Communications Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO’s approach to development assistance in Mindanao focuses on supporting the rehabilitation of agriculture and fisheries-based livelihoods, accelerating agriculture-based enterprises and increasing access to sustainable energy, and resilience to risk in municipalities affected by natural disasters and conflict.

Reporting Lines

The Communications Specialist will report to the Assistant FAOR Programme.

Technical Focus

Through the UN Joint Programme “Resilient Livelihoods Development for Women and Youth IDPs in Maguindanao” (UNJP/PHI/075/FPA), FAO, in collaboration with UNFPA, aims to address the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition from a gender equality and women’s and youth empowerment perspective. Working with regional and local government partners, the programme aims to improve the overall well-being, food security, nutrition, and health status among women and youth IDPs through equitable access to improved and restored local food security interventions and to reproductive health and protection services during recovery and return.

The Communications Specialist is expected to support the communications and visibility requirements of the project. Initially at three (3) months, the Communications Specialist is expected to deliver the following knowledge products: (1) project inception plan; (2) an assessment report on FAO’s previous communications strategies; and (3) project communication plan.

On the succeeding months, the incumbent will deliver the following knowledge products: (1) modules on capacity-building on Communication-for-Development (C4D); (2) activity reports on the conduct of C4D; and (3) production and dissemination of communication products.

Tasks and responsibilities

Specifically, the Communications Specialist will undertake the following tasks in collaboration with the Office of Communications (OCC) branches and focal points:

• Develop an inception report specifying the communication activities and approaches that will be conducted parallel to project implementation; • Review communication strategies conducted by FAO in Mindanao and identify gaps and challenges in reaching the target audiences and propose for appropriate mitigation measures to address these gaps and challenges; • In coordination with implementing partners, take the lead in developing a project communication plan integrating the mitigation measures to identified gaps and challenges to the implemented communication strategies incorporating lenses of peacebuilding, conflict prevention and social cohesion; • Coordinate with relevant government agencies including, among others, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MAFAR-BARMM), Ministry of Trade and Industry and Tourism of BARMM (MTIT-BARMM), Ministry of Science and Technology of BARMM (MOST-BARMM), provincial and municipal local government units and other key counterparts to ensure coherent designing of project communication and visibility collaterals such as press releases, photo stories, online articles, social media posts, and audio-visual documentation containing human interest stories of the women and youth in the communities as they participate in the agricultural livelihood activities of the project; • In collaboration with partner agencies (MAFAR-BARMM/MTIT-BARMM/MOST-BARMM), support capacity-building on development of tools necessary in capturing inputs and information from various stakeholders involved to be used in communicating project developments and progress to stakeholders and DFAT; • In coordination with the Project Technical Team, develop a policy brief advocating for the adoption and sustainability of the project gains among provincial and municipal legislators (Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Sangguniang Bayan); and • Carry-out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO. • Liaison with the Office of Communication (OCC) will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes.

• All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including: FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf); FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm; FAO Names of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en; Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf; Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf; UN map standards (available to staff); FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff).

• Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced (Masters) Degree in Communication, Journalism, or Broadcasting • At least five (5) years of relevant experience in Communications • Working knowledge (level C) of English • A National of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work • Extent and relevance of experience in Communications • Extent and relevance of experience in developing Press Releases and community success stories • Familiarity with documenting good practice • Experience working with United Nations or I-NGOs in Mindanao and BARMM areas • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Filipino • General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO 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/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.