Digital Communication Specialist (U-Report Programme & Emergency Specialist), Global Communication and Advocacy (GCA), P-3, Fixed-Term, Post Number 122979, Valencia, Spain

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,649 USD and 97,747 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, innovation

Within UNICEF’s Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA), the Youth Engagement Team works to strengthen the organization’s capacity to engage young people as advocates and campaigners for children’s rights through our flagship campaigns and initiatives and ensure that the perspectives and voices of young people are an integral part of our communications and advocacy. U-Report is one of UNICEF’s flagship initiatives to engage and empower young people. It is designed to strengthen community-led development, citizen engagement and access to and use of real-time monitoring and participation platforms. U-Report allows youth to speak out via SMS and other channels – through polls and unsolicited messages – on what is happening in their communities. It provides a forum to amplify their voices through local and national media and acts as a citizen-sourced, real-time data point for key stakeholders, service providers and decision-makers about the issues being faced in communities. The platform also feeds back valuable information to the U-Report participants, so they are empowered to work for change and improvements in their localities themselves.

How can you make a difference?

The Digital Communication Specialist (U-Report Programme & Emergency Specialist) is accountable for strengthening the capacity of the Youth Engagement Section to develop, implement and monitor effective and engaging utilization of the U-Report platform and community within advocacy, programme and emergency priorities and other campaigns. Under the leadership of the Advocacy and Communications Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of youth advocacy campaign strategies for U-Report, managing and coordinating with internal stakeholders, overseeing U-Report Global Coordination Actions, ensuring monitoring and reporting on results and data-based decision-making; and leading on U-Report engagement within emergencies, including managing relevant grants.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. U-Report/Youth Engagement strategy development and implementation

2. Project and budget management

3. Internal stakeholder engagement

The Digital Communication Specialist (U-Report Programme & Emergency Specialist) will drive the development of effective, integrated strategies for U-Report in advocacy, campaigning, programming and emergencies. The incumbent will work collaboratively with colleagues across teams and divisions to create meaningful opportunities for U-Reporters to take action in support of children’s rights through UNICEF’s campaigns and Global Advocacy Priority initiatives. Specifically:

1. U-Report/Youth Engagement strategy development and implementation

• Drive the development of effective, integrated strategies for U-Report in advocacy, campaigning, programming and emergencies.

• Plan and implement U-Report global coordinated actions with Programme, EMOPS and Advocacy.

• Responsible for managing the coordination of calendar for U-Report’s global coordinated actions, clear criteria for coordinated actions and data-based decision-making, developing and implementing proactive strategy.

• Coordinate strategy and content of the polls, chatbots, live chats and/or mobilization actions.

• Responsible for special U-Report projects in response to humanitarian emergencies, including but not limited to U-Report On The Move, U-Report response to Ukraine, U-Report response to the Venezuela crisis.

• Represent U-Report and the Youth Engagement section within humanitarian advocacy working groups. 2. Project and budget management

2. Project and budget management

• Monitor budget utilization and project implementation.

• Coordinate with the communication and data focal point to elaborate timely reports and assets to support the development of actions.

• Work with the U-Report Data focal point to ensure that all global coordinated actions have a clear approach for monitoring and evaluation, and that decision-making for actions is based on data and insights.

• Work with the U-Report communications focal point to ensure that all global coordinated actions have impactful and creative communications assets. Coordinate with other colleagues such as global social media and Voices Of Youth to ensure an integrated communications plan and liaise with media team to explore newsworthiness of U-Report coordinated actions.

• Lead the use of U-Report in emergencies, including special projects, working closely with humanitarian advocacy team and EMOPS to ensure effective implementation of U-Report within emergency communications and advocacy.

• Manage budget associated with humanitarian grants, ensuring tracking and expenditure and updating relevant colleagues. 3. Internal stakeholder engagement

3. Internal stakeholder engagement

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across teams and divisions to create meaningful opportunities for U-Reporters to take action in support of children’s rights through UNICEF’s campaigns and Global Advocacy Priority initiatives.

• Coordinate the use of U-Report with programme, advocacy, emergency and other Divisions.

• Ensure information sharing of technical U-Report content and strategy.

• Work closely with the U-Report global network, as well as other relevant teams, to ensure effective, impactful and innovative global coordinated actions that are in line with UNICEF’s global advocacy priorities and other campaigns.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, International Relations, International Development, or another related field is required; or *A first level university degree with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in advocacy/ campaigning and communications focused on young people is highly desired.
• Experience in leading the development and implementation of youth engagement strategies, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
• Proven experience in deploying a range of advocacy and communication tactics.
• Experience in building and maintaining a network of stakeholders, and in working with coalitions.
• Experience in social and other forms of digital media.
• Strong communicator with emphasis on being able to present complex ideas in succinct, engaging ways through campaign narratives and creative tactics.
• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues.
• Knowledge of child safeguarding and ethics of working with children and youth.
• Experience in advocacy at the international level is an asset.
• Experience working in an emergency environment is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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