Reporting and Communications Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

This UNV Reporting and Communication Officer position will be located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Juba, South Sudan. Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Head of Office, OCHA South Sudan, the Reporting and Communication Officer reports to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Communication and Information Management Unit.

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan remains precarious. OCHA’s role is to support humanitarian actors to ensure that relief assistance reaches the people who need it in a timely and effective manner. OCHA’s support includes reporting on the humanitarian situation and raising awareness on humanitarian needs and gaps in the provision of assistance.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit, the Reporting and Communication Officer will be responsible for the preparation of reports and public information products as follows:

 Prepares or contributes to the preparation of written reports, briefings, talking points, funding appeals, background papers, presentations and other documents. In collaboration with the humanitarian country team, supports humanitarian advocacy at the national level, and contributes to global advocacy campaigns.  Supports the planning and organization of activities to promote media coverage (e.g. press conferences, press releases, interviews, media seminars and other special activities) of priority issues and/or major events, to include pro-active media outreach efforts, disseminating relevant for the press, drafts responses to media inquiries and other information requests, undertaking appropriate follow-up action and analyzing and reporting on the impact of coverage.  Contributes to strategic social media content and social media plan.  Produces and adapts multimedia content – photos, videos, animations.  Supports the implementation of South Sudan's overall communications strategy to engage key audiences around priority issues and/or major events.  Coordinates the inputs from partners for publications that OCHA issue in relation to humanitarian work;  Compiles and processes data/information from a wide variety of sources and prepare a range of reports and humanitarian briefings for public dissemination;  Updates and maintains contact information and mailing lists;  Provides detailed and accurate minutes of coordination meetings as required.  Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:  Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);  Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;  Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
 Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;  Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;  Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs:  As an active OCHA team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to OCHA and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:  The key results have an impact on the overall efficiency of the Country Office including improved business results and client services.  Forward-looking Communication and IM Unit management has an impact on the organization of office management, knowledge sharing, and information provision.  Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.  A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

 Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNOCHA; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNOCHA procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;  Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNOCHA in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;  Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;  Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.  Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;  Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;  Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNOCHA’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values

reporting, communication or other relevant programmes at the national and/or international level ; experience with humanitarian action is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization  Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;  Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;  Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels;  Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;  Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;  Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;

Desirable:  Sound security awareness;  Have affinity with or interest in humanitarian work, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

South Sudan became the world’s newest nation and Africa’s 55th country on July 9, 2011. However, the conflict that broke out in December 2013 has undermined the development gains achieved since independence and worsened the humanitarian situation. The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, signed by the Government, the opposition and civil society on September 12, 2018 in Addis Ababa is seen as a fresh opportunity for South Sudanese to build durable peace in the country. Although it has brought about a reduction in violence across most parts of the country, the number of people in need has continued to grow because of the accumulated effects of years of conflict, gross violations of human rights, natural disasters.

The rapidly changing nature of novel coronavirus COVID-19 has placed significant and increasing restrictions on the freedom of movement of people across the globe, within countries and across borders. Such restrictions make it very difficult for international UN Volunteers to begin their assignments at their assigned duty station and UNV cannot guarantee assignments will proceed as normal. Candidates for international UN Volunteer assignments during this period may be exceptionally granted alternative working arrangements to work from their place of recruitment until restrictions are lifted. This is at the discretion of the host entity. Candidates proceeding to interview are recommended to discuss the likelihood of travel and possible alternative arrangements with the host entity. If selected, candidates should carefully consider the circumstances before accepting UNV’s offer.

The initial contract is issued upon arrival for the period indicated above. The contract can be extended depending on continuation of mandate, availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectancy of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA), which is composed of a Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be calculated using by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate US$ 1,651. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website - http://icsc.un.org.

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station.