Communications Officer

Volunteering Medical & Health Communications & PR

Overview

Capture and communicate WHO's work in Seychelles including effective advocacy strategies

You have:

• Experience in journalism, communication, media, or public relations, including supporting humanitarian emergency or health outbreak response and recovery activities, at the national and/or international level.
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, and reporting skills.
• Proven skills in the development and implementation of communications/media products and tactics, including relations with the press and media.
• Experience in organizing advocacy campaigns.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; ability to work under pressure while producing results.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; skills in visual design.
• Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations in the health context is an asset.
• Have an affinity with or interest in health, emergency, and well-being.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

In Seychelles, the United Nations has set up a Strategic Partnership Framework with the Government to plan for and coordinate the implementation of UN activities in support of Seychelles' development priorities within the long-term objectives of realizing the sustainable development goals, as well as meeting internationally agreed commitments and obligations.

WHO Country Office programming is in the process of transition as together with MoH, the Country Cooperation Strategy (2016 – 2021) is to be evaluated and a new one developed. This will inform the work of WHO in Seychelles. Work which goes beyond health emergencies to ensure support to MoH in attaining and maintaining equal access to Universal Health Coverage, and further promotes wellness and better health.

The International UN Volunteer would be instrumental in capturing the joint work of the UN in Seychelles in particular WHO and MoH and other health development partners. Someone who can manoeuvre around social media, journalist press releases, human interest stories and information capturing to draw on lessons learned in the implementation of WHO and MoH activities, would be an immense asset to the team.

This assignment is open to unrepresented nationalities, with preference given to candidates from the following countries: Andorra, Brunei Darussalam, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates as well as Angola, Guinea Bissau, Cabo Verde, Tchad, Liberia, Comoros, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Mauritius, South Sudan, and Lesotho.

Responsible for the technical efficiency and effectiveness of communications and advocacy priorities, strategies, and products for WCO’s overall activities.

· Develop and implement a comprehensive external communication plan for the WHO Country Office in Seychelles in close coordination with the focal person from the WHO Regional Office for Africa’s Communications Department

· Draft meeting reports, concept notes, and opening remarks for the events organized by the Country Office

· Identify subjects of interest and contribute to the conceptualization and development of content for communications products including but not limited to audio-visual and printed materials, multimedia presentations, press releases, human-interest web and photo stories from the field, advocacy and corporate communications materials, etc., reflecting the health situation and WHO's work in an effective manner

· Develop regular bulletins/newsletters, internal talking points, web and feature stories/messages, and updates where appropriate to support the WHO Country Office’s projects, showing the human face of WHO, including profiles of WHO staff and healthcare professionals

· Update and mainstream the WCO Communications Plan into the UNCT joint communication strategy. Participate in UN Joint Communications Group meetings with UNRCO in Mauritius and work closely with Communication teams at regional and headquarters levels.

· Maintain and update a database of photographs and multimedia content for WCO, in various health fields including but not limited to health emergency subjects covering affected populations, health situations, WHO health response on the ground with consent forms attached and archived for use in reporting and visibility products

· Develop content, monitor and update WCO's websites and social media accounts per guidelines and standards used throughout the Organization to ensure consistency of approach; liaise with AFRO and HQ to ensure maximum visibility on global and regional social media channels

· Work with the various units and clusters of the Country Office for the identification of communication needs, the preparation of communication messages and materials, and branding WHO with communications products and visibility items

· Organize photographic and video shoots, interviews and filming opportunities to support high-visibility of WHO achievements for dissemination on social media platforms and regional and country websites

· Take photographs of important events, people, and WHO work in the field for publication on the WHO social media platforms and websites.

· Coordinate and collaborate with all relevant counterparts in the Ministry of Health, the UN agencies, and the External Relations Officer in building partnerships with all relevant actors by identifying and creating communication opportunities and designing communication and advocacy campaigns and material on specific topics

· Provide support in conducting communications capacity-building workshops for WCO, Ministry of Health, and relevant partners

· Establish and maintain a network of contacts with the media institutions to ensure the dissemination of information on WHO’s regular activities and emergency response; arrange for interviews and filming opportunities to support high visibility of WHO humanitarian work through television, radio and newspaper exposure; provide support to broadcast media and journalists and facilitate their access to related information, as appropriate

· Facilitate establishing and maintaining contacts, with relevant communications suppliers including video/photographers, graphic designers, multimedia producers, social media specialists, etc., and establish a roster of such professionals for WCO’s communications needs

· Complete any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the functional supervisor

· Integrity · Knowledge sharing · Planning and organising · Professionalism · Teamwork

journalism, communication, media, or public relations, part of which should include supporting humanitarian emergency or health outbreak response and recovery activities, at the national and/or international level

· Experience in photo and video shots for social media use, website and social media design, maintaining and updating current information, and proven experience in writing advocacy documents and in the production of communication materials and products

· Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations in the health context and experience in organizing advocacy campaigns is an asset

· Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;

· Proven skills in the development and implementation of communications/media products and tactics, including relations with the press and media;

· Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;

· Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; skills in visual design;

· Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; ability to work under pressure while producing results;

· Have an affinity with or interest in health, emergency, and well-being.

The Republic of Seychelles is a high-income and high-human development country. A robust political and financial support and policies on social and health development exist. All citizens are accorded the right to the protection of health and the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Although the cost of living is high, the opportunities for inter-island travel are rewarding.

Link to the entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator

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Potential interview questions

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