Communications Officer for Communicable Diseases

Contract

This is a No grade contract. More about No grade contracts.

Overview of the programme

WHO India Country Office collaborates with the Government of India and relevant stakeholders within the framework of the collaborative Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS), to actively support the development and implementation of national health policies, strategies and plans aiming at promoting access to and utilization of affordable and quality health services and improving financial protection against health-related risks.

The Country Office contributes to providing technical support in developing national policies, strategies, and activities in the area of health systems strengthening including, (i) advocating for Universal Health Coverage and building up national capacity in UHC-related matters (ii) facilitating the adoption of evidence -based public health interventions as well as appropriate reforms/changes with a view to promote equity and accelerate the movement towards universal health coverage.

Underlying Values and Core Functions of WHO

WHO’s mandate revolves around six (6) leadership priorities specifying (i) advancing universal health coverage (ii) health related sustainable development goals (iii) addressing the challenge of non-communicable diseases and mental health, violence and injuries and disabilities (iv) implementing the provisions of the International Health Regulations (2005) (v) increasing access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products (vi) addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.

The South – East Asia Region (SEAR) of WHO is made up of 11 countries, with over 1.8 billion people, with India’s population of 1.3 billion. All the Member States of WHO/SEAR (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) share the common value of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right. All of WHO actions are based on this and rooted in the underlying values of equity, solidarity and participation.

Mission of the WHO Country Office for India

The mission of WHO India is to improve quality of life of the 1.3 billion people in India by supporting the government in eliminating vaccine preventable and other communicable diseases, reducing maternal and neonatal mortalities, promoting healthy lifestyles, addressing determinants of health, preparing and responding to health emergencies and strengthening health systems for universal health coverage.

The WHO Country Office for India has expanded the scope of work to increase digital and social media visibility and outreach of WHO’s work in the field, key campaigns and communication initiatives. This includes consistent engagement with stakeholders throughout the year using innovations and new approaches, including crowdsourcing and multimedia campaigns, to amplify messages on traditional and new media platforms, including digital, radio and social media.

Description of Duties:

The purpose of this position is to provide coordination and communication support to the Communicable Diseases (CDS) team and associated teams to ideate, develop and execute work and content related to communications and advocacy based on programmes, campaigns and initiatives as prioritized by the technical and communication teams.

The incumbent will work under the overall guidance of the WHO Representative, Deputy Head of WHO Country Office for India and managerial oversight of Team Leader – Communicable Diseases and direct supervision of NPO Communications. S/he will have the following responsibilities in her/his assigned area of work:

• Coordinating with CDS technical teams for talking points for WR’s public and media interactions, publication of reports, articles, factsheets, and commentaries, as and when required;
• Sourcing web stories, videos, photos and infographics from the technical teams, get them reviewed and approved by the Team Leader, and share with Comms for publication;
• Monitoring and tracking daily news coverage;
• Amplifying dissemination and impact of public health communications and campaigns by exploring innovations and new approaches;
• Sourcing for high-resolution photos and captions working with the technical teams in the field for archiving and web publication;
• Coordinating timely updation of CDS-related information and health topics on the WHO website. Review and provide web support to publish CDS and other web content;
• Providing technical assistance to the CDS team for building communication capacity of the CDS team in country office and field teams in public health communication;
• Developing structured communications plans for all the CDS technical teams, including cross cutting and integration/common agenda areas and provide support for implementing communications during health days related to CDS;
• Supporting implementation of multimedia communication plan for the technical teams throughout the year, with Communications and other teams in WCO and SEARO;
• Coordinating all incoming and outgoing jobs related to communication to ensure quality control for language and design;
• Other support to comms initiatives, as and when required, by WCO technical teams, SEARO and HQ; and
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor(s).

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Education:

Essential: University degree in Arts/Journalism/Mass Communication/English/Social Sciences or equivalent in a related field from a recognized institution/university.

Desirable: Post Graduation in Mass Communication or in any of the essential education qualifications listed or other allied fields.

Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Moving Forward in Changing Environment
• Ensuring the effective use of resources

Functional Skills and Knowledge:

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and working knowledge of the local language will be an asset. Proficient knowledge of MS Office applications for making high-quality data analysis, presentations, and drafting reports etc.

Experience:

Essential: At least two (2) years of professional experience in the field of communication pertaining to the health or social sector

Desirable:

• Working experience with UN and/or other international agencies at the national or state level will be an advantage.
• Ability to create innovative campaigns
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English
• Excellent knowledge of recent trends in graphic design and social media campaigns
• Familiarity and experience in using different Content Management Systems (CMS) – experience of using SiteFinity will be an advantage.

RENUMERATION

Monthly remuneration is INR 196,550 taxable as per Indian laws and the appointment will be through Special Services Agreement (SSA) extendable subject to satisfactory performance and continuing need for the function. S/he will be posted at New Delhi. The position may require extensive travel (can be upto 15 days in a month) to the states and districts.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This Vacancy Notice may be used to fill similar positions at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and interviews will be used as a form of screening

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO 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 through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.