the response.

This particular function is required because of the increased need for multimedia content production for emergency-related communications, donor visibility, advocacy and resource mobilization, given the current L2 emergency concerning the Sahel crisis and its impact, and the L3 emergency concerning polio, both within the country and in neighboring countries. The office does not have the capacity to cover these functions.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Communications Specialist, the Emergency Communications Officer will support the UNICEF office in Guinea in coordinating with the Government of Guinea, partners, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and UNICEF staff on UNICEF's response to the L3 polio and L2 Sahel epidemic and emergency, gathering key information and producing multimedia content (photos, videos, human interest stories, articles and case studies); Developing, implementing and monitoring a digital strategy that engages audiences and promotes partner visibility; providing materials to support advocacy and resource mobilization; and assisting in responding to media inquiries on the current situation.

Duties include:

• Collect daily updates, keys messages, talking and advocacy points on activities from field offices, partners and the government, and contribute to the production of a regular situation report (SitReps) in collaboration with the GPEI Coordinator in Guinea, UNICEF Guinea's Health, SBC and Communication sections.
• Produce regularly updated on talking and advocacy points, Q&As and media toolkits on evolution of the situation.
• Produce multimedia content, photos, human interest stories, articles, videos adapted to social platforms, and if necessary, case studies.
• Identify key areas of potential public interest (program implementation constraints, sensitive issues, etc.) and provide early warning to prepare for potentially difficult media questions or coverage through regular physical presence in the field.
• Coordinate and facilitate media visits to field offices to reduce the workload on program staff. Coordinate and provide, as appropriate, media coverage, multimedia production and field visits of UNICEF-supported activities in the field related to the current crisis to support fundraising activities.

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

• University degree in Communication and Media Specialist, Multimedia Content Producer, advocacy specialist with significant experience in emergencies, or another related field or a related field.
• Two years practical professional work experience in communication, print and broadcast media, or interactive digital media.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Culturally sensitive
• Fluency in French or English and at least a working-level knowledge of the other.
• Knowledge on multimedia production and storytelling.
• Experience of working with National governments.
• Experience in supporting the effective functioning of a team.
• Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues.
• Knowledge of child safeguarding and ethics of working with children and youth.
• Experience working in a developing and emergency environment is an asset. Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in french is required. Working knowledge in english.

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 Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

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

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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for 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). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will 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.

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.

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

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.