ODES-P-Social media and public relations consultant

Result of Service The main objective of the assignment is to optimise the Commission’s capacity to develop and improve its social media presence through content creation, marketing techniques and strategic practices with a focus on cutting-edge issues in sustainable development and UNECA work processes and strategic orientation.

Work Location The consultant will be expected to work from his/her country of residence.

Expected duration The consultant will be recruited for a period of six (6) months, starting from the date of signing the contract.

Duties and Responsibilities BACKGROUND

Since its inception in 1958, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has gone through a number of reforms ranging from divisional restructuring to reorientation of programmes aimed at strengthening its capacity to ensure that it can effectively implement its mandate and respond to the evolving needs of its 54 member States.

In September 2017, developments at the global and regional levels including emerging opportunities (the reforms of the United Nations development system, prioritization of the 2030 Agenda, and continental policy frameworks) prompted the current ECA Executive Secretary to review previous institutional reforms undertaken in 2013 at the behest of the former management.

In February 2019, the programmatic changes introduced by the new restructuring process put a focus on the following thematic areas: macroeconomic policy and governance; regional integration and trade; private sector development and finance; data and statistics; technology, climate change, and natural resource management; gender and women in development; subregional activities for development (demographic dynamics for development, economic diversification policy and reforms, deepening regional integration– towards the implementation of AfCFTA, inclusive industrialization); economic development and planning; inequality and social policy.

Another feature of the change agenda is the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist which oversees the ECA work of the Programme pillar. Across the functions of think-tank, convening and operations within ECA, the Programme pillar enhances the Commission’s visibility at the forefront of providing data and in-depth research to inform better decision-making, policy direction and build partnerships around high-impact solutions.

Informed by developments on the continent as espoused in various documents, debates and discussions on Africa’s evolving media landscape, the assumption of duties this year of the Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist offers the opportunity to shape across the Progamme pillar a more coordinated and targeted outreach effort in Africa to create strong political and financial backing for ECA by providing partners and member States with a clear understanding of what the Commission does and how its mission, capabilities and flagship services relate to them.

The Communication and Media Relations Section (CMRS) of the Publications, Conference and Knowledge Management Division (PCKMD) is responsible for projecting the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as a premier knowledge institution, promoting its regional authority and thought leadership on sustainable development and interconnected social and economic areas of relevance. CMRS supports the launching and dissemination of the major publications of ECA (Economic Report on Africa, Assessing Regional Integration in Africa; and African Governance Report); and provides communication support for all major conferences and events through press releases and advisories, digital communications, fielding interview requests, media liaison, branding and global storytelling.

The ECA website and interactive social media platforms (Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; and Instagram) are the organization’s public face. The website has been revamped recently to serve as a platform for strategic, accurate and timely information on ECA and its activities to bring global solutions to the continent’s development challenges and take local solution to the continent. With the proliferation of new media tools and actors, both mainstream and independent, as well as the expansion of the digital media sector, ECA needs to take a more critical look at is audience and develop a more targeted approach, deepening its reach on key issues among policymakers and widening reach among the general public and partners. ECA messages should be both compelling and refreshing, providing new information told through stories revealed from statistical evidence.

ECA therefore seeks to engage the services of a social media and public relations consultant who has proven working experience in social media marketing or as a digital media specialist and excellent consulting, writing, editing (photo/video/text), presentation and communication skills. The social media and public relations consultant will also be a key member of cross-divisional teams to help planning and implementing major communication campaigns and projects.

Duties and responsibilities

The Consultancy work is under the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary-Programme (ODES-P), in the Communication and Media Relations Section (CRMS). Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Executive Secretary-Programme (DES-P) or a mandated representative and the direct supervision of the Director of the Publications, Conference and Knowledge Management Division (PCKMD), the social media and public relations consultant will be expected to undertake the following responsibilities: - Initiate daily content from Programme divisions to generate, edit, publish and share (original text, images, video or HTML) in English and French on all social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn and Instagram; - Set up and optimize ECA’s global social media platforms to increase the visibility of the Commission’s social content; - Continuously improve by capturing and analyzing the appropriate social data/metrics, insights and best practices, and then acting on the information; - Evaluate effectiveness of the current portfolio of platforms; - Test new approaches; and - Collaborate with all divisions under the Programme pillar to manage ECA’s reputation, identify key players and coordinate actions to plan and implement major communication campaigns and projects, in particular on regular podcasts and blogs - Undertake other tasks as required.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international economics, social sciences, communication, business or a related field is required. A first level university degree in combination with two years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of advance university degree.

Experience: A minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in the field of social media marketing or as a digital media specialist is required. Demonstrable social networking experience and social analytics tools knowledge is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is an advantage.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.