Communications Assistant

Volunteering IT & Telecom

Overview

Support communications and knowledge management for UN-Habitat initiatives.

You have:

• At least 6 months of experience providing communications support to an office of the United Nations System or a comparable international organization.
• Experience with multimedia materials for web, print, and social media outlets (Adobe suite) and knowledge of web technologies (WordPress, RESTful web services, MVC, ASP.NET, JS UI frameworks, jQuery, MYSQL, SQL Server, Office365, Azure, Git).
• Knowledge of physical and electronic record keeping and relevant information systems and networks.
• Knowledge of UN-Habitat's work, policies, processes, and procedures related to communication and public information dissemination.
• Experience in editing documents in English.

Contract

This is a UNV National Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Youth contracts.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

Within UN Habitat, the Urban Practices Branch supports governments and local authorities with tested approaches, guidelines, and tools to plan the growth of cities in an inclusive, sustainable, and future-proof way, in tune with social, cultural, economic, and environmental concerns and particularities. The Branch has five areas of work which are closely related: (1) Policy, Legislation and Governance, (2) Urban Basic Services, (3) Land, Housing and Shelter, (4) Planning, Finance and Economic Development, and (5) Human Rights and Social Inclusion.

This UNV assignment is part of the programme support of the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section (PLGS) which focuses on a broader framework through different scales (metropolitan, regional, national, and trans-national). The Section plays a critical role in implementing the Agency’s Strategic Plan, flagship programmes, the relevant Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. The Section works with and in collaboration with other parts of the agency (both at Headquarters and in the field) to support national and local governments and partners. The Section fosters high impact initiatives, programmes and projects that draw from its world-class expertise and knowledge to deliver timely, fit-for-purpose and targeted solutions. The Section serves as the Agency’s focal point and global solutions centre of excellence on Urban Policy, Legislation, Governance, Metropolitan Management and Urban-Rural Linkages. The Section conducts activities in knowledge management, tools and frameworks development, capacity building, policy dialogue, and advisory services.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Policy, legislation and Governance, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Support to utilize appropriate tools and knowledge to manage the urban policy platform, including updating, and ensuring data accuracy and availability. Support to update and maintain the National Urban Policy Database, ensuring country NUP information is up to date, and in conformity with UN-Habitat guidelines on databases and maps Support to develop and update an Urban-rural linkages database and web platform to record and track the URL activities, case studies and partnership and advocacy initiatives Assist to expound the PLGS e-learning tools and packages (e.g., urban policy, urban-rural linkages, metropolitan management, etc) Contribute to managing PLGS social media to enhance visibility of UN-Habitat and the section’s work Support to Review and manage knowledge Section’s and publications to ensure new publications are uploaded, and also in preparation for publication board sessions; monitor PLGS publications citations online (e.g., ResearchGate and Google Scholar) Assist to design and layout publications while working collaboratively with the graphics designer and using relevant computer software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe InDesign. This includes producing for print, products such as brochures and reports and ensuring photos and graphics, while conforming to UN and UN-Habitat guidelines on publications.
Contribute to managing and updating PLGS Microsoft Teams channel and Mailing list Support to update PLGS Mobile Application Review and update the PLGS new colleague induction package, section meetings materials and information
Assist to perform any other information and knowledge management duties as required

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day). Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

​​☒​Commitment to Continuous Learning ​​☒​Communication ​​☒​Creativity ​​☒​Ethics and Values ​​☒​Integrity ​​☒​Planning and Organizing ​​☒​Professionalism ​​☒​Respect for Diversity ​​☒​Self-Management ​​☒​Technological Awareness ☒​Working in Teams

ICT, public information, or a related area. Atleast 6 months of experience providing communications support to an office of the United Nations System, or a comparable international organization is required. Experience working with tools utilised in the development and production of multimedia materials for web, print and social media outlets i.e., Adobe suite, and thorough knowledge of the latest web technologies (WordPress, RESTful web services, MVC, ASP.NET, JS UI frameworks, jQuery, MYSQL, SQL Server, Office365, Azure, Git) as well as of programming/scripting languages (C#, Java, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL) is required. Experience in editing documents in English would be a bonus. Knowledge of physical and electronic record keeping and relevant information systems and networks, including web content management systems, graphics design and social media platforms. Knowledge of information management tools and techniques used in providing communications and public information support to the UN System or a comparable international organization. Knowledge of UN-Habitat’s work, internal policies, processes and procedures related to communication, production and dissemination of public information

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org