Assistant Communications Officer

Grade

NOA

National Professional Officer

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

C

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2024-08-15

2025-02-14

July 28, 2024

Standard Job Description

Assistant Communications Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In line with its Global Communications Strategy, UNHCR requires skilled communications professionals to conceive and execute a range of activities that help us lead the narrative on forced displacement, generate empathy and mobilize action. This body of work spans communications strategy and coordination, news and media relations, multimedia content production, social media engagement, Goodwill Ambassadors and other influencers, public outreach and campaigns, fundraising, analytics and brand.
UNHCR’s Assistant Communications Officers need to cultivate a keen understanding of our target audiences – including an up-to-the-minute grasp of the methods and tone of voice that resonate deeply, win trust and spark quality engagement. They must be vigilant about editorial and journalistic standards, attentive to protection concerns and political sensitivities, and focused on communicating successfully with key demographics. These audiences will vary by location, language and platform, among other factors, as well as whether the aim is to inform, advocate or raise funds.

The Assistant Communications Officers’ functions, working relationships and skills specializations differ depending on language, location, grade, and whether they sit within a country operation, a regional bureau or the Global Communications Service. UNHCR¿s primary target audiences include public, media and policymakers, while our main partners and influencers include peers and private sector, trusted figures and our own workforce. Some communicators will focus mainly on news and media relations, for example, while others will produce multimedia content, manage social media accounts or lead advocacy campaigns. Forging partnerships with media outlets that reach target audiences is a central role for all Assistant Communications Officers.

All Assistant Communications Officers are expected to work strategically in support of UNHCR’s operational and communications objectives for their geographic area of responsibility (AoR) as well as global priorities. Communications approaches should reflect our core values as an organization that is caring, trustworthy, proactive, outcome-focused and responsive. This will reinforce UNHCR’s role as the lead agency that protects refugees, internally displaced and stateless people and mobilizes action to provide solutions.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
– Assist in establishment of close working relationships with television, radio and news agencies to promote and ensure the dissemination of UNHCR aims, activities and principles.
– Assist in development of working relationships with the Government, NGOs and UN Agencies in order to raise interest and develop co-operation in inter-related activities.
– Organize UNHCR’s public awareness campaign in the duty station.
– Draft bulletins and updates on UNHCR’s operations in the duty station.
– Brief national and international media of developments in UNHCR’s operations in the duty stations and accompany visiting media to the refugee camps where applicable.
– Assist in planning and organizing advertisements, exhibitions, training seminars, conferences, meetings, social events and other activities to promote a better understanding of UNHCR¿s activities and accomplishments by the general public and/or organized groups.
– Assist in preparation of communication budget.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).

– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Journalism; International Relations; Political Science;
Communications; Public Information; Media
Film / Video; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience

Essential
Minimum 1 year of professional experience in journalism and/or communications, mainly at international level.

Desirable
Strong social media presence. Experience working on advocacy campaigns. Experience working with goodwill ambassadors and other high-profile influencers. Experience with brand management. Experience with measurement and evaluation, especially providing analysis of media coverage, social media engagement, web traffic, etc. Experience reporting, writing, editing for magazines, newspapers and websites. Experience using digital asset management systems. Experience with digital analytics and performance reporting.

Functional Skills
CO-Digital content production
CO-Drafting and Documentation
CO-Editing
CO-International Media Contacts
CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, photography, video, layout & graphics)
CO-Preparation of key messages/talking points/speeches
CO-Public Speaking
CO-Spokesperson skills
CO-Video production for digital platforms (including news organizations)
IT-Web Content Management
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Operational Context (Nature of the position):

Bangladesh hosts close to one million Rohingya refugees in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar District and on the island of Bhasan Char. Moving into the sixth year of the Rohingya crisis, the operation is no longer an emergency operation but a protracted one with increasing emphasis on refugee resilience and self-reliance initiatives in addition to the need for continued lifesaving and life-sustaining support. As humanitarian funding is being reduced, while needs remain high, a robust resource mobilization and development partnership approach is required. Bangladesh is one of the largest refugee operations with its own complex political and Inter-Agency environment.

The Assistant Communications Officer works closely with the Communications Officer and spokesperson, based in Cox’s Bazar, and with the Representative and senior management and external relation team in Dhaka. She/he provides support to senior management and liaises with media outlets to respond swiftly and strategically to requests or questions, as well as proactively engage to share statements, information and content. He/she manages some of the operation’s social media accounts, in close coordination with the Communications Officer, to ensure timely and engaging updates as well as community management, while ensuring analytical overview of the operation’s social media engagement and results.

The operation’s strategic communication, which the incumbent will fully support, is to be aligned with its resource mobilization efforts and underpins its continuous advocacy to widen the support to Bangladesh as it host refugees, while also providing visibility to UNHCR as a relevant and trusted leader of the wider Rohingya refugee response. As such, the incumbent will liaise closely with the communications network and actors of the refugee response.

Desired Candidate Profile:

The incumbent will be based in Dhaka and will work under the supervision of the Communications Officer and will have a direct functional line to the Senior External Relations Officer, to constantly adapt key messaging vis-à-vis Government counterparts, donor partners, NGOs and the media on specific elements of the Rohingya response.
The position requires a seasoned communication and media specialist who is able to writing quickly and convincingly, adapting the style to the targeted audience, and to conceive and execute a range of essential communication activities. The incumbent is expected to be conversant in developing and implementing a multi-dimensional communications strategy and coordinating multiple interventions, including multimedia content production, social media engagement, Goodwill Ambassador support and other influencers, public outreach and campaigns, fundraising, analytics and branding.

The incumbent must have demonstrated experience in strategic communication and public information, including crisis communications, and in working in a complex multi-functional environment, including inter-agency settings. The incumbent requires excellent communications skills, political awareness, and the capacity to think, plan and act strategically and work independently.

N.B. Please note that usage of AI for job application/ selection purposes is strongly discouraged.

This position requires Functional Clearance

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Skills

CO-Digital content production, CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Editing, CO-International Media Contacts, CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, photography, video, layout & graphics), CO-Preparation of key messages/talking points/speeches, CO-Public Speaking, CO-Spokesperson skills, CO-Video production for digital platforms (including news organizations), IT-Web Content Management

Education

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Communication (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Relations, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Journalism, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Media, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Public Information

Certifications

Communications

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales