Communications Officer

Contract

This is a NO-B contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 4,000 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.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Mozambique focuses its interventions on women’s economic empowerment, participation, and democratic governance, combating violence against women, among others. In this context, it puts a strong focus on girls and young women in the development of high-profit initiatives as a strategy for improved economic empowerment as well as on gender equality and women’s rights at district, provincial and national levels.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Communications Officer is responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of the Office communications and advocacy strategies to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public.

The Communications Officer works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations and technical teams in the CO and Regional communications teams, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Plan and design communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans

• Prepare and conduct communication needs assessments for the country office, including projects, programmes and corporate change initiatives.
• Analyze requirements and synthesize proposals for elaboration of communication strategies; ensure gender perspective;
• Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives;
• Monitor and analyze print and social media and draft reports;
• Coordinate in-country UN Women/ UN system corporate and local campaigns and special events;
• Provide advice and guidance to country office

2. Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of advocacy materials in the country/region

• Develop and produce communication instruments and materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and drafts of articles, and manage its dissemination;
• Identify and propose information opportunities, activities, approaches and platforms and partners;
• Promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives, publications, and campaigns;
• Manage the translation/adaption/rewriting of information received, printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials;
• Follow guidelines from HQ and RO

3. Coordinate media relations for the Country Office

• Manage relationships with press in country; maintain and update database of relevant press.
• Respond to a variety of inquiries and information requests; prepare related correspondence;
• Organize roundtable discussions, press conferences, and briefing sessions for press, as required;
• Draft talking points.

4. Build and support to maintain partnerships and relations with donors.

• Identify and develop new communication partnerships and alliances to enhance visibility;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors;
• Provide inputs to packages for programme initiatives for donor review.
• Support to prepare Gender Cafes to nurture partnership with various partners.

5. Maintain the Country Office web/ online presence

• Manage CO websites’ content and maintenance based on corporate requirements.
• Manage the CO’s social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy.
• Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, and resources.

6. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities.
• Contribute to strengthen the Country Office as ‘a Knowledge Hub”;
• Collaborate with the UN Women Communication Network for quickly tracking available knowledge resources on different topics, especially the normative for programming purposes and sharing with UN Women Counterparts.
• Provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.

Key Performance Indicators

• Quality inputs and analysis into the communications strategy for the office
• Timely monitoring of current events and trends
• Quality and relevant advocacy materials and content
• Timely updating of website and social media
• Timely dissemination of materials as shown by knowledge of UN Women’s activities in country
• Regular interactions with mass media, as shown by coverage.
• Improved partnership with key partners especially the Donors for Resource Mobilization.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Good knowledge of web-based knowledge management systems
• Good understanding of production, graphic design and photography standards
• Good knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Good knowledge of local country media landscape
• Good communication, presentation, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to be strategic and analytical
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field is required
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy;
• Experience in media relations is an asset;
• Experience in the use of social media.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.
• Working knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (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.