Accountable for developing, managing, coordinating, networking, implementing, and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on an ongoing basis with public audiences, to promote awareness, understanding, support, and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF’s mission, priorities and programs in the country office/regional office/media hub, and at a global level and those of the UN Country Team.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, commitment!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1xkXZs0cAQ

How can you make a difference?

Accountable for developing, managing, coordinating, networking, implementing, and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on an ongoing basis with public audiences, to promote awareness, understanding, support, and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF’s mission, priorities and programs in the country office/regional office/media hub, and at a global level and those of the UN Country Team.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

Within the delegated authority and the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be accountable for all or assigned areas of the following major duties and results.

1. Communication strategy

Ensure that the Regional/Country Office/Media Hub has a clear communication strategy and associated work plan to support the country program objectives and get children’s issues into the public domain, strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives, and enhance the organization’s credibility and brand.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain, and update the country’s advocacy and communication strategy and associated work plan. Strategy and work plan includes an environmental and stakeholder assessment; objectives; target audiences; messages and media mix; resources; specific actions, activities, and products; monitoring and evaluation of impact; success and opportunity for improvement; and ongoing refinement of the strategy.
• UNICEF’s rights- and results-based programming approach is appropriately reflected in the communication strategy, work plan, and products.
• Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

2. Media Relations

Ensure that the Regional/Country Office/Media Hub has a well-maintained and continually developed contact list of journalists and media outlets covering all media – print, TV, radio, web, etc. – and a successful process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to communicate the story of UNICEF’s cooperation to a wider audience.

Duties & Tasks

• Promote a better understanding of, respect, and support for children’s and women’s rights and issues by carrying out media, information, and education activities in support of UNICEF-assisted development programs or humanitarian efforts in the country.
• Develop, maintain, and update the media relations contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review, and refine the process of communicating with media contacts, including press conferences and events, issuing media materials, etc.
• Ensure rapid and accurate information dissemination to the media, National Committees, NGOs, the field, and other appropriate audiences.
• Identify, develop, distribute, and evaluate a variety of media materials in multiple, appropriate formats. Ensure or enhance the quality, and appropriateness of country specific communication materials, activities, processes, and messages transmitted to the press, partners, and public.
• Collaborate with mass media through activities such as organizing project site visits, facilitating photo coverage and TV footage, and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate.
• Monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of media materials and share results and findings.
• Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

3. Networking and partnerships

Ensure that the Regional/Country Office/Media Hub has a well-maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations, and fora (including Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts), whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the advocacy and communication objectives of the communication strategy.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain, and update partners’ contact lists/databases.
• Help establish, document, review, and refine the process of working collaboratively with partners, including meetings, joint projects, information sharing, etc.
• Ensure or enhance the quality, consistency, and appropriateness of country-specific communication materials, activities, processes, and messages shared with partners.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment, and knowledge sharing.
• Monitor, evaluate, and share results and findings with partners.

4. Celebrities and special events

Ensure that the Regional/Country Office/Media Hub has a well-maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate, nationally-known personalities who have been identified, engaged, and support UNICEF’s effort and who actively participate in special events and activities that support country program goals.

Duties & Tasks

• Mobilize country office communication capacity to support/facilitate the gathering of content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective program activities and results in support of fund-raising.
• Mobilize resources for fund-raising support by regular communication and coordination with relevant communication focal points in regional offices and headquarters divisions.

5. Management

Ensure that human resources (the communication team) and financial resources (budget planning, management, and monitoring) are both effectively managed and optimally used.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop a work plan for communication activities, monitor compliance, and provide support and guidance to ensure objectives are met.
• Plan and monitor the use of communication budgetary resources. Approve and monitor the overall allocation disbursement and liquidation of funds. Take appropriate actions to optimize the use of funds.
• Identify, recruit, and supervise staff, technical resources, and consultants as necessary. Conduct and Implement effective performance planning, monitoring, and performance development programs as required.
• Ensure communication effectiveness, efficiency, and delivery as well as a rigorous and transparent approach to planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

6. Monitoring and evaluation

Ensure that communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the communication strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of communication strategy, approach, and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared on a timely basis.

Duties & Tasks

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of communication performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary and that these communication indicators are incorporated or forwarded in the Annual Management Plan, Annual Work Plan, etc.
• Conduct timely and accurate monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure the communications objectives are met and the strategy is effective.

• Undertake lessons learned review of successful and unsuccessful communication experiences and share observations/findings with country, regional, and HQ communication colleagues so that best practices benefit UNICEF’s communication work.

7. Capacity building and support

Ensure that the Representative/Senior or Regional Communication Officer and the country program team are provided with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of external relations communication as required; opportunities are identified and addressed for building communication capacity among the country communication team, media, and other relevant partners.

Duties & Tasks

• Advise UNICEF management, colleagues, and staff on media strategy and implications for action and policies proposed.

Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange, and building capacity of the country communications team. Enable appropriate advocacy and

• Develop, maintain, and update celebrities’ contact lists/databases.
• Help establish, document, review, and refine the process of working with celebrities, including special events, media opportunities, field trips, etc.

• Participate in global advocacy activities by planning visits of Goodwill Ambassadors, National Committee representatives, Executive Board members, etc. including preparing information materials (e.g., press releases, program summaries, country fact sheets, and media kits), and necessary logistic arrangements. Highlight the achievements of the country program. Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.

8. Global priorities and campaigns

In addition to local/national campaigns, ensure that the Regional/Country Office/Media Hub has an effective process in place for integrating and taking action on UNICEF’s global communications priorities and campaigns, both disseminating these elements in a locally-appropriate way, as well as providing/enabling coverage of the work in the country for global use.

Duties & Tasks

• Support the UNICEF global communications objectives and strategies through the development of complementary country specific and local community materials and activities. The work plan should anticipate the inclusion of work on global priorities and campaigns.
• Develop and deploy country office communication capacity to gather/facilitate the content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective program activities and results.
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with relevant communication focal points in regional offices and headquarters divisions.

9. Resource mobilization support

Ensure that global and country-level fund-raising activities are supported by effective advocacy and communication strategies and activities.

Duties & Tasks

• communication training, access to information, supplies, and equipment, and developing training and orientation material.
• Assist the Programme Communication Officer in the development of communication tools and/or strategies.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, and Public Relations.
• Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others (8)Nurtures, leads and manages people.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.