SENIOR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER – UNITAMS

Job Opening

Job Opening Number	22-Public Information-UNITAMS-185528-F-Khartoum (M)
Job Code Title	SENIOR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
Department/Office	United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan
Duty Station	KHARTOUM
Posting Period	05 July 2022 – 25 July 2022
Staffing Exercise	N/A

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020) authorizing the mandate of UNITAMS which is to assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace; support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Blue Nile and South Kordofan (the Two Areas) and Darfur; and support the mobilisation of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

The position is based Khartoum.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Special Representative the Senior Public Information Officer will serve as Head of the Strategic Communications and Public Information Unit, and be responsible for the following duties:

•Conceptualizes, designs and executes the Mission’s integrated communication strategy, including its evaluation and regular updating, covering the Mission’s internal and external strategic communications activities;

•Uses data-driven and social media tools and techniques to monitor and test the efficacy of messaging, making adjustments to be responsive to stakeholders and public opinion. Develops and implements the Mission’s crisis communication activities;

•Oversees the Mission’s social media presence and leads digital media campaigns to enhance public outreach and engagement activities using a range of digital media platforms and leveraging emerging technologies and trends;

•Formulates and updates, in consultation with Mission leadership, the substantive work programme of the public information component of the Mission, coordinates with various Mission components, and with UN agencies, funds and programmes and partners, as appropriate;

•Advises Mission leadership, senior staff and other Mission personnel, including in the police, on strategic communication matters;

•Ensures regular, timely and professional communications, on all traditional and digital media platforms. Provides pertinent communications advice and input for Mission leadership interactions with all key stakeholders, such as non- governmental and civil society organizations;

•Develops and implements a regular system of media monitoring and bulletins to meet the needs of the Head of Mission and senior leadership;

•Oversees public information outputs to ensure that they meet high-quality standards, in accordance with UN policy objectives and rules and regulations, and are evaluated for their effectiveness;

•Gives press briefings, background briefings and interviews to national and international media; drafts and/or edits and issues press releases, official statements and communication materials on behalf of the mission as necessary;

•Interacts with local, regional and international media and establishes and maintains cooperative relationships;

•Consults with and provides UN Headquarters communication entities with regular updates on Mission activities;

•Maintains regular interaction and consults with public information personnel at UNHQ;

•Manages, guides, develops and trains specialized public relations and social media staff under his/her supervision; participates in hiring process from approving terms of reference to selection of appropriate experts or consultants;

•Other related duties that may be assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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 the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology.

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.

Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, public administration, or related field. A first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in public information, external communications, journalism, international relations, public administration or related area is required.

A minimum of three years of experience in leading social media campaigns and analytics is required.

A minimum of three years of strategic communications or related work on public affairs campaigns is required.

Experience with managing public affairs and public relations agencies is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; Fluency in Arabic is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This “Recruit from Roster” job opening is only open to roster applicants who are already placed on pre-approved rosters, following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body. Only roster applicants who were placed on rosters with similar functions at the same level are considered to be eligible candidates. Eligible applicants receive an email inviting them to apply. Rostered applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are interested and available to take up the position at the duty station/s specified in the Job Opening. Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected.

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.