Communication Specialist

Job Title: Communication Specialist

Organization: UNICEF

Job no: 564133
Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment
Duty Station: Abuja
Level: NO-3
Location: Nigeria
Categories: Communication

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up. 

For every child, an advocate

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/. 

Organizational Context and Purpose for the Job

 The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. 

• UNICEF's mission is to promote the rights of every child. In Nigeria, considering the country's challenges related to poverty, conflict, poor infrastructure, and socio-political issues, the objectives include:

• Promoting access to quality education, especially for girls and children in disadvantaged regions.
• Improving child and maternal health by facilitating access to necessary medical services and promoting good health practices.
• Supporting the Nigerian government's efforts in improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, and practices, thereby reducing disease transmission.
• Advocating for and working towards the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.
• Alleviating the effects of poverty and malnutrition through policy advocacy and programmatic interventions.

•  The Communication Specialist's section plays a pivotal role in achieving UNICEF's objectives in the following ways:

• Advocacy and Public Awareness: The CAP section along with the Communication Specialist is responsible for creating effective communication strategies that highlight the issues UNICEF is addressing. This involves raising public awareness, influencing policy and decision-makers, and rallying support from donors, partners, and the public.
• Strategic Communication: The section ensures that UNICEF's mission, values, and objectives are effectively communicated to the relevant stakeholders. They develop messaging and content that resonate with diverse audiences, including the government, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the public.
• Media Relations: The role involves fostering positive relations with the media to ensure that UNICEF's work and impact are accurately represented. This may involve organizing press conferences, giving interviews, and responding to media inquiries.
• Crisis Communication: In times of crisis or emergency, the Communication Specialist's section is responsible for clear, timely, and accurate information dissemination. They manage communication risks and opportunities, providing updates to the public and other stakeholders and guiding the narrative around the crisis response.

Purpose for the job:

Accountable for developing, managing, coordinating, networking, implementing and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on an on-going basis with public audiences, with the objective of promoting awareness, understanding, support and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF's mission, priorities and programmes in the country office/regional office/media hub, and at a global level and those of the UN Country Team. 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Communication strategy: The Regional/Country Office or Media Hub has a clear communication strategy and associated work plan to get children’s issues into the public domain, strengthen political will in support of UNICEF's mission and objectives, and enhance the organization’s credibility and brand.

• Media relations: The Regional/Country Office or Media Hub has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of journalists and media outlets covering all media – print, TV, radio, web, photo etc. – and a successful process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to communicate the story of UNICEF's cooperation.

• Networking and partnerships: The Regional/Country Office or Media Hub has a well-maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the advocacy and communication objectives. Effective working relationships with the UN Country Team and UN communication counterparts are developed, maintained and enhanced.

• Celebrities and special events: The Regional/Country Office or Media Hub has a well-maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate, nationally-known personalities who have been identified, engaged and support UNICEF’s effort and who actively participate in special events and activities.

• Global priorities and campaigns: The Regional/Country Office or Media Hub has an effective process in place for integrating and taking action on UNICEF’s global communications priorities, campaigns and partnerships, disseminating these elements in a locally-appropriate way.

• Resource mobilization support; Global and country-level fund-raising activities are supported by effective advocacy and communication strategy and activities.

• Management: Human resources (the communication team) and financial resources (budget planning, management and monitoring)  are both effectively managed and optimally used. 

• Monitoring and evaluation: Communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the communication strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of communication strategy and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared.

• Capacity building and support: The Representative/Senior or Regional Communication Specialist and the country programme team are provided with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of external relations communication as required.                                                                                                                                                              To view the full job description, please refer to the attached  Vacancy Announcement - Communication Specialist, NOC, FT, Abuja.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have…

Education:

Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, and Public Relations.

(A first University combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree in the field of journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations, or corporate communications.)

Experience:

 Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.

Fieldwork experience is an asset.

Background/familiarity with Emergency situations is an asset.

Language Requirements:

 Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA). 

• The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...
• Builds and maintains partnerships (II)
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (II)
• Drive to achieve results (II)
• Innovates and embraces change (II)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (II)
• Thinks and acts strategically (II)
• Works collaboratively with others (II)
• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (II)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

Advertised: 17 Jul 2023 W. Central Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 31 Jul 2023 W. Central Africa Standard Time

APPLY NOW