UN Women: Communications and Advocacy Officer, Colombo, Sri Lanka, N-PPSA-8, National Partner Personnel Service Agreement

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. 

The UN Women Sri Lanka office is aligned to the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. It focuses on six priority areas: increasing women’s leadership and participation; ending violence against women; engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes; enhancing women’s economic empowerment; making gender equality central to national development planning and budgeting; and supporting inter-governmental processes, such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and CEDAW review processes.

 Reporting to the Head of Office, the Communications and Advocacy Officer 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 Officer works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations and technical teams in the SL PPO, HQ/Regional communications teams, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.Plan and design communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans

• Prepare and conduct communication needs assessments for the Sri Lanka Programme Presence Office, including projects, programmes and corporate change initiatives;
• Analyze requirements and synthesize proposals for elaboration of communication strategies; ensure gender perspective;
• Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives;
• Monitor and analyze print and social media and draft reports;
• Coordinate in-country UN Women/ UN system corporate and local campaigns and special events;
• Represent UN Women in the UN Communications Group and support the development and implementation of joint UN advocacy initiatives on GEWE.

2. Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of advocacy materials in the country

• Develop and produce communication instruments and materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and drafts of articles, and manage its dissemination;
• Identify and propose information opportunities, activities, approaches and platforms and partners;
• 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;
• Follow guidelines from HQ and RO.

3. Coordinate media relations for the Sri Lanka Programme Presence 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;
• Draft talking points.

4. Build and maintain partnerships and maintain relations with donors

• Identify and develop new communication partnerships and alliances to enhance visibility;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors;
• Provide inputs to packages for programme initiatives for donor review.

5. Maintain the Programme Presence Office’s web/ online presence 

• Develop content for RO website (such as human-interest stories, photo essays etc.), including innovative platforms/tools; 
• Support the management of dedicated websites developed for the NAP on WPS and the G7+ Working Group on WPS;
• Develop content for RO’s social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy;
• Coordinate with the RCO to amplify UN Women content (global, regional and local, as required) on UN Sri Lanka website and social media platforms;
• Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, and resources.

6. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
• Provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate

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

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

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 Core Values and Competencies: 

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Good knowledge of web-based knowledge management systems
• Strong understanding and skills in production, graphic design and photography standards
• Good knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Good knowledge of local country media landscape
• Excellent communication, presentation, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to be strategic and analytical
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable
• Ability to work within a diverse team as well as carry out tasks independently;
• Strong planning and organizing skills with ability to identify priority activities and assignments and to use time efficiently;
• Strong problem-solving skills;
• Ability to take decisions and manage political/cultural sensitivities;
• Proficient IT skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• 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 1 year of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy;
• Experience in the use of social media;
• Experience in high-quality content development;
• Experience in developing and rolling out of advocacy campaigns;
• Experience in media relations is an asset;
• Experience in graphic design (Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop or other relevant software) is an advantage;
• Familiarity with the UN system and UN Women’s advocacy on GEWE is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Sinhala/Tamil is required;
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish.