CFS Communications and Outreach Coordinator

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA) conducts economic research and policy analysis and provides evidence-based support to national, regional and global policy processes and initiatives related to monitoring and analysing food and agricultural policies, agribusiness and value chain development, rural transformation and poverty, food security and nutrition information and analysis, resilience, bioeconomy and climate-smart agriculture. The Division also leads the production of two FAO flagship publications: The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) and The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
ESA Division also hosts the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Secretariat, the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for a broad range of committed stakeholders to work together in a coordinated manner and in support of country-led processes towards the elimination of hunger and ensuring food security and nutrition for all. The CFS Secretariat comprises staff and resources from the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The CFS Secretariat provides technical and administrative support to the Committee, its Plenary Session, Bureau and Advisory Group Meetings and its intersessional working groups.
The assignment is carried out for the Secretariat of the Committee, which provides technical support to the Committee, its Bureau and Advisory Group (AG) and its subsidiary bodies and working groups.

Reporting Lines

The Communications and Outreach Coordinator will report to and work under the day-to-day supervision of the CFS Secretary and in close collaboration with other members of the CFS Secretariat.
Technical Focus
Under the overall guidance of the Secretary of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), and in close coordination with the CFS Secretariat team, the incumbent will assist with the development and implementation of the CFS Communications and Outreach Strategy, support CFS’s day-to-day communications functions, and assist with the preparations for the CFS annual plenary session, including organization of its side events.

Tasks and responsibilities

GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS:

• In close consultation with the team, lead the implementation and update of the CFS Communications Strategy, aimed at boosting visibility and outreach of the Committee and its work among target audiences critical to the food security and nutrition policy sectors and beyond;
• Provide quality control for all CFS Communications materials before sent out/published, discerning whether an issue is sensitive and should be escalated to Senior Management;
• Coordinate CFS Communications, including the work of the Digital Communications consultant and other relevant team members, to harmonize and streamline messaging and approaches;
• Provide communication support for CFS intersessional activities organized by the CFS Secretariat, maximizing communication and outreach opportunities; and
• Explore the use and application of AI tools towards effective and efficient communication and outreach in line with the area of work.

PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH:

• Liaise and build relationships with the Communications focal points in Rome-based Agencies and other agencies and organizations involved in food security and nutrition (only for Consultant);
• Develop and coordinate a robust media engagement strategy to increase the CFS coverage in global media, and monitor media impact;
• Liaise with the media departments and focal points of various partners to ensure they have timely and relevant information about the CFS and its work products;
• Conduct regular media coverage monitoring;
• Organize media interviews, press conferences and other media moments, and liaise with journalists and media (only for Consultant); and
• Provide the CFS Chairperson and other CFS officials with communications and media support as appropriate.

WEBSITE MIGRATION:

• Lead the redesign and migration of the CFS website to the new content management system, in line with FAO rules and procedures, liaising with an external service provider as relevant, FAO’s CIO, OCC and others (as needed).

COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS:

• Lead, coordinate and contribute to the development of CFS communications materials, storytelling for CFS Policy products, tools and meeting documents for use by the Chairperson, Secretariat, the Bureau, Advisory Group, Open Ended Working Groups, and others.

PLENARY and INTERSESSIONAL EVENTS:

• Manage the overall preparation for, and address communications of the CFS Plenary and intersessional events for the CFS, including through media outreach;
LIASON:
o Liaise with FAO’s Office of Communication (OCC), either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC and other relevant standards, appropriate review and clearance processes.
o All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
o FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf);
o FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm;
o FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en;
o Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf;
o Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf;
o UN map standards (available to staff);
o FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff).
Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in communication, journalism, advertising, political sciences, social sciences or a related field;
• 5 years of relevant experience in communication, outreach, media relations, publications, digital, preferably within the UN system or relevant non-government or non-profit organization;
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English and limited knowledge (Level B) of one of the other UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French or Spanish. For PSAs only working knowledge of English is required.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Content writing skills, copywriting for promotional materials and proven ability to popularize technical and scientific knowledge for various audiences;
• Extent and relevance of experience in understanding and implementing a communications strategy or plan, with particular emphasis on delivering outputs and creating impact among audiences and stakeholders;
• Extent and relevance of experience in organizing and supporting high-level events, conferences and webinars;
• Excellent communication skills, including during interaction with teams, partners and through e-mail and zoom;
• Knowledge of website management, video production and social media content development;
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes, and familiarity with UN administrative, operational and financial procedures is an asset;
• Demonstrated ability to work in multi-cultural and geographically dispersed teams, including through remote work.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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