Communication and Advocacy Specialist

This position for Yemen Country office and will be based in Amman, Jordan.

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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.

Background

Yemen is a low-income country and the poorest in the Middle East and North Africa region, with a population of approximately 35.2 million people. The Human Development Index of Yemen in 2022 was 0.424, putting the country in the low human development category and positioning it 186th out of 193 countries and territories. It has been projected that if the conflict continues to 2030, human development in Yemen will be reversed by 40 years. Yemen ranks 155th of 156 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, 2021, of the World Economic Forum, representing vast gender disparities. 

Yemen is suffering one of the largest humanitarian and development crises in the world. About 18.2 million people need humanitarian assistance, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. Over 4.5 million people have been displaced, the majority of which are women and children. Livelihoods of over half of the population were eroded, the social fabric shredded, and institutional resilience weakened. Critical infrastructure – water and sanitation, education, health, telecommunications and transportation – has been damaged or destroyed, adversely affecting public service delivery. 

Because of the complex nature of the political situation between the north and the south, and all parties to the conflict, the need for clear and effective communication is extremely important to convey information to Yemenis, donors and stakeholders – among others.

To help effectively convey the messaging and the work of the Country Office, UNDP Yemen is seeking a qualified Communications Specialist (Communications and Advocacy Team Lead) to lead the Communications Team.

Position Purpose

The role of the Country Office Communications and Advocacy Specialist is to adopt UNDP’s global communication strategy to a local context and the Country Office development priorities. Through the production of high-quality communication materials and innovative use of relevantly targeted communication channels, the communications team works collaboratively to position UNDP as a leader in the development arena, promote visibility of UNDP programme outcomes/development results, mobilize support for Sustainable Development Goals in the country, and practice delivery as one UN. 

Under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative, the Communications and Advocacy Specialist will lead the Country Office communication and advocacy team as well as communication staff in projects to help successfully advocate for their work within Yemen, as well as helping to position the Country Office as a thought leader in the country, region and internationally. 

The Communications and Advocacy Specialistworks in close collaboration with the Country Office programme, operations, and project teams, staff of other UN Agencies, UNDP communications staff in the region and HQ, media, subject matter experts, donors, and civil society to ensure successful implementation of UNDP’s communication and advocacy strategy. UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
 

Key Duties & Responsibilities 

1.)  Develop and implement internal/external communication strategies and outreach for the Country Office. 

• Plan and elaborate communication strategies for the country office (projects, country programme and corporate change initiatives).
• Lead the communication programme in the country office and work closely with country office senior management to ensure communication strategies support achievement of CPD targets. Develop a yearly communications and advocacy strategy in line with the overarching Country Office strategic direction. 
• Provide constructive and timely advice on inclusion of communications components in programme and project formulations to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of UNDP’s development programmes. 
• Promote and facilitate increased coverage and understanding of the UNDP’s work in the country or practice area through local and global media stories as guided by the UNDP External Communications Action Plan.
   

2.)   Elaborate and implement the country office publications strategy and plan to position UNDP Yemen as a thought leader.  

• Identify and develop storylines for publications and substantive articles that contribute to and generate conversations on key development issues. 
• Work with the programme teams to ensure all knowledge products are captured, updated, readily available and in the right order, as and when necessary.
• Coordinate and manage all CO publication activities, including launch events and content management in line with corporate guidelines.
• Liaison with partners and other communication counterparts for better UNDP visibility.
   

3.) Lead UNDP digital communications in the country office for wider reach through social media, web site, and CO web-based knowledge management system.

• Maintain close contact with the global web management team to ensure the design of the country office’s website is in line with corporate requirements. 
• Supervise the addition of content for different digital platforms that includes the country office website and social media to ensure consistency of materials. 
• Monitor public engagement on different social media platforms. 
• Ensure UNDP Yemen’s professional digital footprint for website and social media with a view to increase readership and interaction with the Yemeni population.
   

4.)  Lead the Country Office communications team and provide oversight to project communications staff.  

• Establish and lead a coordination forum and content management system for all UNDP Yemen communications staff to participate in.
• Advise on and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to UNDP Yemen communications activities. 
• Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff on internal and external communications. 
• Advise senior management on issues and opportunities related to communications, as they relate to the Country Office and projects and programmes.  
   

5.)  Lead the effort of country office’s knowledge management and dissemination.

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities.
• Provide substantive and sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice including corporate communications repositories.
• Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff on internal and external knowledge management.
• Oversee maintenance of UNDP’s Intranet on country office activities for internal knowledge sharing, and the sharing of relevant knowledge products with external stakeholders through the corporate website.
• Work with the Programme teams to ensure all knowledge products are captured, updated, readily available and in the right order, as and when necessary.

Additional tasks:

• Manages the communication budget on a day-to-day basis
• Occasional travel and support may be required to the UNDP Yemen Country Office

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Provide supervision and performance management of Country Office communications staff. 
 

Competencies

• Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results 

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

• Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Direction Strategy & Systems Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management-Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

Business Management & Communication: 

• 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
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels

General (across the functions) & Event planning/Execution:  Ability to plan, manage and execute public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP's overall brand and mandate.

Communications, Advocacy Strategy & Implementation: Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change

Communications, Brand & Quality Management: Ability to position a UNDP brand and uphold it to a high level of quality

Communications & Campaign Management: Ability to produce and implement communications and advocacy campaigns which lead to impactful change.

Education

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Communication, Journalism, International Relations, Public Administration, or related field is required, or  
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree. 
   

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the national or international level in public relations, advocacy, or communications is required. 
• Previous experience with multilateral or international organizations is an asset.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP is required. 
• Demonstrated experience and successful mgt and knowledge of communication, branding, social media, PR and advocacy in various country contexts, at project and policy level is an asset. 
• Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization (including UN and WB and others) is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience and successful management and knowledge of communication, branding, social media, PR and advocacy in various country contexts, at project and policy level is an asset. 

Language

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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