Communications Senior Officer

Background Information – Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations. With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) was set up in August 2019 as a part of the UNOPS Europe & Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:

● Infrastructure

● Procurement

● Project Management (full service, back on track)

● HR and Transactional Services

● Grants Management

● Technical and Advisory Services

Under the direct supervision of the Partnerships Specialist, and with guidance from the MCO Director and Head of Programme where relevant, the Communication Specialist will be responsible for all communications priorities, outputs and activities of AUMCO, ensuring that AUMCO communicates effectively with its existing and potential partners and stakeholders. S/he will work in close collaboration with the communications focal points of UNOPS Country Offices under AUMCO as well as in UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen to ensure that communications activities are managed effectively and the appropriate materials are published in a timely and high-quality manner.

Functional Responsibilities

The Communication Senior Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Partnerships Specialist and overall supervision of the AUMCO Director and Head of Programme. Accordingly, the incumbent will be required to perform, but not limited to, the following duties and responsibilities:**Communications Strategy Development & Implementation**

• Support development and execution of communications strategy and action plan for the AUMCO, covering both internal and external communications;
• Support development of key messages on UNOPS programming in the region, including for partners, local and international media;
• Identify the best channels for information dissemination by means of popular media/information platforms (webpages of partners, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube etc.), printed materials, press releases, articles, video documentaries, etc.;
• Manage and provide substantive content for the AUMCO website, highlighting achievements and other relevant evidence-based information generating through monitoring process;
• Conceptualize, develop layout, format and design all promotional materials and activities agreed as part of the communication strategy;
• Serve as the focal point for the United Nations Communications Group in the region, and actively promote UNOPS within the inter-agency fora;
• Maintain relationships with Communications Specialists in the country offices, as well as with HQ, CPG and external partners to gather information and provide advice on communications products and outreach;
• Develop and maintain contact list of journalists and media outlets including print, TV, radio, web etc. and institutionalize a process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to showcase and highlight the success and lessons from the ongoing partnerships;
• Support organization of visibility, publicity and outreach activities;
• Ensure or enhance the quality and relevance of country-specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages for sharing with partners;
• Ensure a well maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora (including Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts) for purposes of communication;

Production of Communications Products

• Draft press releases, newsletters and other communication materials related to ongoing projects and work closely with the Partnerships Unit on visibility activities for all partnerships as stipulated in the partnership agreements;
• Prepare briefings, presentations and background materials for the AUMCO Director, Head of Programme, and/or Partnerships Specialist;
• Produce fact sheets on specific projects with success stories and UNOPS services in the region, and contribute to overall partnerships and communications products of AUMCO;
• 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;
• Organize production of the audio-visual content with the selected contractor(s);

Project Communications

• Work with the Project Manager(s) to ensure full compliance of project communications activities with donors’ guidelines and requirements;
• Lead the development, finalization and dissemination of the appropriate project communications products, including websites, newsletters, news stories, video stories etc., as assigned by the management;

Knowledge Management

• Close interaction with Programme/Project staff to share information and knowledge as related to projects and communications;

• Provide capacity development and trainings to relevant AUMCO personnel to support their communications activities and requirements.
  Education/Experience/Language requirements

• Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master degree or equivalent) in communications, journalism, public relations or another relevant field is required.

• A first level university degree in communications, journalism, public relations or another relevant field in combination with an additional 2 years of experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years (or more depending on academic credentials) of previously responsible experience in managing communications, external relations or advocacy work of a public or private entity is required.

• Experience in producing analytical reports and communications products is required.

• Communications strategy preparation and implementation, as well as the relevant research, analysis and reporting skills are highly desired.

• Familiarity with the development or humanitarian sector, as well as countries in the AUMCO region, are preferred.

• Experience working with UNOPS or a similar UN/international organization will be considered a significant asset.

• Computer literacy in Google Workspace or MS Office applications is required. Experience using communications-related software such as Adobe InDesign or similar is preferred.

• Excellent knowledge of digital and social media, visual communications and storytelling is desirable.
  Language Requirements:

• Fluency of English language is essential.

• Fluency in written and spoken Russian and German will be a distinct advantage.

• Knowledge of other languages widely spoken in AUMCO countries (such as Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Albanian) will be considered an asset.

• Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: LICA09/ICSC-9
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance*
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx *

Additional Considerations

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization – UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.