International Consultancy: Media and Communication for the Eastern and Southern Africa regional office, South Africa.

International Consultancy: Media and Communication for the Eastern and Southern Africa regional office, South Africa.

Duty Station:                                               Remote, supporting East and Southern Africa Regional Office

Duration of the contract and timeline:   1 June 2022 to 30 November 2022 (This assignment is for 6 months)    

Deadline for applications:                        25 Apr 2022 05:00 PM (America/New York)

Background

 UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end the unmet need for family planning, and end gender-based violence and harmful practices, and in East and Southern Africa, we strive to use innovation as an accelerator to End harmful practices and GBV.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction. 

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in program results. 

The Communications & Media Consultant will provide support for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of communications activities for the ESARO Gender and innovation units, with a focus on the joint program on FGM and Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme, in particular the INNOHACK project.

S/He will support the communication needs of the regional Advisors working on gender, innovation, and the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (FGM stream) work, in partnership with the communication advisers of the UNFPA Regional Office and Country Offices to document key accomplishments on Gender, FGM, Innovation and related activities and GBV, represent UNFPA in relevant interagency communication forums, as agreed to in partnership with the Regional Communications Adviser, and ensure that the work of UNFPA ESARO and the gender and innovation programs are highlighted in international, regional and national conferences and workshops. The Communications and media consultant will work under the direction of the Gender Regional Programme Specialist in close collaboration with the Regional the Innovation Specialist and Communications Adviser.

Reporting Arrangements

The consultant will contractually work under the supervision of the Regional Gender Programme Specialist and the Innovation Specialist for East and Southern Africa, in close cooperation with the Regional Communications Adviser.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:            

The consultant will deliver the products and activities as required within the timeframe set for each output. Files will be delivered electronically prior to the end of the contract.

Monitoring and progress control:The selected consultant will be required to work closely with the Regional Communications Adviser and technical teams when producing requested outputs.

Expected travel:                     

The consultant will be expected to undertake periodic travel, taking into consideration limitations owing to COVID-19.

General Objective

The  Communications & Media Consultant will assist UNFPA ESARO in (1) development and production of multimedia content to increase media reach and visibility effectiveness; (2) taking overall responsibility for planning, managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on all internal and external communication activities, advocacy, knowledge management and information dissemination in relation to gender, FGM, Innovation, and GBV, working in partnership with the relevant regional and global Advisors of UNFPA and regional partners.

Roles and responsibilities:

●      Develop, implement, monitor, and report on communication activities to highlight the work of UNFPA on Gender and FGM Innovation activities, in partnership with the relevant regional Specialists and colleagues working in the Gender and Innovation Units.

●      Represent UNFPA and participate in the Communication Working Group of the FGM Innovation activities and support the communications Adviser to implement a Joint Communications Strategy for the Gender and Innovation Programmes.

●      Develop and/or contribute to talking points, briefing notes, and press releases for senior policy and decision-makers on key issues relating to Gender, FGM, and GBV.

●      Monitor a strategy to work with key influencers and stakeholders in the region to advocate for Gender-related issues, specifically GBV and FGM. 

●      Work with the participating partners and country offices to collate information, write, edit, design, and disseminate quarterly newsletters, human interest stories, best and promising practices, and content for UNFPA and partners’ digital platforms.

●      Provide support for the convening of regional meetings to facilitate the dissemination and exchange of lessons learnt and promising practices.

●      Lead the design, layout, printing, and dissemination of marketing materials, publications, and research (print and digital).

●      Produce consumer-friendly versions of publications and research using a mix of data visualization techniques (e.g. development of innovative infographics).

●      Support efforts to engage media networks to build their capacity on key issues relating to gender, innovation and SRHR in the region, and promote regular and appropriate reporting on Gender and Innovation related issues.

●      Develop a social media and digital strategy to ensure communications coverage of Gender and Innovation.

●      Develop social media content tailored to achieving the objectives of the gender and innovation programs.

●      Implement, monitor, and report on periodic social media campaigns to increase awareness of GBV, Innovation for FGM, and other harmful practices.

●      Establish and maintain internal regional information-sharing platforms for sharing publications and information tools and resources.

●      Ensure that all materials are appropriately branded and conform to the visual identity as required.

●      Host webinars and other virtual dialogue sessions to interact with young people on innovation and gender-related topics, including FGM draft written materials, blogs, press releases, etc, for internal and external news media.

●      Propose and implement innovative communication activities to support the achievement of the objectives of the programs.

●      Produce and develop basic video content and material.

Key Deliverables

•     Increased visibility of the work of the FGM Innovation HackLab and related activities of UNFPA ESARO on Gender Equity, and GBV in East and Southern Africa. Deliverables may include: communication and social media products developed and related actions (including press releases, human interest stories, social media materials, announcements, monthly social media analytics, messages, etc).

•     Increased visibility and improved design of social and other media content related to the activities of the gender and innovation teams.

•      Carry out any other dues as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience needed

Education

A University degree in communications, multimedia, digital media, journalism, marketing, health education/promotion, public health, social sciences, or other fields directly related to the substantive areas of this position is required.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in communication and/or multimedia or similar work experience with government, UN, or NGOs on issues related to SRHR, health education, adolescent health, or related areas;
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining social media accounts, especially Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as experience with new media executions, preferably with a development organization; knowledge and understanding of the local and global digital landscape and trends;
• Strong advocacy and networking skills, with the ability to liaise with and engage government, UN agencies, CSOs, media, and other stakeholders in a professional and friendly manner;
• Strong skills in social media content creation, videography, video editing, designing, and photography;
• Strong communication skills and proven experience with the use of social media and other channels for effective advocacy, knowledge sharing, and campaigning;
• Experience in the use of ICTs to support networking across countries;
• Experience in developing and producing video content, including basic editing;
• Experience in photography and web design;
• Experience in working on gender and communication.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French, is desirable.

 

How to apply:

Interested applicants should send a short letter of motivation and a detailed CV with the subject clearly stated "Application for Communications & Social Media Consultancy" to jobs.esaro@unfpa.org . CV should highlight relevant experience in delivering similar work with relevant links.