International Consultant-Communications Associate

Location:  Ethiopia

Organization: UN Women

Job Description

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 supports United Nations Member States in setting international standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to formulate and enforce the laws, policies, programs and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and that they truly benefit women and girls around the world.

UN Women through its Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) engages with the AU and its various organs, the UNECA and civil society organizations, as well as the diplomatic community. Through the office, UN Women provides technical support to Member States and the AU in the adoption, implementation and monitoring of commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), in accordance with its mandate. Furthermore, the UN Women Liaison Office represents UN Women in the UN Liaison Team and facilitates the participation of relevant UN Women Offices including regional offices for East and Southern Africa (ESAR), West and Central Africa (WCAR) and North Africa (ROAS) in the regional policy and advocacy processes to advance the GEWE agenda on the continent.

UN Women through its Liaison Office to the AU and ECA aims at providing technical assistance to the African Union Commission (AUC) through the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to effectively mainstream gender issues in AU and its programs and policy processes. UN Women Liaison Office also collaborates with relevant departments of the AUC for gender-responsive development and implementation of regional initiatives. In addition, the Liaison Office continues to establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with relevant UN agencies, INGOs and CSOs to implement catalytic initiatives in supporting the continental GEWE agenda. In this regard, the Liaison Office carries out knowledge management activities by tracking the implementation of policies as well as identifying and disseminating advocacy messages and good practices to inform decisions and priorities of the AU and its organs. The Liaison Office accordingly endeavors to catalyze the adoption and implementation of gender-responsive regional policies which inform programming, policy and partnerships at different levels in Africa.

The Liaison Office as a full-fledged presence, is guided by a Strategic Note (2022-2025) which defines its key development results and management/operational results. The Strategic Note (SN) is aligned with the global UN Women Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the AU GEWE Strategy (2018-2028), Agenda 2063 and other key GEWE frameworks of Africa as well as global normative frameworks.

To support the implementation of ongoing and upcoming priorities, the Liaison Office proposes to engage a Communication Associate who, as a core member of the Liaison Office programme team, will enhance the office’s engagement in intergovernmental policy processes around gender equality and women empowerment through strategic communication and coordination efforts. The Communication Associate will work in close collaboration with the programme and operations team in UN Women Liaison Office, Regional Offices, and HQs, as well as officials in regional organizations, multi and bi-lateral donors, and civil society organizations to ensure the successful implementation of UN Women Liaison Office initiatives and programmes and help in enhancing visibility, strategic advocacy, improve coordination, effective dissemination, maintain a strong digital presence, and support key events, thereby ensuring the office’s initiatives are widely recognized, supported, and impactful.

Job Summary

The consultant will oversee the communication and visibility activities and provide technical support for the office’s initiatives.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The consultant will perform the following duties:

• Conduct communication needs assessments for UN Women Liaison Office hosted programme areas.
• Design, plan, and implement communication and visibility plans for all initiatives and programs.
• Develop communication and advocacy materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and articles, and coordinate their dissemination.
• Provide advice on advocacy materials and coordinate with the coordination and advocacy focal person.
• Coordinate visibility, communications, and outreach activities with partners, including AUC, UNECA, ITU, UN agencies, and UN Women country offices.
• Work closely with the Communications focal person from the Regional Offices, and HQ for high-impact communications actions.
• Disseminate achievements and ensure visibility of different initiatives and programs.
• Oversee and maintain UN Women Liaison Office websites and intranet page, including developing design and content.
• Track and evaluate communications and visibility campaigns for improvement.
• Write and disseminate press releases, policy briefs, pamphlets, editorials, branded materials, and other written communications materials.
• Support the integration of communication in the program development process.
• Assist in outreach and partnership with media members.
• Sustain digital presence, including managing social media handles.
• Produce quarterly newsletters and other reading briefs in collaboration with the Liaison Office team.
• Undertake any other tasks or responsibilities as delegated by the supervisor.

Deliverables

• Prepare communication needs plans.
• Design and implement communication and visibility plans.
• Manage and update websites and intranet pages.
• Manage social media handles and sustained digital presence for AGCCI and AULO.
• Produce quarterly newsletters.
• Share good practices and lessons learned.
• Provide administrative and operational support to workshops, events and conferences led by UN Women AULO.
• Write and disseminate press releases, policy briefs, pamphlets, editorials, branded materials, and other written communications materials.
• Support the integration of communication in the program development process.
• Assist in outreach and partnership with media members.
• Sustain digital presence, including managing social media handles.
• Produce, design, and disseminate quarterly newsletters, and a joint quarterly newsletter with AUC-WGYD.
• Design, produce, and disseminate AU insights on GEWE in Africa to implementing and development partners.
• Organize AGCCI booths on “Breaking Barriers: Girls Who Code” for a live stakeholder dialogue on advancing digital equity for reparatory justice and gender equality on the sidelines of the STC pre-youth events.
• Support and promote the Youth Connekt Africa event (sharing testimonials and highlights from the previous Youth Connekt).
• Promote the celebration of the 1325 25th anniversary.
• Promote the Pre-STC GEWE and Pre-CSW 70 Consultations.
• Create a concept note for the 16 Days of Activism.
• Coordinate with the AU WGYD, EU, and partners to implement the 16 Days of Activism.
• Ensure the advocacy of the office’s initiatives and policies through the AU Girls’ Summit.
• Ensure the advocacy of the office’s initiatives and policies through Youth Month.
• Lead the implementation of the office’s visibility for the commemorative events from the advocacy calendar.
• Support the communication, advocacy, and visibility of AGCCI by supporting the advocacy campaigns on social media, sharing testimonials from regional events, and guiding the country offices on the AULO developed branding guidelines.
• Procure promotional materials for the office.

Reporting

The Consultant will report to the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the UN Women Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-based consultancy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Good knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment issues
• Good knowledge of UN system and experience working with the AU and understanding of inter-agency coordination processes
• Good knowledge of results-based programme planning and management
• Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets and activities in the UN agencies programmes
• Good analytical skills
• Ability to provide advice and support

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, international relations, gender studies, or relevant social sciences or development 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’ experience in communications, knowledge management, advocacy, coordination, and partnership building on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and human rights.
• Experience of at least 2 years working with the UN system, African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, and CSOs.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing communication strategies, drafting press releases, managing social media content, and producing knowledge products (e.g. briefs, newsletters, human-interest stories).
• Excellent drafting, formulation, content development and reporting skills for diverse audiences and stakeholders.
• Interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural team.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
• Self-motivated, strong organizational skills, and ability to work with tight deadlines.

Language:

• Fluency in English and French is required.

Knowledge of the other UN official working language 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.

 

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