Communication Associate (NPSA7)

Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

To this end, UNCDF, particularly in Mozambique, focusses on the local transformative finance model, which capacitates local entities through supporting fiscal decentralization, innovative local and structured project finance to drive local economic and sustainable development.

This support is facilitated throughout the following, locally owned, country programmes:

• The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) – with the Mozambican Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) as the lead governmental partner – and the Building Local Climate Resilience in Mozambique (MERCIM) – which has the Mozambican Ministry of Land and Environment as the lead governmental partner. Both programmes focus on enabling climate financing and adaptive strengthening. The approach is to integrate climate change adaptation and resilience into local governments’ planning, budgeting, and public financial management.
• Within the Local Development for the Consolidation of Peace in Mozambique Programme (DELPAZ), supporting the Mozambique Peace Process, UNCDF facilitates the Local Governance sub-component. The same approach, of working within existing local government networks, to increase awareness and strengthen local capacities in planning, budgeting and public financial management is applied. In this sub-programme’s case, the focus is given to promoting, dialoguing on, and incorporating peace building, decentralization, the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, civil society, and gender empowerment/responsiveness.

Throughout these country programmes, the awareness, capacities and resilience of local governments and communities are enhanced to effectively respond to country shocks (climatic and conflict-affected) at the local level. All the programmes also have up-scaling opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities

To support the growing UNCDF portfolio in Mozambique, UNCDF Mozambique is seeking to engage a Communications Associate that will be responsible for:

Providing support to Communications services of UNCDF portfolio:

• Provides specialized assistance in the production and delivery of information communications products and services.
• Assists in the electronic dissemination of programmes; prepares, maintains and updates web page and social media accounts, to include drafting and editing content.
• Assists in the organizing and implementing of social media-related campaigns and events, coordinating with diverse partners.
• Reviews draft publications, recommend revisions or changes in approaches, layout, scope and format to ensure high quality standards.
• Edit and proof-read communication and programme/project materials and products.
• Prepare and conduct translations.

Providing support to multimedia production

• Assists in the production and editing of video and film projects, radio programmes, or website and social media projects.

Providing support to partnerships management

• Support engagement with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

 Providing information management support

• Researches a broad scope of information sources, printed and electronic; compile and present information for use in the preparation and production of communications products and services for external audiences.
• Collects and documents data about the impact of UNCDF activities and ensure regular sharing of information with all partners.
• Contributes to the identification, documentation and dissemination of lessons learned from the UNCDF’s interventions.
• Manages updates and further develops internal databases.

Providing event organization support

• Organizes and executes special events and outreach activities, coordinating with diverse partners and the media to highlight and publicize key events.
• Handles administrative coordination in support of events and other programmes.

Target audiences: UNCDF; the programme and project technical assistance teams; Government of Mozambique and the focal Ministries, Provincial Services and local governments associated with the country programmes and projects; implementing partners including civil society, NGOs, public institutions etc.; the donors; UN and other relevant stakeholders including beneficiaries, communities, media and press corps and the wider public.

Copyright: All products, reports and associated materials related to the assignment will be provided to UNCDF and be subject to associated copyrights. The Communications Associate will not use, without prior permission of UNCDF, any of the materials or data produced during the assignment for any other purpose than furnishing UNCDF with an assignment delivery. Any use or reference to the information and data contained within the presented documents and associated materials must be prior clarified and approved by UNCDF and clearly reference UNCDF as the source.

Institutional Arrangement

The Communications Associate will report to the UNCDF representative in Mozambique and will be co-supervised by the UN Communications and Coordination Advisor. The Communications Associate will work closely with the UNCDF team in Maputo and technical assistance teams in the provinces.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Development: Knowledge Generation

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need Business Management: Communications.
• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Business Management: Communications.
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels Communications: Advocacy strategy and implementation.
• Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change Communications: Multimedia production.
•  Ability to create and combine images, text and audiovisuals to produce multimedia content Partnership management: Relationship management.
• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Completion of Secondary Education or Bachelor’s Degree in communications, public relations, advocacy, social sciences or related field is required.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years (Secondary Education) or 4 years (Bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities in the field of communications, public relations, advocacy, social sciences, or related field is required.
• Proven experience in events management and coordination of contributions from different stakeholders.
• Proven experience in writing engaging communications materials.
• Proven experience in preparing briefing notes, speeches, talking points, key messages, and other reporting.
• Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable.
• Excellent computer skills and ability to use software and other relevant applications; design and/ or maintenance of websites will be an asset.
• Proven skills in the development and implementation of communications plans will be desirable.
• Experience working with international organizations, developing country governments, donor agencies and/ or NGOs and other civil society groups involved in various sectors of international development will be asset.

Language Requirement

• Excellent written and oral English and Portuguese are mandatory.

Disclaimer

• Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.