Under the direction of the Regional Director:
a) develop, implement, manage and monitor a strategy for giving visibility to children’s issues and work closely
with UNICEF National Committees and country offices in keeping UNICEF’s work for children’s rights on the policy agenda;
b) provide policy guidance and technical support to country offices in the area of communication and promote capacity-building of local communication staff;
c) provide and coordinate regional recommendations regarding global policy development and regional support and contributions to global corporate advocacy/communication activities.
Key Expected Results
1. Manage and coordinate the work of the UNICEF media hub to promote and maintain children’s issues in the public domain and strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives. This involves sustained and coherent contact with international media on key issues and sensitivities affecting children and partners in the region while ensuring concerns of offices are taken into consideration when formulating such activities.
2. Identify and promote key media and advocacy partnerships. Ensure linkage of communication efforts to resource leveraging and mobilization across the region with advocacy agenda and priorities steering from RMT consensus.
3. Identify the need for communication materials for regional use, oversee production and distribution to target audiences in support of advocacy for children and organizational goals.
Launch major flagship reports and initiatives (e.g. SOWCR); prepare regional versions of global publications and press releases, feature articles and audio-visual material as required.
Coordinate ROSA input into shared website with EAPRO, and contribute to website oversight in line with governance mechanism of shared services centre.
B. Support to Country Offices
4. Provide technical support to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of communication plans and provide feedback to regional management teams and the Regional Director. Identify and maintain a network of external technical resources in the development and implementation of communication activities, including production of materials. Facilitate inter-office technical support where feasible. Organize Communication staff exchange, and facilitate learning and training activities (workshops, seminars, orientation courses, training modules, on-the-job training) to update professional skills, especially of national officers, and build their capacity to undertake communication activities through meetings, video conference, webinars etc. Focus especially on strengthening the capacity of staff in facing emergencies which have special and urgent communication needs.
C. Support to Global Communication Activities
5. Keep abreast of developments in the field of communication/advocacy in UNICEF in South Asia and HQs and provide/coordinate regional contributions and recommendations in connection with the development and implementation of global policies and strategies. Contribute to the development and production of materials to support global initiatives, especially those of importance to the work of the National Committees. Proactively plan and facilitate strategic use of goodwill ambassadors, national committee missions, etc. as well as preparation of communication materials needed (e.g. press releases, programme summaries, media kits) and necessary logistic arrangements.
Qualifications of Successful Candidate
Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations; or equivalent professional work experience in the communication area combined with advanced university degree in a related discipline.*
Ten years of relevant work experience in communication, print and broadcast media or interactive digital media, six of which should be in developing countries, and four at the senior management level.
Fluency in English and another UN working language. Knowledge of languages in the Region an asset.
*A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Competencies of Successful Candidate
Has highest-level communication skills, including engaging and informative formal public speaking
Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering projects on-time and on-budget
Creates and encourages a climate of team-working and collaboration in a multi-cultural environment
Remains alert for changing conditions and develops and oversees large-scale change initiatives to incorporate them
Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources
Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization
Creates organization-wide processes to help ensure that all adhere to procedures and policies
Sets, develops and revises organizational strategy and develops clear visions of the organization’s future potential
Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups. Actively nurtures good relationships with people across all organizational levels and boundaries, and with government leaders and stakeholders
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.
Closing Date: Thursday, 15 March 2012
