Job ID: 35981

Practice Area - Job Family: Environment and Energy - COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 31/03/2021

Duty Station: Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Education & Work Experience: G-Bachelor's Level Degree - 7 year(s) experience, I-Master's Level Degree - 5 year(s) experience

Languages: English, Portuguese

French

Grade: SB4

Vacancy Type: Service Contract (SC)

Posting Type: Common System

Bureau: Africa

Contract Duration: 12 months with possibility of renewal based on performance and budget availability

Background

Guinea-Bissau is a small country wedged between the sub-Saharan arid ecosystems and the Guinean moist forest ecoregion. The resulting combination creates majestic terrestrial landscapes and a patchy mosaic of dense and open forests, gallery forests and woodland savannah that are rich in significant plant and animal life and a refuge for many migratory species that move across the West-African savannahs. In addition, it is one of Africa’s richest countries in terms of natural resources endowment. Beyond having great biodiversity, its soil is fertile and hosts a multitude of minerals. Despite this obvious will and the constant efforts of the Government, the sustainable management of the environment, notably the destruction of biodiversity and poor management of natural resources, remain a major challenge. These challenges derive from various causes, including the impacts of climate change and weakness of environmental governance due to low capacities of the State for the effective application of the international conventions and the national laws governing management of the environment and natural resources, risk management, and disaster prevention.

The rich natural endowment of the country has not benefited the population so far. The recurrent structural fragility of the economy has left the population with few meaningful opportunities, especially in rural areas. The population continues to be poor and confined to subsistence activities and informal trade. This situation is a source of discontent amongst the population, a serious threat to the livelihood of households, especially in terms of food and social security, and particularly to women and youth, posing extra strain to an already precarious condition. To build the interest of the population in the affairs of the state, a first step is to restore its confidence through investments in local governance for local economic development to create conditions for the population to benefit from the local economic opportunities and natural resources endowment in a participatory and inclusive approach.

The UNDP Country Office (CO) in Guinea-Bissau, as a key government partner in the area of sustainable development, seeks to reposition itself strategically and realign its human resources to better respond to the new Country Programme Document (CPD) 2022-2026, articulating the need to work in a more integrated and collaborative manner to help Guinea-Bissau address interrelated development challenges and achieve sustainable development goals.

In line with the UNDP Strategic Plan Signature solution 1: Keeping people out of poverty, the programme in Guinea-Bissau will continue flagship programmes including improving rural and urban livelihoods, strengthening gender equality, ensuring access to clean and alternative energy and strengthening financial inclusion, in order to help build resilience to economic, environmental or health shocks. It will also focus on interventions that assist with transitions and structural shifts including economic diversification, redressing widening inequalities including gender inequalities, technology and skills alignment, etc.

The program will also continue in line with the Signature solution 3: Enhance national prevention and recovery capacities for resilient societies, with a focus on the issues of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and mitigation in a vulnerable environment and crisis response. The programme will also respond to UNDP’s Blue SIDS offer and to the Blue Economy initiative.

Under the overall guidance of the Head of the Sustainable Development Unit, the Communication Officer participates in the implementation of the Unit’s partnership and communications strategy, as well as in the design, management, and implementation of the Unit’s communications and publication strategies, with a focus on equipping projects’ teams to communicate, which are geared toward influencing the development agenda, promoting public and media outreach, and mobilizing political and financial support for UNDP as a whole.

The Communications Officer maintains a working relationship with UNDP Guinea-Bissau’s country office communications officer to ensure the Sustainable Development Unit communication is aligned to the corporate strategy and contribute to the CO strategy. The Communication Officer works in close collaboration with the Sustainable Development Unit’s projects’ teams, ensuring that the unit’s communication strategy is aligned with UNDP’s internal and external communication strategy implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions

Establish a internal and external communication strategy for the Sustainable Development Unit that contribute to enhancing the branding of the unit and as a consequence partnership and resource mobilization;

  • Provide advisory to the head of the unit on strategic communictaion on the unit’s results;
  • Act as the communication focal of the sustainable development unit in the CO and contribute to internal and external communication documents;
  • Support the elaboraton and implementation of the projects communication plans;
  • Organize and conduct the communication component of project activities/events for the Sustainable Development Unit, including drafting the background notes, media relations, taking photos, preparing talking points, invitations and press-releases;
  • Organize the internal communication operation by facilitating the estbalishment of relevant tools and guidance for the projects;
  • Produce quality and appropriate information materials for outreach to different audiences (periodical newsletter, social media update, identify and write project success stories and project factsheet);
  • Edit, design and/or cupervise the process of editing and designing all the documents to be shared externally or published by UNDP’s Sustainable Development Unit;
  • Establish a photo and video library for the unit to support documentation of all the events, results etc...;
  • Perform any other duty as requested by Head of Sustainable Unit.

Competencies

Core

Innovation (Ability to make new and useful ideas work) - Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully

Leadership (Ability to persuade others to follow) - Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others

People Management (Ability to improve performance and satisfaction) - Level 4: Models independent thinking and action

Communication (Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform) - Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others

Delivery (Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement) - Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services

Technical/Functional

Primary

Trends and emerging areas analytics (Ability to scan the horizon and identify approaches and initiatives to bring into policy and programme design) - Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Results-Based Management (Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results) - Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Partnerships (Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships) - Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Project Management (Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals t Management) - Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Knowledge Management (Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge) - Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Secondary

Resource Mobilization (Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources (definition is unclear and not well linked to the stated competency) - Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master's degree in marketing, information and communication, journalism or other relevant diploma to the position. Bachelor degree + 7 years of relevant experience can be accepted.

Experience:

  • Minimum 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in Marketing, strategic communication, public relations, communications and/or advocacy.
  • A High level computer literacy (MS-Office and website) and good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems.
  • High literacy in applications such as Photoshop, Adobe In-design and in video editing.
  • Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization is an asset.
  • Very good knowledge of development issues is an asset.
  • Sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of staff and be a team player.
  • Proven ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
  • Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
  • Strong strive for innovative ideas and practices.

Language

Requirements: Proficiency in oral and written in Portuguese and working proficiency in English. Working proficiency in French would be an asset.

Other relevant skills: Design thinking and system thinking desirable.

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment of national personnel or other legally authorized to work in the country.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is commited to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applicantions will be treated in strictest confidence.

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.

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