National Communications and Visibility Consultant

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Mozambique focuses its interventions on women’s economic empowerment, participation, and democratic governance, combating violence against women, among others. In this context, it puts a strong focus on girls and young women in the development of high-profit initiatives as a strategy for improved economic empowerment as well as on gender equality and women’s rights at district, provincial and national levels.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Communications Consultant is responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of the Office communications and advocacy strategies to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public.

The Communications and Visibility Consultant works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations and technical teams in the CO and Regional Communications teams, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

1.    Plan and design communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans
•     Conduct communication needs assessments for the country office, projects, programmes, and corporate change initiatives, and synthesize findings into strategic proposals with a strong gender perspective.
•     Integrate communication, advocacy, and outreach strategies into project and programme proposals, corporate initiatives, and campaigns to strengthen visibility, coherence, and impact.
•     Monitor and analyze media and public discourse on gender, including print and social media, and prepare analytical reports to inform strategic decision-making and positioning of UN Women.
•     Coordinate and advise on communications implementation, including leading in-country UN Women and UN system campaigns and special events, and providing strategic communications guidance to the country office.

2.    Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of advocacy materials in the country.
•     Develop and produce communication materials, including briefing materials, press releases, newsletters and drafts of articles, and manage their dissemination
•     Identify and propose information opportunities, activities, approaches and platforms and partners to enhance CO visibility.
•     Promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives, publications, and campaigns.
•     Manage the translation/adaption/rewriting of information received, printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials following guidelines from HQ and RO.

3.    Coordinate media relations for the Country Office
•     Manage relationships with press in country; maintain and update database of relevant press.
•     Respond to a variety of inquiries and information requests; prepare related correspondence.
•     Organize roundtable discussions, press conferences, and briefing sessions for press, as required and support with draft talking points as needed.

4.    Build and maintain partnerships and relations with donors and stakeholders.
•     Identify and develop new communication partnerships and alliances to enhance visibility.
•     Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, development partners and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors.
•     Provide inputs to packages for programme initiatives for donor review.
•     Organize in collaboration with programme team, Gender Cafes to nurture partnerships with various stakeholders.

5.    Maintain the Country Office web/ online presence
•     Manage and maintain UN Women CO digital platforms, including the website, knowledge management systems, and social media accounts in compliance with corporate policies and standards.
•     Develop, and publish high-quality social media content, including posts, captions, videos, and infographics, to enhance visibility, engagement, and brand consistency of UN Women’s communications.
•     Support programme teams with timely communications inputs, ensuring strategic planning, coordinated dissemination, and effective promotion of UN Women programmes, interventions, and campaigns.
•     Monitor, analyze, and report on social media performance, including campaign analytics, data collection, and results reporting to inform continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
•     Contribute to coordination and knowledge-sharing efforts, including participation in regional and global communications meetings and alignment with corporate and inter-office communication priorities.

6.    Facilitate knowledge building and sharing
•     Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme goals and activities.
•     Produce regular Newsletters on CO achievements.
•     Collaborate with the UN Women Communication Network for quick tracking of available knowledge resources on different topics, especially the normative for programming purposes and sharing with UN Women Counterparts.
•     Attend global and regional Communications CoPs as necessary.
•     Provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is an office-based consultancy. 
 

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

•     Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies 
•     Good knowledge of web-based knowledge management systems 
•     Good understanding of production, graphic design and photography standards 
•     Good knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach 
•     Good knowledge of local media landscape 
•     Good communication, presentation, networking and advocacy skills 
•     Ability to be strategic and analytical 
•     Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable
 

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:
•     Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field is required 
•     A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:
•     At least 2 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy; 
•     Experience in media relations is an asset;
•     Experience in the use of social media

Languages:
•     Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.
•     Knowledge of any other UN official is an asset.
 

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.