Communications Associate

The role of the Communications unit is to use communications to increase awareness of health issues, and enhance visibility and engagement with WHO, among media, Member States, donors and other partners, and the general public; and to use communications as a tool for policy advocacy, behaviour change, and building constituencies and partnerships around key public health challenges in WHO’s Western Pacific Region.

Duties:

Under the supervision of the Regional Communications Manager and guidance of the Executive Officer, Office of the Regional Director, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

• Conduct media relations in consultation with supervisor, technical units and country offices, as appropriate—this involves proactively pitching stories about key public health issues and the Organization’s work, arranging interviews and responding to requests in an accurate and timely manner;
• Monitor WHO’s exposure in traditional and social media and produce a daily media monitoring report distributed to staff, including systematic monitoring of pick-up of stories WHO has pitched;
• Maintain and update the regional media list and profiles of key reporters;
• Assist with planning and staging news conferences, campaign and advocacy events;
• Draft, coordinate clearance and support dissemination of communication and advocacy materials;
• Act as back-up when needed to update the home page and media centre of the WPRO website and social media accounts;
• Serve as focal point for internal communications in WPRO, including drafting stories and maintaining the calendar for the WPRO Intranet and day-to-day coordination of internal social media; and
• Perform other duties as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

• Completion of secondary education, with relevant training in journalism/mass media, corporate communications or advocacy.

Experience:

Essential: At least ten years’ experience in communication and advocacy, including media relations, preferably with a large international organization.

Skills:

• Strong skills in the areas of media relations, corporate communications and advocacy.
• Ability to manage multiple, concurrent tasks, perform under pressure and deliver high-quality products on deadline.
• Capacity to research and quickly assimilate large volumes of information, package and disseminate succinct products to meet audiences’ needs.
• Ability to operate multimedia equipment (e.g. video and still cameras and audio recorders, iPhone, etc.) and proficiency in MS Office software (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) as well as web and social media platforms.
• Ability to create and nurture relationships with key stakeholders including the media.
• Attentive to detail and able to quickly learn new skills.
• Good organizational skills and ability to work unsupervised.
• Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.

Language Skills:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of written and spoken English.

Source: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2407749