Technical Specialist (Communication Strategy), Technical Division, P3

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy:

VACANCY NO.: Job ID 2225

CLOSING DATE: 24 May 2013 (5.00 pm New York time)

POST TITLE: Technical Specialist (Communication Strategy)

CATEGORY: ICS-10 (P3)

POST NUMBER: 80779

POST TYPE: Rotational

DUTY STATION: New York

DURATION: One year (renewable) *

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch (SRHB), Technical Division

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:

This position is located in the SRH branch of the Technical Division of UNFPA and S/He will be reporting directly to the Chief of the Media and Communications Branch of Information and External Relations Division (IERD), but the incumbent is located in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch of the Technical Division as s/he will be working closely with the branch and providing periodic information and updates to the Chief of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch. S/He will provide communications and advocacy support to the Branch Chiefs and to the H4+ agencies in activities related to Partnerships, Advocacy, and Communication.

JOB PURPOSE: To support Partnerships, Advocacy, and Coordination for the Implementation of the Global Strategy of the UN Secretary General.

On 22 September 2010, the UN Secretary General launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, a blueprint of what the global health policy community required to do in order to make progress in health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under the Global Strategy, the global multilateral agencies with a mandate in health (WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, UNAIDS, UN Women and UNFPA – the H4+) pledged to support the world’s least developed countries implement the commitments they made in the form of evidence-based interventions aimed at saving millions of lives.

The H4+ is a critical group for supporting implementation of the UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. To continue to create awareness and mobilize support for the UNSG Global Strategy and the Every Woman Every Child movement, creating a strategic communications and advocacy platform within the H4+ will be vital. The position is closely related to the Adolescent Youth and Women Reproductive Health Clusters.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES/EXPECTED RESULTS Specific Duties

1. Develop communication and advocacy materials on behalf of and in consultation with the H4+ agencies:

• Coordinate and lead the H4+ inter-agency communications working group
• Prepare advocacy and communication materials for global advocacy events of the H4+. Any materials that go outside UNFPA to the media or to the public must be cleared in advance with the Media and Communications Branch, which will be handling several other projects related to MDG 5 and work with the United Nations communications units and officials;
• Create a communication toolbox to build the communications and advocacy capacity of country H4+ colleagues and support the development of joint language and messaging. The communication toolbox could be inclusive of appropriate guidance materials, presentation templates, brochures, and other materials as defined with H4+ colleagues;
• Develop the content of the joint H4+ web page hosted on the UNSG Global Strategy website and adapt content for a CMS platform to share resources among H4+ partners;
• Support regional and country offices to include H4+ communication in their H4+ programmes of work.
• Support Country Offices in reporting progress in an evidence-informed manner, including developing feature stories and other communication materials; working with media; collecting human interest stories and documenting best practices. This activity shall be in close coordination with and guidance from the Media and Communications Branch, in order to avoid confusing country offices.
• Contribute to H4+ outreach as required: prepare remarks, explain process, talking points, and notes.
• Support UNFPA Adolescent Youth and Women Reproductive Health Clusters

1. Support H4+ Coordination on an as needed basis

• Support monitoring the delivery of commitments made by countries in the context of the SG Global Strategy, on an “as needed” basis.
• Support the development of a roadmap of all MNCH/RH events in which H4+ agencies can engage and message jointly, including identifying opportunities, media outreach approaches and key messages. All outreach is to be coordinated with and carried out with the Media and Communications Branch, so media outlets do not get pitches from uncoordinated units of the same organization.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:
Post-graduate University Degree or equivalent in mass communications, journalism, public relations, or other fields directly related to the international development areas identified in the title of the post.

Knowledge and Experience:

• At least five to seven years of increasingly responsible professional experience in mass communications, journalism, public relations or public information for international development, including public health, preferably reproductive health; • Excellent writing and communications skills, with demonstrated ability to work in an environment with tight deadlines; • Strong field experience is an asset; • Proven ability to produce demonstrable results in a timely manner;

Languages:
• Proficiency in English and working level in French, with excellent writing skills.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES: Core Competencies:

• Values/Guiding Principles • Analytical and Strategic Thinking/Knowledge Sharing/Results Orientation/Commitment to Excellence • Integrity/Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing Diversity/Commitment to Mandate • Working in teams/Communication/Self-Management/Emotional Intelligence/Conflict Management • Performance Management/Fostering Innovation and Empowerment • Appropriate and transparent Decision Making

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual innovation in the provision of technical expertise in the area of mass communications; • Ability to translate technical guidelines into powerful communications and advocacy messaging in resource-poor settings and across different contexts; • Ability to develop approaches and materials to be shared with partners and donors to help emphasize the importance of supporting sexual and reproductive health, especially in relation to reproductive, maternal and newborn health; • Demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Other Desirable Skills:

• Strong mass communication skills with the ability to work collegially in a team setting • Substantive country and global level experience in the area of communication • Strong organizational and project management skills • Strong presentation and public speaking capabilities • Ability to participate effectively in a team-based, information sharing environment • Knowledge of women’s and children’s health issues • Strong analytical skills and sound judgment

How to apply:

HOW TO APPLY:

UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy.

Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA athttp://www.unfpa.org/employment/ Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process. Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

• No expectancy of renewal in accordance with UN Staff Regulations 4.5