Communication Specialist, P-3, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (for non-Ethiopian nationals only) Temporary Appointment (364 days)

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, opportunity

How can you make a difference?

The Communication Specialist is accountable for developing, managing, coordinating, networking, implementing, and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on the on-going humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. The Communication Specialist will also focus on donor communications by developing and managing a donor visibility communication strategy and developing multimedia content to provide donor visibility in both a humanitarian and development context.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Communication strategy

• Develop, maintain, and update the advocacy and communication strategy and associated work plan for northern Ethiopia. Strategy and work plan include: objectives; target audiences; messages and media mix; resources; specific actions, activities and products; monitoring and evaluation of impact; success and opportunity for improvement; ongoing refinement of the strategy.
• UNICEF’s rights- and results-based programming approach is appropriately reflected in the communication strategy, work plan and products.
• Produce and write multimedia content on the humanitarian crisis This includes, production of videos for social media, photo essays and human-interest stories.
• Write press releases, statements, key messages and Q&As and other related documents on the emergency in Northern Ethiopia.

2. Media relations

• 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 humanitarian efforts in the north of Ethiopia.
• Develop, maintain, and update media relations contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of communicating with media contacts, including press conferences and events, issuing of 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 variety of media materials in multiple, appropriate formats. Ensure or enhance the quality, 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.

3. Networking and partnerships

• Develop, maintain, and update partners contact list/database.
• Help establish, document, review and refine 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 through knowledge sharing.
• Monitor, evaluate and share results and findings with partners.

4. Resource mobilization support

• 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 humanitarian activities and results in support of fund-raising.
• Mobilize resources for fund-raising support by regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in regional offices and headquarters divisions.

5. Donor Communications & Brand

• Develop, manage, and implement donor communication plan to provide donor visibility to demonstrate results for both humanitarian and development programming.
• Work closely with Donor Relations team to develop, meet donor visibility requirements for donor grants.
• Produce multimedia content to provide donor visibility.
• Track donor visibility content and provide inputs on visibility to donor reports.
• Plan for the visibility requirements of donors/UNICEF in relation to the supply/procurement plan for both humanitarian and development contexts.
• Develop specifications for appropriate visibility items such as stickers, stencils, package prints and advice sections/field offices  accordingly.
• Ensure the quality and application of donor/UNICEF visibility according to branding guidelines.
• Follow up with Supply team the procurement of appropriate visibility items.
• Ensure every item procured has appropriate donor/UNICEF visibility before being sent to the field offices or handed over to government and partners.

6. Monitoring and evaluation

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of communication performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, and these communication indicators are incorporated or fed into the response plan.
• 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

• Advise the Chief of Field Offices, 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 communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment, and developing training and orientation material.
• 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…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations, or corporate communications.
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency 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…

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

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