Communication Specialist (Polio/Health) P-4, Kabul, Afghanistan

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 134,999 USD and 174,054 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

For every child, Opportunity,

How can you make a difference?

Accountable for developing, managing, co-ordinating, networking, implementing, and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on on-going basis with public audiences, with the objective of promoting awareness, understanding, support and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF's mission, priorities, and programmes in the country office polio team and with Global polio eradication partners.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

1.Communication strategy

• Develop, maintain, and update polio programme advocacy and communication strategy and associated work plan. Strategy and work plan include: an environmental and stakeholder assessment; objectives; target audiences; messages and media mix; resources; specific actions, activities, and products; monitoring and evaluation of impact; success and opportunity for improvement; ongoing refinement of the strategy.
• UNICEF’s rights- and results-based programming approach is appropriately reflected in the polio communication strategy, work plan and products.
• Maintain close collaboration with country office, regional, polio hub, and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

2. Media relations

• Promote a better understanding of respect and support for children's and women's rights and issues by carrying out media, information, and education activities in support of UNICEF’s polio eradication programme in the country.
• Develop, maintain, and update media relations contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of communicating with media contacts, including press conferences and events, issuing of media materials etc.
• Ensure rapid and accurate information dissemination to the media, GPEI partners, NGOs, the field and other appropriate audiences.
• Identify, develop, distribute, and evaluate variety of media materials in multiple, appropriate formats. Ensure or enhance the quality, appropriateness of country specific communication materials, activities, processes, and messages transmitted to the press, partners and public.
• Collaborate with mass media through activities such as organizing project site visits, facilitating photo coverage and TV footage, and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate.
• Monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of media materials and share results and findings.
• Maintain close collaboration with Country office Communication team, Region and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

3. Networking and partnerships

• Develop, maintain, and update partners contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of working collaboratively with partners, including meetings, joint projects, information sharing etc.
• Ensure or enhance the quality, consistency and appropriateness of country-specific communication materials, activities, processes, and messages shared with partners.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment and through knowledge sharing.
• Monitor, evaluate and share results and findings with partners.

4.Celebrities and special events

• Develop, maintain, and update celebrities contact list/database to support advocacy for polio eradication.

• Establish, document, review and refine process of working with celebrities, including special events, media opportunities, field trips etc.

• Participate in global advocacy activities by planning visits of Goodwill Ambassadors, National Committee representatives, Executive Board members etc. including preparing information materials (e.g., press releases, programme summaries, country fact sheets and media kits), and necessary logistic arrangements. Highlight the achievements of the polio programme.

• Maintain close collaboration with Country office Communication team, Region and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

5. Global priorities and campaigns

• Support the UNICEF global communications objectives and strategies through development of complementary country specific and local community materials and activities. Work plan should anticipate the inclusion of work on global priorities and campaigns.
• Develop and deploy country office communication capacity to gather/facilitate the content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective programme activities and results.
• Ensure regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in the country, regional, and HQ office.

6. Resource mobilization support

• Mobilize polio programme communication capacity to support and gather/facilitate the gathering of content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective programme activities and results in support of fund-raising.
• Mobilize resources for fund-raising support by regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in the country, regional, and Polio headquarters.

7. Management

• Develop a work plan for polio communication activities, monitor compliance and provide support and guidance to ensure objectives are met.
• Plan and monitor the use of communication budgetary resources. Approve and monitor the overall allocation and disbursement and liquidation of funds. Take appropriate actions to optimize use of funds.
• Identify, recruit, and supervise staff, technical resources, and consultants as necessary. Conduct and implement effective performance planning, monitoring, performance development programme as required.
• Ensure communication effectiveness, efficiency, and delivery as well as a rigorous and transparent approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation Monitoring and evaluation

8. Monitoring and evaluation

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of communication performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, and these communication indicators are incorporated or fed forwarded in the National Emergency Acton plan for polio eradication, Annual Management Plan, Annual Work Plan, etc.
• Conduct timely and accurate monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure the communications objectives are met and the strategy is effective.
• Undertake lessons learned review of successful and unsuccessful communication experiences and share observations/findings with country, regional and HQ communication colleagues so that best practices benefit UNICEF’s communication work.

9. Capacity building and support

• Advise UNICEF management, colleagues and staff on media strategy and implications for action and policies proposed.
• Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the country communications team. Enable appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment, and developing training and orientation material.
• Assist the Programme Communication Officers in the development of communication tools and/or strategies..
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training.

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

• Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.

*A first University Degree combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree in the field of journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations, or corporate communications.

• A minimum of (8) Eight years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.
• Experience working on the development of health and/or polio communication and advocacy interventions.
• Prior experience within complex humanitarian and/or emergency situations is desirable.
• The incumbent should possess proven team management and leadership skills.
• International and national work experience and background/familiarity with Emergency situations.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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 Value

Core Competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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. 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.

Remarks:

This VA is open to all internal staff and other UNICEF personnel (including consultants, UNVs, TAs etc.)

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.

UNICEF 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 at http://www.whed.net/