Duty Station : Panama City, Panama
Classification : Professional Staff, Grade P3
Type of Appointment : Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension
Estimated Start Date : As soon as possible
Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at www.iom.int/diversity.
Applications are welcome from first- and second-tier candidates, particularly qualified female candidates as well as applications from the non-represented member countries of IOM. For all IOM vacancies, applications from qualified and eligible first-tier candidates are considered before those of qualified and eligible second-tier candidates in the selection process.
For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:
Internal candidates
Candidates from the following non-represented member states:
Antigua and Barbuda; Botswana; Cabo Verde; Comoros; Cook Islands; Cuba; Djibouti; Fiji; Gabon; Grenada; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Holy See; Iceland; Kingdom of Eswatini; Kiribati; Lao People's Democratic Republic (the); Latvia; Luxembourg; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Montenegro; Namibia; Nauru; Palau; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; Suriname; The Bahamas; Timor-Leste; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu
Second tier candidates include:
All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states.
Context:
Under the overall supervision of the Director General’s Special Envoy for the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation, the direct supervision of the Head of the Programme Support Unit and in close coordination with the Communications Officer of the Regional Coordination Platform Unit, Program Coordinators and Managers, Chiefs of Mission, and Media and Communications Division (MCD) colleagues, the successful candidate will be accountable and responsible for the overall formulation and implementation of the Office of the Special Envoy (OSE) internal and external Communication.
Core Functions / Responsibilities:
Special Envoy Spokesperson:
Provide timely and accurate advice to the Special Envoy on priorities related to public relations and media.
Develop a set of communication priorities to increase public understanding and awareness of OSE´s work, as related to the strategic objectives and priorities, travel, and public engagements of the Special Envoy.
Organize and prepare press and public information materials, press conferences, press releases, web-related documents, briefing notes, and talking points in support of public engagements of the Special Envoy.
Manage, coordinate, and host press briefings on key issues related to the priorities of the Special Envoy.
Act as spokesperson when required, representing the Special Envoy and OSE in interviews and other media-related activities.
Take a lead role in the preparation of Media Lines to Take for emerging issues on the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation including crisis/emergency communications.
Media and Communications functions:
As part of the Venezuela Regional Team (VRT), update and implement IOM’s public information strategy under the regional response for the Venezuela Situation to prominently position the Organization as a leading humanitarian agency with donors, partners, media agencies and the public.
Manage, update and monitor the impact of external communications on the Venezuela response via IOM’s Content Engine platform while ensuring that the public facing website relating to the Venezuela response is aligned with IOM standards and achieves its full potential as an advocacy tool.
Support the development, rollout and resource mobilization for MCD’s platform to monitor and respond to anti-migrant stigma and disinformation.
In close coordination with the VRT Communications Officer, and with Regional Media and Communications Officers in Buenos Aires and San Jose, and the Media and Communications Division in Headquarters (HQ), write, edit and produce timely public information materials related to the regional response to the Venezuela Situation for IOM’s press briefing notes, global and country website, social media, newsletters and other media channels in clear and concise English and Spanish.
Advise the media focal points and other staff in the country and LAC region related to the Venezuela Response, on media, public information, event management, visibility, media, and communication issues.
Produce content on the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation in the form of human-interest stories from the field, photographs, and video clips for an international audience. Ensure the collection of informed consent for all images and videos collected in the field using MCD’s Community Response mobile toolkit.
Support the development and dissemination of appropriate communications and media resources for affected communities of the regional Venezuela situation, and lead Communications with Communities (CwC) efforts of the VRT.
Establish social media channels for the VRT (ex: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and boost social media presence of VRT through internal content sharing with COs, ROs, HQ, as well as external stakeholders.
Maintain a national media contact database and proactively foster relations with key regional media actors on the regional Venezuela Situation and be available for interviews on print, radio, tv and online.
Support global communications initiatives to engage public audiences, including designated UN international days, IOM perception change campaigns, and the Global Migration Film Festival, coinciding with International Migrants Day.
Provide internally coordinated guidance and talking points to colleagues in the OSE and HQ regarding on-going media requests and interview opportunities about the regional Venezuela response, when necessary.
Ensure data protection for all those interviewed, photographed, or videoed for public media by means of MCD’s Community Response App to capture, store and transmit required informed consent forms digitally.
Ensure that there is appropriate gender awareness in all IOM communications related to the regional Venezuela response.
Develop and strengthen links with international, regional, and local media in the region to promote IOM’s work and reputation in the regional Venezuela response.
Initiate and manage Media & Communications events designed to raise IOM’s visibility in the region and countries with regional Venezuela response programming.
Liaise with media counterparts in governmental and non-governmental partner agencies. Participate in the global, regional, and/or national UN Communications Groups and relevant interagency media and communication working groups (Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform or R4V) to ensure information flow across agencies and to develop complementary media strategies.
Manage regional public information budgets for donor projects and identify priority areas to fulfill visibility requirements.
Manage public information staff working in IOM VRT and guide public information staff working in the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform (R4V), of which IOM has assumed the role of co-lead of coordination efforts. Public information duties, which include both IOM and R4V will be done in close coordination with IOM’s Head of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Unit.
Plan and strengthen management aspects of public information for the regional response to the Venezuela situation, including human resources.
Perform such other duties as may be assigned.
Required Qualifications and Experience:
• Master’s degree in Journalism, Communications, International Relations, Public Information or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience in writing and editing in international journalism and public information;
• Previous work experience in UN agency in communications role is an advantage;
• Previous work experience in Latin America and the Caribbean region is an advantage.
• Familiarity with international organizations, particularly the UN system;
• Demonstrated high competency as a writer, editor, and public speaker in English and Spanish;
• Demonstrated photojournalism skills;
• Knowledge of graphic design, web, social media and video production.
IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.
For this position, fluency in English and Spanish is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Portuguese and/ or French is an advantage.
Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
1
Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).
Required Competencies:
Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:
• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2
• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.
Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2
• Leadership: provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision; assists others to realize and develop their potential.
• Empowering others & building trust: creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Strategic thinking and vision: works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.
https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf
Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.
Other:
Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.
Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates endorsed by the Appointments and Postings Board will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.
The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.
This vacancy is archived.