National Communication Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO Bangladesh assists the Government of Bangladesh to formulate policies, programmes and projects to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and utilize environmental and natural resources in a sustainable way. It contributes to the development of FAO’s field programme/projects in the country and implements them in the sectors of food security, agriculture and rural development.

Reporting Lines

The National Communication Specialist is a SC-9 position and will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in Bangladesh, technical guidance of the RAP Communication Officer and direct supervision of the Deputy FAOR. The incumbent will be working in close consultation with the A-FAOR (programme) A-FAOR (administration), project Team Leaders/coordinators in close collaboration with other communications personnel and staff engaged in other projects. 

Technical Focus

The National Communication Specialist will work as part of a multidisciplinary team on a day to-day with the overall aim of developing and rolling out a comprehensive communications and visibility strategy for the FAO country office and its projects and funds in Bangladesh. 

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Design, implement and monitor FAOBD communications strategy and related work plans in support of the Country Programming Framework (CPF) ensuring alignment with FAO regional and global priorities.
•    Oversee and coordinate communication and visibility initiatives of FAO Representation in Bangladesh, including media engagement, project specific communication, preparation of talking points, press releases and briefing notes, liaison with the Office of Communications (OCC) and RAP Regional Communication Officer, etc. 
•    Technically support and build capacity of project specific communication specialists/assistants 
•    Research and produce high quality communication materials (in both high-quality English and Bangla) to support visibility needs including news releases, human interest stories, newsletter content, brochures, opinion articles, talking points, briefing notes, donor reports, and social media content for the FAO Bangladesh projects/programme as required.
•    Support documentation and dissemination to wider audience of the results achieved through the FAO’s projects 
•    Ensure language-editing of technical reports, policy briefs, talking points and briefing notes are done in a timely manner.
•    Design and organize capacity building activities for FAO Bangladesh staff in media relations, social media and strategic communication; and encourage utilization of social media channels for effective messaging; and ensure sustainability of communications initiatives.
•    Manage the FAO Bangladesh website; guest columns and social media messages; and monitor media coverage of FAO Bangladesh activities
•    Maintain contacts with key information units in the government and UN systems as well as development partners.
•    Arrange interviews and/or press conferences and support FAOR in identifying relevant experts to answer media queries and participate in interviews.
•    Select and propose quality photos and videos for inclusion in the FAO corporate photo database; and liaise with the FAO Regional Office and HQ on the coverage of global events.
•    Establish and manage a contact list of national and international media (journalists and broadcasters) in Dhaka.
•    Undertake field missions to take national/international media to project sites identified by the FAOR and CTAs as very visual and interesting stories for sharing with stakeholder and the world at large capturing the value FAO is supporting the government to attain the SDGs.
•    Liaise with the Office of Communication (OCC), either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes. 
•    Develop and coordinate production of engaging and informative multimedia products (video and radio) in line with guidelines from the Office of Corporate Communication (OCC).
•    Represent FAO at the country UN Communications Group and ensure that FAO’s priorities are reflected
•    Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section
•    Perform other communications-related duties as required.

All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf); 
FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm; 
FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en;   
Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf;
Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf;
UN map standards (available to staff);
FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff).
Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Post graduate degree in journalism, communication, public relations or related discipline from an internationally recognized university or other institutions of higher education.
•    A minimum of eight (08) years of experiences in media relations and communications in UN, international organization, non-governmental organization or industry or alternatively, media in Bangladesh is required.
•    Strong speaking and writing ability in English and Bengali. 
•    National of Bangladesh

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Excellent writing and editing ability in English and Bangla. 
•    Excellent people skills – ability to work with a wide range of people from different backgrounds.
•    Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines. 
•    Ability to explain complex information in a clear and concise way. 
•    Adapt writing style to different audiences.
•    Able to come up with creative communication ideas and solutions. 
•    Strong sense of visual presentation – the candidate needs to be able to present information so that it is clear and visually appealing.
•    Experience in developing and implementing a communications plan.
•    Experience in using social media to promote an organization. 
•    Have good photography skills.
•    Have video production experience. 
•    Have graphic design skills with experience using graphic design programs including Adobe Creative Suite (In-Design, Illustrator, Photoshop).
•    Proficient in computer skills - Microsoft Office software, email, internet, spread sheets.
•    Have good diagnostic and decision-making skills.
•    Experience in survey designs questionnaire development.
•    Strong skills in staff management and capacity development.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION