Senior Public Information Officer, P-5

United Nations - Department of Global Communications

Kyiv, Ukraine

Org. Setting and Reporting

This temporary position is in the United Nations Office (UNO) in Kyiv, which is integrated within the Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) in Ukraine. The incumbent reports directly to the Resident Coordinator and is also accountable to the Department of Global Communications (DGC). The UNO Kyiv is the principal source of information about the United Nations system in Ukraine. It is responsible for promoting public understanding and support for the aims and activities of the United Nations by communicating the work of the UN to a local audience in local languages; engaging local and regional partners; and, overall, bringing the United Nations closer to the peoples it serves. DGC sets the communications and advocacy priorities of the United Nations around the world and is responsible for a global network of UN Information Centres and Offices, including the UNO in Kyiv.

Responsibilities

The incumbent would be responsible for the following duties:

Advise the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) on strategic communications, crisis communications and reputational issues. Provide substantive crisis communications support to the UN Country Team.
Lead the implementation of the UN country communications strategy, in line with the UN in Ukraine Transitional Framework to illustrate the scale and scope of the UN's recovery work, and the UN's contribution to the national dialogue on recovery, and aligned to the UN Global Communications Strategy.
May serve as and/or support the Chair of the United Nations Communications Group (UNCG) aligning the UN Country Team (UNCT) behind their revamped communication strategy.
Lead on the communication activities around field visits and events of the RC, in coordination with the office of the RCO, OCHA, and the country-level UNCG. This includes arranging media interviews, drafting key messages and other press and public information products, and production of multimedia content for digital channels.
Conduct and lead editorial missions to the field to gather and produce multimedia content showcasing UN results, including through interviews with beneficiaries, implementing partners, and other stakeholders.
Plan and lead media visits to UN-backed projects and supported areas to showcase the impact of the UN's work to increase media visibility of the UN's work on recovery. Draft and share regular updates to the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (OSSG) including positioning the recovery work of the UN on the ground.
Liaise with national, regional and international media on UN activities and programmes; organize and chair press briefings and stakeouts; issue press releases and media statements; assist the RC and UNCT members with their media engagements.
Support the DGC-led UNCG crisis cell. This includes: developing insights from national, regional and international media monitoring, advising on narratives and on trends in mis and disinformation; developing pro-active UN system key messages; developing reactive media lines, ensuring the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General receives regular updates.
Manage and develop digital communications platforms, such as the UNCT website and official UNCT social media accounts and create audiovisual content to be used on social media channels, including Facebook, Telegram and Twitter. Ensure the UNCT and UN entities' channel and platforms, including websites and social media accounts are consistently updated with the country-level key messages.
When required, and in coordination with the HC/RC, act as UN spokesperson in Ukraine; ensure UN policies and activities are conveyed accurately and promptly to the media and relevant stakeholders.
Oversee the delivery of the work programme of the UN Communication Office, Kyiv including programmatic and/or administrative tasks; manage staff and foster teamwork.
Performs other relevant duties, as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrated knowledge of strategic communications and crisis communications; proven ability to implement effective media campaigns and to develop traditional and digital media products and activities targeting the media; ability to identify communications opportunities and challenges and to articulate these to clients. Ability to advise on communications challenges, assess communications environments and develop and implement communication strategies in the work region with various promotional techniques. Ability to make decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization and to apply 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.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
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) in communication, journalism, international relations, public administration or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience, including four years at the international level, in communications, journalism, international relations or related area is required. Experience overseeing crisis communications and managing reputational issues within the United Nations common system or a comparable international organization is required. Experience serving as a spokesperson, including organizing and chairing press briefings and stakeouts, managing media relations, including writing and issuing press releases and media statements is required. Experience developing and implementing multimedia communications campaigns, including content for website and social media channels is desirable. Experience with the political, social, and economic context of Ukraine is desirable. Experience supervising an office, unit or section (of at least two people) within the United Nations common system or a comparable international organization 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 Ukrainian is desirable.

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