COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY CONSULTANT

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : [[ Islamabad]]

Duty Station: [[Islamabad]]

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[06 months (22 person days per month)]]

Job Family: Communication and Information

Type of contract : [[Consultancy]]

Duration of contract : [[06 months (22 person days per month)]]

Recruitment open to : [[Internal as well as External]]

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : [[17-May-2024]]

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

BACKGROUND

As a specialized United Nations agency, UNESCO has been working in Pakistan as a long-term strategic partner in support of achieving Pakistan’s national development plans and priorities in the fields of Education, Science, Culture, and Communication and Information. UNESCO’s support to Pakistan is built around the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Pakistan, and its shared purpose ‘Delivering as One’ to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the Government’s priorities. Further details are available on:

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of the assignment is to strengthen the communication, visibility and advocacy of UNESCO Islamabad Office. This is done through the development of a comprehensive communication and advocacy strategy, the accompanying action plan for implementation, and tools/guidelines for implementation for UNESCO Islamabad Office for maximizing visibility, awareness, and impact of interventions across the four programming sectors: Education, Science, Culture, and Communication and Information. The assignment also aims at producing communication and advocacy products for online and offline dissemination, including but not limited to the content for the online platforms, press releases, news briefs, infographics, illustrations, fact sheets, as well as providing inputs for office website, social media, and publications. Furthermore, the assignment is to support capacity development of office personnel in embedding communication and advocacy in the programmatic work, facilitating a harmonized office-wide approach.

Long Description

C. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The consultant’s main duties and responsibilities include:

Conducting a desk review on the relevant UNESCO documents, including the draft strategic note, programme and project documents, reports, evaluations, UNESCO reporting standards, agency-wide communication guidelines, and UNESCO and other agency tools and manuals.

Reviewing current communication and advocacy practices of UNESCO Islamabad Office and identifying areas for improvement related to UNESCO’s branding, communication, and visibility work including publications, website, social media strategies/posts, communication campaigns and sectoral programme visibility. In doing so identifying cross sectoral and sector specific thematic/programmatic priorities in line with UNESCO’s mandate and global programmatic interventions.

Long Description

3.Developing a comprehensive communication and advocacy strategy, outlining including but not limited to context, goals, intended outcomes, guiding principles, target audience and approaches to reach the target audience, timing, suggested means of communication and advocacy, indicators and means of verification for monitoring and evaluation.

4.Developing an integrated action plan for implementation of the communication and advocacy strategy and tools/guidelines for implementation and working out its financial resource requirements.

5. Planning and producing materials for UNESCO Islamabad Office's webpage and social media platforms, including multimedia assets (i.e., static, and animated graphics, short videos), for a variety of communication channels including websites, blogs, e-news, and the media to publicize UNESCO’s results, campaigns, events, and other activities across all four programming sectors particularly in relation to donor funded projects.

Long Description

6. Supporting the planning of visibility activities and ensuring adequate visibility at workshops, training, meetings, public events, etc. Also, supporting the production of publications including editorial direction, quality control, design, production, and distribution, in line with the relevant UNESCO procedures, guidelines and standards.

7. Strengthening capacity of office personnel in communication and advocacy best practices, including media relations, public speaking, and social media engagement to enhance their skills and confidence, by developing training materials and leading sharing sessions with officer personnel.

8. Undertaking any missions/travels in relation to the assignment, as agreed by UNESCO, as and when needed.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

Accountability (C)

Communication (C)

Innovation (C)

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)

Planning and organizing (C)

Results focus (C)

Teamwork (C)

Professionalism (C)

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For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in media studies, arts, business administration and or, public policy, journalism, global media and digital advocacy, public relations, marketing, or any other related field.

Experience

1. Minimum 05 years of relevant professional experience in strategic communications, particularly with donor funded programmes and projects implemented at the national and provincial levels.

2. Demonstrated expertise in content development and managing various social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

3. Proved experience in copywriting and copyediting in English.

Skills and Competencies

Excellent writing, communication and organization skills, good knowledge of visual design and layout development for information materials.

Background knowledge on development issues and/or areas related to the UNESCO’s mandate.

Good understanding of audience analytics, and the ability to adapt strategies in real-time for maximizing impact and reach.

Ability to create compelling narratives that align with organizational objectives and resonate with target audiences.

Good knowledge of visual design and layout development for information materials.

Having positive relationships with journalists, bloggers, and influencers to ensure a brand’s message is communicated accurately and favorably.

Ability to create, distribute, and manage relevant content across various digital platforms to drive brand awareness and stakeholders’ engagement.

Ability to work with diverse teams to develop joint communication and messaging for different platforms by introducing innovative and creative messages.

Hands-on multi-media skills in graphic and visual design, video editing and production, photography and image-processing, and the use of creative tools, such as Adobe Creative Cloud.

Good planning skills, proactivity, creativity and ability to meet established deadlines.

Submission of Proposal

Technical Proposal

Interested individuals are required to submit the following documents/information under the "Employment History Form" to demonstrate their qualifications:

a. Narrative technical proposal

b. Explanation of suitability for the work

c. Brief methodology outlining the approach to undertake the assignment

d. Proposed work plan to undertake the assignment

e. Description of experience in similar projects

f. A few samples of work completed

g. A list of at least 3 professional references

Financial Proposal

The financial proposal must specify a breakdown of daily fees for work and a calculated mission/ travel cost.

Each payment shall be made only after receipt and approval as satisfactory by UNESCO of any deliverable that the consultant is required to submit for payment under the terms of reference.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Accreditation in journalistic associations

Experience

Demonstrated multi-year experience with technical competencies in developing and implementing communication and outreach strategies and programmes for development and private sectors.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview.

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity. UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.