Communications Officer – Job Ref. MZ/UNRC/2104/2529

Overview

Support communications activities to enhance UN’s visibility and effectiveness.

You have:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, digital communications or related field is required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience demonstrating knowledge in strategic communications principles and practices is required.
• Fluency in oral and written English and Portuguese is required.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement communications strategies is desirable.
• Work experience of two (2) years or more in data analytics or related area is desirable.
• Demonstrated skills to communicate complex and technical matters to diverse audiences is desirable.
• Work experience as communication officer in an international or multinational organization is desirable.
• Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Contract

This is a NO-C contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It’s a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 5,185 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

More about NO-C contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator – the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary-General at country level – support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDG’s. The Communications Officer establishes and maintains relationships with management in her/his entity, with other Communications specialists in the organization, managers in other functional areas in the same entity, with the Crisis Management team, when applicable, and with staff to provide and clarify information, provide specific or thematic information, to exchange information, to plan and coordinate communication activities, to provide guidance and discuss communications support to other functional areas, to participate and support in the Crisis Management Team, and to share information with staff, as necessary. The Communications Officer also establishes external relationships with counterparts in United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, government officials, civil society representative and local community representatives, artists, creative content producers, digital/community influencers, social media platforms and other digital media platforms, vendors, media and think tanks, and academia to build partnerships, exchange information and best practices, align messaging, request information on new services and tools, strengthen information integrity, if needed, organize events and outreach activities, and mobilize resources. THIS IS A FIXED TERM LIMITED POSITION. The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordination Office (RCO) in Maputo, Mozambique and reports to the Senior Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and RCO Team Leader.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent, will perform the following duties: 1. Provide insights and analysis from traditional, social, and digital media monitoring, including public narratives and areas of reputational risk to inform communications strategy. 2. Contribute to the development and implementation of communications strategies that raise awareness, drive engagement, build support and have measurable impact with target audiences, including the UN Mozambique Joint Communications and Advocacy Strategy. 3. Draft compelling narratives, human interest stories and messaging on the work of the UN that engage target audiences across different channels and platforms. 4. Conduct mapping, outreach to and foster relationships with traditional and new media outlets. 5. Participate in the development of media lines, including in crisis situations and on sensitive issues. 6. Plan and coordinate press conferences, briefings, media events and other relevant events, in order to ensure these meet UN standards and follow UN banding and visibility guidelines. 7. Act as a spokesperson for the organization, when required. 8. Create compelling content that is optimized to reach target audiences across a range of platforms and channels. 9. Draft and produce communications products, such as press releases, press statements, web stories, reports, and infographics, as well as the RC speeches and Talking Points. 10. Participate in the creation of compelling communications campaigns that engage and have measurable impact with target audiences through appropriate channels and platforms. 11. Participate in the development and delivery of in-person outreach and advocacy strategies and campaigns to engage target audiences and advance UN priorities. Contributes to the UN efforts to combat disinformation and monitor hate speech in the social space and beyond. 12. Create content, conduct interviews and present news and programming for UN and/or community radio channels and podcasts. 13. Contribute to the creation and updating of policy guidance and/or training related to strategic communications, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. 14. Serve as focal point on policy and reporting and prepare inputs for strategic communications in the context of regular reporting to governmental bodies, donors, partners and other relevant stakeholders as applicable. 15. Keep abreast of the latest trends in communications and maintain expertise in relevant and emerging technologies. 16. Maintain confidentiality, integrity, and discreet handling of sensitive information in compliance with the UN data privacy, security requirements, and standards. 17. Monitor, analyze and report on communications approaches, activities and strategies to assess their performance and effectiveness. 18. Collect and analyze data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables, and report using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation, and reporting. 19. Contributes to corporate reports, presentations and papers, as needed, to ensure these are high quality communications products, which apply innovative approaches and visuals in accordance to the expected UN high standards (this includes but is not limited to the UN annual results report, Un Mozambique corporate materials, RC/ RCO presentations, etc) 20. Ensures all UN Mozambique corporate channels are constantly updated and maintain a high-quality standard (including but not limited to the UN Mozambique official website and all social media corporate accounts). 22. Supports the UN Communications Group (UNCG), acting as RCO Focal Point and ensuring the group is active and performing its critical role. 20. Ensures that requirements, background information used for data analysis are documented. 21. Contributes to knowledge sharing and innovations within the RCO team, including in terms of AI use and management. 21. Performs other related tasks as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Skills in developing creative content. Knowledge of digital designs. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. CREATIVITY: Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, digital communications or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience demonstrating Knowledge in strategic communications principles and practices is required. Demonstrated ability to develop and implement communications strategies is desirable. Demonstrated skills to communicate complex and technical matters to diverse audiences is desirable. Work experience of two (2) years or more in data analytics or related area is desirable Work experience as communication officer in an international or multinational organization, in particular as communication adviser of Senior officials is desirable. Work experience in developing communication content and managing social media and digital communication is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English and Portuguese is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ” Knowledge of equals a rating of’ confident” in two of the four areas.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment, such as a written test, which will be followed by a competency-based interview by phone/teleconference or face-to-face.