Digital Communication Manager (Infodemics & Misinformation Management), P-4, FT, Polio Eradication Team - NYHQ, USA

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,387 USD and 220,969 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.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries.

To continue deliver results for women and children UNICEF is facing a need to adjust strategies in ever more rapidly changing and increasingly more complex social environment and contexts. UNICEF is looking for innovative, action oriented, compassionate leaders and practitioners, who are able to work and collaborate with teams across a broad range of technical fields and disciplines commensurate to the complexity of challenges faced in the modern world.

Under the general guidance of the Senior Communication for Development Manager (P5), you will provide support to UNICEF's global communication, social media engagement, rumor and misinformation management strategy for polio eradication. In your role, you will lead and work on a team of communication professionals from polio endemic and outbreak countries to co-create, roll-out and execute comprehensive misinformation management and crisis communication strategy to enable polio eradication in the context of increasing use of digital technology, social media, and proliferation of mobile internet access in communities, social mobilization and frontline worker training in shaping opinions, norms and generating public discourse. Furthermore, you will work closely with C4D and communication work streams in NYHQ (Polio), Immunization Demand team and respective digital media/tech branches of the Division of Communication, Digital Health and T4D Technology for Development.

How can you make a difference?

As Digital Communication Manager, you will contribute to creating an enabling environment for Polio vaccination, develop and coordinate program communication, digital community engagement, social media, and misinformation management components of UNICEF's Communication for Development strategy for polio eradication. In the context of COVID-19 and resulting misinformation / vaccine hesitancy, build systemwide capacity and expertise in generating high levels of confidence in the polio vaccine and the program at the intersect of new and emerging digital communication & social media platforms with “traditional” C4D and community engagement strategies.

The capabilities need to encompass not just polio but all vaccine-preventable diseases since there is building evidence that negative perceptions and hesitance towards one vaccine leads to vaccine hesitancy towards all vaccines. Translate global polio Communication for Development (C4D) policy and practice guidance in the field of misinformation management into cutting-edge action at country and regional levels.

This will require consulting and collaboration with GPEI partners and donors, UN agencies and key players - thought leaders and practitioners in digital and social media industry.

Key functions and accountabilities include the following:

Support overall C4D strategy and activity design in digital ecosystem, social media and digital technology platforms:

• In collaboration with the UNICEF HQ / Regional Offices, provides technical support to COs in strategy development, planning, monitoring and evaluation and ensures quality of digital engagement interventions.
• In coordination with GPEI partners, establishes UNICEF HQ polio work plans to improve digital and social media/C4D interventions. Ensures that digital and social media components of the Country polio C4D programs meet global excellence standards.
• In collaboration with UNICEF program teams, Regional Offices, country programs, GPEI partners and government officers, contributes to global strategic direction, guidelines and work plans in digital engagement through convening technical working groups and translating policies and guidelines into operational frameworks for countries.
• Conduct and/or participate in M&E exercises, focused on assessing efficacy and impact of digital engagement and misinformation management efforts, including development of metrics. Integrate/disseminate lessons learned in development planning and improvements.
• Collaborate/consult with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to ensure synergy, integration, coherence, and harmonization of polio social media activities with global communication and advocacy activities as well as intra-UN system development activities and initiatives.

Develop, maintain and deploy polio social media engagement strategy

• Develop a cohesive social media engagement, management, reporting and evaluation strategy at the global, regional and country levels, which aims to provide online communities with up-to-date information about polio eradication efforts, encourage participation, create discourse and promote community confidence in the polio program
• Participate in planning and reviews to determine / discuss the underlying and contextual issues to be addressed on digital communication and social media with regards to C4D priorities in light of organizational policies on gender/children inequality, cultural/social behavior etc., in order to ensure successful and sustainable delivery of program results
• Strategizes and deploys “social listening” mechanisms to monitor and mitigate risks of “fake news”, misinformation, as well as information vacuum around vaccination. Identifies, assesses and recruits various groups and influencers in digital ecosystem to “pre-bunk and de-bunk” myths around vaccines to support polio and broader immunization.
• Provide technical advice on evidence-based approaches, strategies and plans of action to promote behavioral and social change, using latest research and developments in online communication, social media and digital community engagement.
• Develop, outsource and manage online communication materials and related digital audiovisual content for evidence based C4D strategies and plans, as a component of the HQ, CO, and/or GPEI communication objectives, to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements / results

Lead misinformation management capacity building and technical deployment

• Collaborate with, advise and/or consult internal partners and external partners to design evidence-based capacity building strategies to manage polio and vaccine related misinformation both online and offline
• Formulate, produce and test training aids / materials for misinformation management events and learning activities to ensure high levels of technical capacity with the goal to maintain high levels of community trust in vaccines and vaccination all over the world
• Confirm/approve the technical quality, consistency and relevancy of digital communications materials that are developed, produced and disseminated to key audiences (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media etc) for containing or managing misinformation online.
• Identify, establish and maintain active interaction/relations with online media outlets, influencers, researchers, implementing organizations and other strategic partners and networks to actively contain rumors, misinformation and disinformation around polio vaccine or vaccines in general

Coordinate and advance thinking around Digital Community Engagement with internal and external partners

• Coordinate and develop UNICEF Polio Team’s global Digital Community Engagement approach, which spearheads social listening, influencer mapping, online media engagement, risk anticipation, content design and programmatic support to polio outbreak and endemic countries.
• Participate in organizational and/or inter-agency discussions and planning on digital / social media to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues for planning and preparation of polio C4D advocacy and resource mobilization initiatives, including outbreaks
• In collaboration with Division of Communication, identify opportunities for leveraging the power of UNICEF digital platforms, advocacy priorities, brand, infrastructure, and other communication means to amplify enabling narrative and positioning of Polio and immunization programme in digital ecosystem.
• Engage in evidence generation and research initiatives that contribute to improved evidence in Digital Community Engagement activities and influence national and local policies and investments in C4D for generating sustainable results through online communication activities.
• Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge learned with global/local partners and stakeholders to build capacity of practitioners, local networks, and government partners to actively mobilize online communities to further the goals of polio program and generate demand for vaccination.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in any of the following fields: communications, electronic or digital marketing, advertising, public relations, social and behavioral science, or another relevant technical field of communication.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the following areas: social media management and integration, electronic marketing and advertising, digital advocacy, strategic communication or communication for development (with proven track record and extensive experience in digital engagement as a prerequisite).
• Expert knowledge and experience of mobilizing mainstream, emerging and new social media, technological platforms, applications, and digital groups and influencers to achieve strategic results (behavioral, sales, customer acquisitions etc.).
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Experience working with social media listening, sentiment analysis, and misinformation management in a developing country context is highly desirable.
• Direct management of social media communication, rapid content development for online audiences, evaluation of digital media, and CRM (customer relationship management) systems would be an advantage.
• Understanding of behavioral determinants of vaccination, familiarity with UNICEF C4D principles and tactics in public health, immunization, Polio, or COVID19 is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

Competency areas:

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Functional Competencies:

• Persuading and influencing (II)
• Applying technical expertise (II)
• Entrepreneurial Thinking (II)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.