SENIOR ADVISOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Contract

This is a D-1 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 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 179,932 USD and 227,056 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.

Org. Setting and Reporting UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 28,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed professionals wishing to make a change.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you.

The Senior Advisor Strategic Communications reports to the Commissioner-General.

Responsibilities- Assists the Commissioner-General in articulating and presenting the Agency’s work and articulating the Agency’s positions to the local and international audiences; ensures public positions of UNRWA are consistent and coherent across the target audiences/stakeholders at all times, with messages tailored to fit each audience; to do so, closely works/coordinates messages with Field Offices and Headquarters departments to devise and implement strategic communications plans;

- Develops, oversees and evaluates the implementation of the Agency’s outreach and communication strategies to align with and reflect the Executive Office’s decisions; maintains the mapping of different publics and leads on messaging documents in coordination with Field and Headquarters offices;

- Serves as Spokesperson for the Commissioner-General and is the principal liaison between the Agency’s Field Offices, Headquarters and local and international strategic media organizations, engaging in a broad range of media relations activities such as arranging and conducting interviews, briefing journalists, conducting field visits for journalist, assisting Fields and Headquarters departments with communications, reporting opportunities and participating in international conferences and public speaking;

- Ensures that media contacts Agency-wide are consistently “on-message”; ensures cohesive functional relationships with the Communications Division, including Public Information Offices in the Fields;

- Oversees, finalizes and ensures quality control of the Commissioner-General’s speeches delivered to the Advisory Commission, the UN General Assembly and Security Council and to any other regional multilateral organization or national parliament; clears all press releases and background notices for public use on behalf of the Executive Office; supports and works closely with the Communications Division when developing and implementing advocacy campaigns that the Communications Division produces and promotes;

- Ensure alignment of internal/external messages; for internal messages, works closely with the Chief of Staff and relevant colleagues to advise on/provide content and editing of messages to staff and the refugee community; for external strategic messaging, works very closely with External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD) to include/adapt content that fits the general public and donor community/political stakeholders;

- Establishes and maintains close contact, as required, with independent think-tanks and policy advocacy groups, Spokespersons of the Secretary General, other United Nations Headquarters offices in New York, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, other international organizations present in the Agency’s area of operations, relevant embassies and State entities, and relevant non-governmental organizations to amplify the Agency’s message;

- Scans the media/public opinion environment for the purpose of providing analysis and assessing coverage of news relevant to the Agency; identifies trends and provides advice to the Commissioner-General’s Office in this regard and corrects misinformation;

- As a member of the Agency’s Senior Management team, the incumbent may have specific responsibilities related to internal governance structures, as established by the Executive Office.

Competencies UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default.

- Persuading and Influencing - Formulating Strategies and Concepts - Applying Technical Expertise - Relating and Networking - Adapting and Responding to Change - Delivering Results - Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in communications, journalism, public relations, political science, economy or other related fields of study.

Work Experience A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience in journalism, communications, press relations management or public relations is required;

Ten years at senior international level, including substantive experience at senior levels with the UN or an international (non) governmental organisation, or similar entity and demonstrated ability in pro-active media relations is required;

Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a candidate for an international post must have at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number, is required;

Profound knowledge of and expanded network in the Middle East, is desirable;

Experience in civil society organizations and in global advocacy and campaigning, is desirable;

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution is required in communications, journalism, public relations, political science, economy or other related fields of study

Languages Fluency in written and spoken English;

Arabic is highly desirable and a strong preference.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension.

The Senior Advisor Strategic Communications is required to travel frequently, particularly in the Agency’s area of operations.

Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in inspira in order to be considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered.

A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for an appointment to the same post or a similar post.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered unacceptable combination.

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live.

For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/

United Nations Considerations Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her.

UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups.

At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.