External Relations/Communications Officer

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 124,811 USD and 160,918 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.

1. Background and Justification

*Purpose of the Position

In the context of the WHO Country Office Operations, the incumbent serves as the focal point for the development and implementation of a communications strategy and advocacy products, in line with Country Office external relations, overseeing the development and targeted distribution of news items to media and networks and nurturing trustful and productive relationships across the full range of public media at the local level to ensure a positive, relevant and up-to-date public image of WHO. The incumbent will be deployed to emergency operations when required.

2. Job Description

*Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Strategic Objective

• Manages a small but growing team of national/international staff and consultants whose task is documentation of WHO‘s country program and emergency response, content production, media relations, advocacy, donor and partner visibility.
• Signs off and ensures quality of content from the CO in English.
• Acts as a spokesperson on behalf of the CO.
• Handles, addresses and delegates media requests to the CO. Maintains relations with WHO EURO and HQ media teams.
• Is responsible for a CO Communication-, advocacy- and a social media strategy – and its implementation.
• Ensures constant information sharing, WHO representation and interactions with OCHA, RCO and the UN country team.
• Advise the WR and the senior management team on media and communications.

*Organizational context

(Describe the individual role of incumbent within the team, focusing on work environment within and outside the organization)

The incumbent has the front line responsibility for all communications and advocacy activities related to the work of WHE at the country level. Under the overall guidance of the WHO Head of Country Office, s/he will report directly to the Head of the Country Office, have a functional line to Regional Officer Communications Lead, and will collaborate with relevant technical officers and communications focal points in the respective Regional Office and HQ. S/he will engage with local subject matter experts to agree on best tactics to advocate WHO’s work, goals and achievements, and feed this information back to regional and headquarter colleagues. As part of WHO’s global External Relations network, the incumbent will contribute to the delivery of WHO’s external relations strategy within the context of the Country Office communications and external relations activities and in this regard s/he will join coordination calls with regional and headquarter communication colleagues. The incumbent will coordinate with a broad range of officials from the press and media, partner organizations and institutions, target audiences, health cluster partners and official representatives from the national authorities to obtain information and, as necessary, provide advice on communication priorities and opportunities. The present position under WHE (which is a single programme across the Organization) may be relocated to another duty station, including at Regional or Country level, based upon the technical needs of the Programme.

*Summary of Assigned Duties

(Describe what the incumbent has to do to achieve main objectives; include main achievements expected)

1. 1. Responsible for the technical efficiency and effectiveness of communications and advocacy priorities, strategies and products pertaining to communications and external relations activities at the country level.
   2. Advise the emergency team on media outreach priorities and strategies.
   3. Design high-quality innovative media tools, including audio-visual, photographic and printed materials, television and radio programmes, multimedia presentations, social media, videos and press releases, etc., to advocate for and promote WHO’s visibility, achievements and success stories.
   4. Provide editorial guidance (i.e. copy editing and proofreading) to the technical team and information management officer with regard to the situation report.
   5. Represent the emergency team in press conferences, media forums, journalist briefings, etc. Provide early warning to the senior leadership on issues of concern from the media, flag issues requiring communications preparation and response, as well as respond to media queries.
   6. Work closely with Communication teams at the three levels of the Organization, on proactive outreach, including media relations, advocacy, and proactive placement of articles and opinion editorial pieces in the external media.
   7. Coordinate and manage media visits to the field emergency operations. Coordinate interviews and filming opportunities to support high-visibility of WHO achievements through television, radio and newspapers, etc.
   8. Oversee the development, harmonization and establishment of content for the emergency- related websites, in compliance with guidelines and standards used throughout the Organization. Critically review and improve content and liaise with the web team at all levels on the appropriate channels for and presentation of messages and materials.
   9. Work closely with the Resource Mobilization team to ensure the provision of targeted communications and media strategies and products required to convince and encourage donors to rapidly fund the overall health sector response to affected populations.
   10. Build partnerships with all relevant actors, including the health cluster, regional and field offices, other WHO departments, UN agencies, and other partners to identify and create communication opportunities and design communication and advocacy campaigns on specific topics.
   11. Perform all other related duties as assigned.

2. Recruitment Profile

Competencies: Generic

Describe the core, management or leadership competencies required

(See WHO competency model - list in order of priority, commencing with the most important ones.)

• Teamwork;
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences;
• Communication;
• Producing Results
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

*Note: Position descriptions that possess supervisory/managerial responsibilities require one additional mandatory competency from the Management competencies: *“Creating an empowering and motivating environment.” In addition to the above mentioned mandatory competencies, the hiring manager can select one or two additional competencies (from the Core, Management or Leadership group) that are considered essential to successfully perform the functions of the position.

Functional Knowledge and Skills

*Describe the essential knowledge and the skills specific to the position

• Ability to write well in English and produce engaging communication and advocacy material.
• Demonstrated ability in working with all forms of media in all situations
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure to achieve multiple deadlines.
• Proven skills in the development and implementation of communication/media products and tactics.
• Excellent interpersonal skills complemented by the ability to conceptualize ideas and advocate consensus.
• Ability to "think out of the box" and to make innovative proposals to extend communication reach.
• Knowledge or understanding of WHO mandate and goals in the emergency incident management context.
• Knowledge of public health sector and issues
• Demonstrated ability to work within an emergency context at the country level

Education Qualifications

*Essential

An advanced level university degree in communication, journalism, political science, social-sciences, international relations or related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable

Courses in communication techniques such as graphic design, visual language and the use of social media.

Experience

*Essential

• At least seven years’ relevant experience at national and international levels in communication and/or advocacy, part of which should include supporting humanitarian emergency or health outbreak response and recovery activities.
• Proven experience in writing advocacy documents and in the production of communication materials and products.
• Experience of working in complex emergencies
• Experience of managing a communications team composed of international/national staff and consultants

Desirable

• Prior working experience with WHO/UN or with an international nongovernmental organization.
• Experience in organizing advocacy campaigns.
• Experience in managing publishing and clearance processes.

4. Use of Language Skills

Languages

English

Read: Expert knowledge [Yes] Required

Write: Expert knowledge

Speak: Expert knowledge

French or another WHO language

Read: Intermediate knowledge [Yes] Desirable

Write: Intermediate knowledge

Speak: Intermediate knowledge

Other Skills (e.g. IT)

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Excel).
• Familiarity with the use of graphic design, visual design, social media, website development and publishing software

REMUNERATION:

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 74,913 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2778 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

- This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

- Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

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

- 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.

- Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

- Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

- For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

- WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

- WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.

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

- WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

- Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.