The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to delivery more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an independent UN Resident Coordinator - the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System at the country level - support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs. The Communications Officer establishes and maintains relationships with senior management in her/his entity, with other Communications specialists in the organization, managers in other functional areas in the same entity, with a Crisis Management team when activated, and with staff to provide and clarify specific or thematic information, to exchange information, to seek guidance, provide updates on activities, coordinate communication activities such as during crisis, to discuss communications support to other functional areas, to participate in the Crisis Management Team, and to share information with staff, as necessary.
Responsibilities
Provide analysis and advice to the management and/or UN colleagues on strategic communications issues such as opportunities for proactive communications, building support, managing crises and reputational risks, and strengthening information integrity.
Provide insights and analysis from traditional, social, and digital media monitoring, including public narratives and areas of reputational risk to inform communications strategy.
Develop and implement communications strategies that raise awareness, drive engagement, build support and have measurable impact with target audiences.
Manage the coordination of the crisis communications response with the communications stakeholders at the local, regional, and global levels, including the crisis communications cell and UN Communications Group in country.
Draft compelling narratives and messaging on the work of the UN that engage target audiences across different channels and platforms.
Develop media lines and ensure the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and other relevant stakeholders, receive regular updates on sensitive issues.
Conduct mapping, outreach to and foster relationships with traditional and new media outlets.
Develop media lines, including in crisis situations and on sensitive issues.
Plan and coordinate press conferences, briefings, and media events.
Draft and produce communications products, such as press releases, press statements, web stories, reports, and infographics.
Create content, conduct interviews and present news and programming for UN and/or community radio channels and podcasts.
Create and manage compelling and relevant content for websites, create and moderate engaging and platform-optimized content for social media channels, including live content, tailored for digital platforms to advance digital communications priorities and campaigns work.
Develop and implement digital communication strategies, including social media and/or website strategies, which raise awareness, drive engagement, build support and have measurable impact with target audiences.
Collect and analyse data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables, and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation, and reporting.
Maintain confidentiality, integrity, and discreet handling of sensitive information in compliance with the UN data privacy, security requirements, and standards.
Keep abreast of the latest trends in communications and maintain expertise in relevant and emerging technologies.
Monitor, analyse and report on communications approaches, activities and strategies to assess their performance and effectiveness. 19. 20.
Serve as focal point on policy and reporting and prepare inputs for strategic communications in the context of regular reporting to governmental bodies.
Create compelling content that is optimized to reach target audiences across a range of platforms and channels.
Develop and implement compelling communications campaigns that engage and have measurable impact with target audiences through appropriate channels and platforms.
Coordinate and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop and deliver joint outreach and advocacy activities to advance UN priorities.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in business or public administration, sustainable development, social sciences, education or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage.
Work Experience
Demonstrate a minimum of Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications principles and practices is required. Demonstrated ability to develop and implement communications partnership strategies is required. Demonstrated Knowledge of Media Monitoring tools is desirable Demonstrated experience in data visualization tools to create charts, graphs, and visual outputs is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and " Knowledge of equals a rating of' confident" in two of the four areas.
