JOB TITLE: Emergency Communication Specialist
JOB LEVEL: Level 3
REPORTS TO: Emergency coordinator
LOCATION: Country Office, Yaounde, Cameroon
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The incumbent will support the implementation of the Communication, Advocacy, Participation and Partnership Work Plan with the objective of promoting awareness, understanding, support and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF's mission, priorities and programs in Cameroon and at regional and global levels.
KEY END-RESULTS
1. Emergency communication strategy: A communication strategy and work plan to raise the profile of children/women and children/women’s issues in the complex humanitarian crisis (Far North and Central African Republic crises) is implemented and regularly updated in accordance with the evolution of the humanitarian situation.
2. Special event: Briefing materials as necessary for official visits, senior management, media, donors, etc. are produced.
3. Media relations: The Country Office has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of journalists and media outlets covering all media – print, TV, radio, web, photo etc. – and a successful process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to communicate on UNICEF’s emergency programs.
4. Resource mobilization and visibility support: Country level fund-raising activities are supported by effective advocacy and communication strategy and activities.
5. Capacity building and support: The management, coordination and program teams at the country office are provided with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of external relations communication as required.
6. Monitoring and evaluation: Communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the emergency communication strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of communication strategy and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared.
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 end results.
- Emergency communication strategy
Ensure that the Country Office has a clear communication strategy and associated work plan to support the country emergency programme objectives and get children and women’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 emergency advocacy and communication strategy and 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.
- Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.
- Special events
Ensure that the Country Office engaged and support UNICEF’s effort and who actively participate in special events and activities that support country programme goals.
Duties & Tasks
- 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, programme summaries, country fact sheets and media kits), and necessary logistic arrangements. Highlight the achievements of the country programme. Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.
· Coordinate with UNICEF program colleagues, field offices and partners for the collection of visibility/communication materials from the field
· Media relations
Ensure that the Country Office 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 on UNICEF's emergency programs to a wider audience.
Duties & Tasks (in association with the External communication department)
· Promote a better understanding of respect and support for children's and women's rights in emergency situations and issues by carrying out media, information and education activities in support of UNICEF assisted humanitarian programmes in the country.
· 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, humanitarian community, 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.
- Maintain close collaboration with Regional Communication Advisers and HQ Communication Officers for effective overall coordination.
· Resource mobilization and visibility support
Ensure that country level fund-raising activities are supported by effective advocacy and communication strategy and activities.
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 programme activities and results in support of fund-raising.
- Support fund-raising by regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in country office and at the regional office, by ensuring field visibility of UNICEF and making communication materials.
- Support efforts for timely Cameroon Country Office reports such as Cameroon sitreps, weekly updates, snapshots and donor related materials.
- Contribute the regular updates to UNICEF Icon, other internal communication platforms, website and social media platforms.
- Write and edit human interest stories and produce/or coordinate the production of materials (text stories, photo essays, video stories, social media inputs) on the situation of children/women and UNICEF programs.
- Represent UNICEF at the humanitarian inter agency communication task force
· Capacity building and support
Ensure that the management, coordination team and the country programme 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 country communication team, media and other relevant partners.
Duties & Tasks
- Advise UNICEF management, the emergency coordination and colleagues on media strategy and implications for action and policies proposed.
· Support the management, the emergency coordinator and program colleagues in defining the best UNICEF positioning towards children/women’s issues in regards to their rights and in accordance with the “do not harm” principle
· Support the elaboration of internal and external documents on UNICEF’s positioning and strategies
- Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the country team. Enable appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment, and developing training and orientation material.
· 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.
- 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.
JOB GRADE FACTORS
Level: P3
- Report to the Emergency coordination.
- Accountable for the emergency communication strategy, programme formulation, design, planning and implementation, based on rights and results-based management approach focussed on achieving UNICEF's communication priorities as established by the country office and supportive of the UN Country Team.
- Works closely with the Representative, the emergency coordination and the external communication department especially with regards to relationship with mass media and senior government officials, and develop external relations strategy. Manages media relations as per established strategies and campaigns.
- Provide feasible and effective recommendations on communication implementation, alternative approaches, and optimal utilization of resources that contribute effectively to the awareness, advocacy and promotion of the rights of children and women.
- Establish communication work plan, monitor compliance and provide training, support and guidance to communication team and human resources management in the area of communication
- Ensure timely and effective technical decision making on situation analysis, communication strategy, planning, implementation and evaluation.
QUALIFICATION and COMPETENCIES
- Education
§ Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.
(Or an undergraduate degree plus at least 12 years of demonstrated professional experience in the field of journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations or corporate communications.)
- Work Experience
§ Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.
§ International and national work experience
§ Background/familiarity with Emergency situations.
- Language Proficiency
Fluency in French and English
- Competency Profile (For details on competencies please refer to the UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles.)
iii) Core Values (Required)
§ Commitment • Diversity and Inclusion • Integrity
iv) Core Competencies (Required)
§ Communication • Working with People • Drive for Results
v) Functional Competencies (Required)
§ Formulating Strategies and Concepts
§ Relating and Networking
§ Persuading and Influencing
§ Applying Technical Expertise
§ Entrepreneurial Thinking
iii) Technical Knowledge
a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required
Specific, detailed and up-to-date knowledge of:
§ Executive Directives
§ UN/UNICEF Policy Papers
§ UNICEF program policy, procedures and guidelines.
§ Rights-based and Results-based approach and programming in UNICEF
§ General administrative and financial guidelines.
§ UNICEF communication and other DOC guidelines
§ Communication toolkit
§ Brand Toolkit and Brand Book
§ UNICEF Stylebook
§ Ethical Guidelines on Reporting on Children
b) Common Technical Knowledge Required
§ Communication management.
§ Knowledge of theories and practices in communication research planning and strategy.
§ Fundamentals for working in various media formats – print, audio, video, web etc.
§ Excellent skills in Microsoft Office and good knowledge of interactive digital media.
§ Global human rights issues, specifically relating to children and women.
§ UNICEF communication goals, policies, guidelines and strategies.
§ UNICEF policies and strategy to address national and international issues.
§ UNICEF emergency communication policies, goals, strategies.
§ Gender equality and diversity awareness
Information Management knowledge is an asset
HOW TO APPLY:
Deadline for receiving applications is ten days. Completed files (CV, P11, (to be collected to UNICEF
Offices) diplomas, references etc.) to be sent to yaoundehr@unicef.org inyemb@unicef.org
