Director, Communications

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 188,699 USD and 236,483 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.

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The objective of the Department of Communications (CMU) of the Pan American Health Organization is to lead in the development, implementation and management of PAHO’s corporate communication strategy at all levels, internally and externally, within a complex range of media outlets and platforms and media relations and a 24/7 information cycle. Corporate communication is essential to PAHO’s mission and strategic priorities, and advancement of the principles and practices of communication in support of sound public health principles and practices and PAHO’s mission in the delivery of technical cooperation in the Region of the Americas. As the lead multilateral health organization in the Region of the Americas and globally recognized, PAHO’s communication must be “best in class” utilizing the necessary leadership, strategies, approaches, tools and technologies in support of PAHO’s roles and responsibilities across a multiplicity of languages, cultures, and political dynamics, with a keen focus on public health, science and evidence.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director (DD), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Provide leadership, strategic vision, advice, and management for the implementation of PAHO’s corporate communications strategy, ensuring impact across governments, cultures, and languages; ensure alignment and coherence with WHO’s global communication strategy and other multilateral institutions as appropriate; and enable PAHO’s strategic positioning across the Region of the Americas. This includes development and implementation of clear communication goals, identification of target audiences, articulation of messaging, and the measurement and analyses of the effectiveness and impact of such actions;
2. Ensure excellence in the conceptualization, development/design, production, distribution and measurement across a wide array of media venues around impact of public health information materials and products, including press releases, press briefings, interviews, corporate branding, websites, newsletters, speeches/statements, brochures, regional and global campaigns, fact sheets, articles, and audiovisual materials;
3. Provide strategic advice to the Director, Deputy Director and PAHO senior management and technical experts at HQ and country office levels on using communication effectively to support policy advocacy, technical and scientific cooperation, partnerships and resource mobilization as well as develop/support the building of the necessary communication competencies to effectuate said advice and promote PAHO’s work in the region and globally;
4. Provide communication advice and support to strengthen internal communication and staff engagement;
5. Support PAHO’s advocacy and resource mobilization activities, to ensure effectiveness in outreach, brand integrity and recognition of PAHO’s technical cooperation;
6. Identify and obtain financial resources to support the implementation of the Department’s work plan, in collaboration with other departments of the Organization;
7. Identify, promote, establish, maintain, and coordinate partnerships with other United Nations organizations, the Inter-American System and with other partners in order to maximize programmatic integration, efficiency and effectiveness;
8. Formulate and recommend policies, plans, and strategies, in support of the Governing Bodies’ mandates related to the work of the Department; develop and establish guidelines, norms, practices and procedures to improve the Organization’s institutional communications strategies; report to Governing Bodies on the status or results of the program of work;
9. Develop, define and establish the objectives, strategy, plan and budget of the Department; ensure that the strategy and objectives are aligned with the Organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, strategies, and priorities; monitor the implementation of activities, implement corrections of any deviations and incorporate feedback to redefine the objectives and/or strategies; ensure that results and products delivered by the Department are aligned with the Organizational Strategy and make significant contributions to outputs and outcomes as defined in the Strategic Plan;
10. Administer, allocate and monitor the implementation of the Department’s financial, and human resources; prepare, and justify the program and budget proposals; define the Department’s Human Resources Plan including the organizational structure, competencies and terms of reference; initiate and recommend approval of personnel actions for all staff and other personnel;
11. Provide authoritative technical, managerial and policy advice to staff assigned to the Department, Sub-regional and Regional Advisors located in the countries; review reports submitted by staff and provide constructive feedback;
12. Provide leadership to guide staff and motivate teams in a multicultural environment, and ensure continuous training and development of staff; including guidance and monitoring of staff through setting of clear work objectives, use of performance reviews and feedback mechanisms, regular communications, and solving interpersonal or technical conflicts;
13. Promote a culture of ethical behavior and integrity in accordance with the Organization’s Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct in order to ensure a culture of respect, responsibility, accountability, and compliance;
14. Provide a stable managerial framework that demonstrates credibility, trust and value to Member States, partners, while optimizing staff performance; provide advice, when called upon, to institutions of Member States in the area of expertise;
15. Collaborate in the Organization's response to emergency situations; provide technical expertise in the development of effective communication campaigns in order to facilitate timely response as required;
16. Direct and participate in the development of policies and their implementation and provide authoritative advice in relation to policy and procedures under the areas of responsibility;
17. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education****:

Essential: A university degree in communications, marketing, a social science or field related to the functions of the position and a master’s degree in marketing, communications or related field, from a recognized institution.

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/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience****:

Essential: Thirteen years of combined national and international progressively more responsible experience designing, planning, implementing and evaluating communication and marketing campaigns.

Desirable: Experience developing and leading policy advocacy and social marketing campaigns related to public health or international development in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Demonstrated experience supporting social policy advocacy, social marketing and fundraising strategies would be highly desirable.

SKILLS****:

PAHO Competencies:

• Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.
• Teamwork: Advocates for collaboration across the Organization. Creates and encourages a climate of team- working and collaboration across the Organization; sees cooperation as a key Organizational priority and creates collaborative systems and processes to achieve Organizational goals. Actively identifies and tackles disagreements between internal and external counterparts that compromise the Organization’s goals and mandate; diplomatically facilitates the resolution of conflicts between others and ensures strategic partnerships with a range of key stakeholders; maintains and extends an effective collaborative network of individuals inside and outside the Organization.
• Communication: Articulates the Organization’s strategic objectives when formulating and delivering information and presentations and adapts presentation methodology to address the needs of different audiences. Establishes a safe environment for others to express their views and takes those views into consideration in decision making as needed. Is aware of cultural differences and uses culturally appropriate non-verbal communication. Supervises (or oversees) and coordinates the development of guidelines, policies and strategies; ensures the Organization’s strategic objectives are well reflected through written communication and provides quality control for written documents. Shares decisions and directives of senior management and communicates them in a manner that ensures both understanding and acceptance; shares knowledge and best practice at the three Organizational levels (country, regional and global), as necessary.
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment: Oversees and provides teams and departments with clear managerial directions which are translated from Organizational strategy. Builds a performance culture in the Organization; contributes to setting Organizational performance goals and standards; monitors Organizational performance against milestones and strategic goals; identifies and nurtures talent as appropriate. Promotes autonomy and empowerment throughout the Organization; inspires enthusiasm and a positive attitude in people towards their work and contribution to the Organization’s success.
• Promoting innovation and Organizational learning: Ensures that knowledge and learning are shared across the Organization, transmitting a sense of responsibility and empowerment down the Organization; builds a culture that encourages learning and development by coaching and mentoring others. Drives and advocates for change as needed, continually promoting new ways to position the Organization for success; is recognized as a key resource within the Organization for generation of alternative perspectives on the Organization’s mission and work.
• Ensuring effective use of resources: Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

Technical Expertise:

• Technical: Expertise in market research and audience analysis; writing and editing for several audiences in various styles, in multiple languages; knowledge of public health and international development; ability to lead and mentor cross-functional communication teams to ensure brand coherence and positioning; ability to provide advice and guidance on communication standards and strategy to medical and public health professionals. Wide and varied knowledge of communication sources and systems; innovative use of the web and social media; ability to monitor and report on program performance.
• Managerial: Extensive expertise in senior, progressively responsible positions in corporate communications, public health agencies or international development organizations; administration of matters requiring sensitive negotiation and high-level intervention and in managing change; management of communication products and services; knowledge of relevant international norms, standards and legislation. Demonstrated ability to provide professional leadership to strategic, organizational, managerial and analytic work; resourcefulness, initiative, highly developed judgment and interpersonal skills to deal with difficult situations, sensitive issues, establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different professional levels, discipline, nationalities, and cultural background.
• Administrative: Skills in resource mobilization (including fundraising and partner collaboration) and financial management for the delivery of expected results.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook. Demonstrated understanding of an experience with scientific, web-based and open source information systems as well the ability to operate desktop, web related applications. Other IT skills and knowledge of other software programs such as Visio and Project would be an asset.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary****: (Net of taxes)

$US 88,162.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment****: 50.4% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A written test may be used as a form of screening.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world. All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post. Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post. The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.