National Communication Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition.

The FAO Country Office in Bangladesh (FABGD) is responsible for leading FAO's response to country priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO's priority activities in the country. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the country and, in collaboration with the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), Divisions, Offices and Centres at FAO Headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO's strategic response to these priorities. Through its Country Programming Framework (CPF), the Country Office supports policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, at country level and facilitates the emergence of country partnerships and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the region.

Project Synopsis
The Diversified Resilient Agriculture for Improved Food and Nutrition Security (RAINS) project is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) and implemented by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), under the overall supervision of Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The Project, focuses on improving food and nutrition security by promoting resilient, diversified agricultural practices among smallholder farmers. RAINS’ outreach is 420,000 beneficiaries located in in 14 districts of Bangladesh. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations provides Technical Assistance (TA) to the Ministry, aiming at supporting the government institutions in achieving the expected results of RAINS.

The position is SC-9.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will be working under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Bangladesh and direct supervision of the Senior Technical Adviser (STA), with technical backstopping from the International Communications Specialist, the incumbent will work to increase visibility and awareness of technical assistance to the RAINS Project (FAO-TA) in Bangladesh. 

Technical Focus

The incumbent will develop and implement key communication strategies and technically support RAINS project management unit (PMU) personnel through the development of communication products aimed at a range of media (print, radio, TV, web, social).

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Develop, maintain and update a communication strategy and workplan, in line with the FAO-TA priorities and the corporate communications strategy of FAO and in alignment with International Fund for Agricultural Development communication guidelines.
•    Research and produce communications materials (in both high-quality English and Bangla) including news releases, human interest stories, newsletter content, brochures, opinion articles, talking points, donor reports, and social media content.
•    Translate and edit texts of a technical nature in order to ensure accuracy, clarity, cohesion and conformity with FAO house-style English, policy and practice.
•    Develop and coordinate production of engaging and informative multimedia products (video and radio) in line with guidelines from the Office of Corporate Communication (OCC).
•    Oversee graphic design solutions including publication templates, visual presentations, pamphlets, info-graphics, icons, and other publication materials that illustrate information and make it legible to different audiences.
•    Take quality photos and commission professional photography according to OCC production guidelines and advance collaboration with OCCM Photo Editor. 
•    In close collaboration with OCC, regional and communications officer colleagues, create content for sharing via existing FAO social media channels that raises visibility with key target audiences.  
•    Set up, organize, and maintain an FAO-TA archive of images and video content. 
•    Organize and archive key project documents.
•    Prepare, edit, and submit key project documents for publishing approval.  
•    Liaise with the procurement team to initiate and oversee procurement of printed and other communications materials.
•    Prepare one-day behavioral change campaign aiming at better nutrition awareness in Bangladesh.
•    Ensure visibility of FAO Bangladesh in the RAINS materials and publications, and provide guidance on the correct use of the FAO logo, in line with corporate guidelines.
•    Organise procurement of communications products. 
•    Perform other duties as required, including for other FAO projects in Bangladesh. 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    Advanced university degree in journalism, communication, public relations, international business / relations, marketing, or related discipline.
•    8 years of relevant experience
•    Working knowledge of 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 people skills – ability to work with a wide range of people from different backgrounds.
•    Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines. 
•    Excellent attention to detail. 
•    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 developing and implementing a communications plan.
•    Experience using social media to promote an organization. 
•    Good photography skills would be an advantage. 
•    Video production experience would be an advantage.
•    Graphic design skills with experience using graphic design programs including Adobe Creative Suite (In-Design, Illustrator, Photoshop) would be an advantage. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION