Chief Advocacy and Communications

UNICEF Syria was established in 1970 and has been working with partners to help empower children to fully claim and enjoy their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF works with partners across Syria to deliver supplies, services, and expertise in areas of Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation for every child. UNICEF also provides humanitarian assistance when needed.

Syria continues to face one of the most complex emergencies in the world. Unprecedented humanitarian needs are compounded by displacement inside the country and across its borders, extensive destruction of civilian and social services infrastructure, devastating impacts on the economy, and most importantly, the breakdown of the social fabric that stitched the country together for decades.

Today, 90% of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and shortage of basic supplies. For most people, the current socio-economic challenges represent some of the harshest and most challenging circumstances they have faced since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.

For information of the work of our organization, please visit our website: UNICEF Syria  

The Chief Advocacy and Communication reports to the Representative for general guidance and direction, and is accountable for managing the advocacy and communication strategies and implementation. This includes:

the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of integrated advocacy and communication strategies to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people

the effective deployment of public channels and private relationships to mobilize public and private resources for children, including through UNICEF

using traditional and digital media and key partnerships to build awareness of and support for child rights and UNICEF’s mission, priorities and programmes

working with children and young people to empower them as agents of change responding to major communication risks and challenges.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

The Chief Advocacy and Communications will lead and manage a team to design and coordinate effective, integrated advocacy and communication strategies, through the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages. S/he will work collaboratively with colleagues across UNICEF at country, regional and global level, as well build alliances or coalitions with external partners to drive changes in policy and practice, and secure political and financial commitments for children. Duties include:

• Advocacy strategy development
• Advocacy strategy implementation
• Communication strategy development and implementation
• Digital strategy
• Media relations
• Advocacy and communication M&E
• Team building, project and budget management
• Advocacy and communication capacity building
• Stakeholder engagement

Others:

• To view the complete Key Functions, accountabilities, and related duties/ tasks, please click here

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

• An Advanced University degree is required in one of the following fields: International Relations, Political Science, International Development, Public Policy, Public Administration, Economics, Communication or related fields. A first level university degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant field, in conjunction with two additional years of relevant work experience in advocacy, campaigning or a related field may be taken in lieu of an Advanced University degree.

Experience:

• At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in advocacy/ campaigning and communication is required.
• Experience in leading the development and implementation of advocacy and communication strategies, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives, and performance indicators is required.
• Experience in leading the development, implementation and monitoring of digital strategies, as well as in managing online platforms and channels is a requirement.
• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results is required
• Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues is required
• Experience in managing a team. Experience managing a multicultural team is an asset.
• Experience in advocacy at the international level is an asset.

 Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/571285