Chief of Branch, Strategic Communications

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Strategic Communications Branch, Office of the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, which is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principles humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions. The Strategic Communications Branch (SCB) is responsible for OCHA's public communications, including media relations, public campaigns and communication products. This position is based in New York and will report directly to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG / ERC).

Responsibilities

Within the delegated authority, the Chief of the Strategic Communications Branch will be responsible for:

• Leads, supervises and coordinates the work programme of the different sections under OCHA’s Strategic Communications Branch; including programmatic and/or administrative tasks; manage staff and foster teamwork and coordinates communications and public information activities with other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system;
• Provides substantive guidance to OCHA’s USG/ERC, Deputy ERC and senior leadership on strategic communications issues and their public communications role;
• Designs and implements the organization’s communications strategy based on enhanced partnerships with key internal and external constituencies, including field operations;
• Drives the strategic vision of OCHA on communications in support of priorities of the Secretary-General and the ERC. Ensures consistency of OCHA's public position by managing multimedia output and messaging across media and digital platforms by closely integrating all related activities;
• Supervises the development and implementation of multimedia strategic communications campaigns in multiple languages;
• Ensures appropriate programme evaluation tools and methods are in place and used to measure and appraise impact, with timely reports;
• Coordinates corporate communications efforts of the different divisions, branches and field offices with a view to enhancing the corporate brand of the organization vis-à-vis the public and partners; Builds strategic partnerships to maximize OCHA's communications impact, consolidating and building upon outreach efforts; Manages OCHA's proactive relations with global media and OCHA's social media strategy;
• Supports the ERC in developing effective internal communications within OCHA;
• Represents the Branch at international, regional or national meetings. Identifies cutting edge and innovative communication tools and processes and mainstreams their use in OCHA;
• Leads and ensures the quality of the annual World Humanitarian Day campaign, supporting flagship reports, launches, and events ensuring global reach with tangible benefits for OCHA and the humanitarian sector;
• May be required to act as spokesperson; liaise with national, regional and international media on OCHA activities and programmes; and assist senior management team with media engagements;
• Performs other related duties as requested by the OCHA’s senior management

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
• COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box"; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
• LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in journalism, communications, political or social sciences or related area 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.

Work Experience

• A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in public information, communications, advocacy, journalism, international relations, public administration or related field is required.
• Experience in managing large, international, diverse teams within the UN common system or comparable international organization is desirable.
• Strong experience with digital and social media techniques and tools is desirable.
• Experience in development or humanitarian affairs and emergency situations is desirable.
• Experience advising senior leadership on strategic communications issues is desirable.
• At least four (4) years of international field experience within the last 10 years is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment

The evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This post is funded for a period of one year. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 April 2021, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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