Communications and Donor Visibility Officer

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

Working with 194 Member States, across six regions, and from more than 150 offices, WHO staff are united in a shared commitment to achieve better health for everyone, everywhere. Together they strive to combat diseases – communicable diseases like influenza and HIV, and noncommunicable diseases like cancer and heart disease. They help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe.

WHO’s emergency programme aims to prepare the health sector for emergencies and enhance health during and after crises. The emergency response team supports Member States by:
• Assessing health needs and identifying priority causes of ill health and death, preparing dam-age estimates, and ensuring essential health services continue.
• Coordinating and monitoring emergency health relief efforts as the lead agency of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Health Cluster
• Identifying and filling critical gaps in the health response quickly.
• Strengthening the capacity of national health systems for preparedness, mitigation, and response.

Under the direct supervision of the EXR/Comms Team Lead, the UNV will be responsible for providing strategic communications support to the WHO Country Office in Somalia, while being based in Nairobi. The tasks may be modified during deployment based upon the evolving needs of WHO Somalia.

The UNV will undertake the following tasks:

Strategic Communications and Planning:
- Contribute to the implementation and monitoring of WHO Somalia’s communications strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and promoting visibility around key public health initiatives, outbreaks, and emergencies.
- Develop and execute communication plans for specific programmes, events, and initiatives to ensure coherent messaging and maximum impact.
- Support the development and finalization of brand and style guides for specific programmes or partnerships, ensuring consistency and adherence to WHO guidelines.

Content Creation and Dissemination:
- Draft, edit, and disseminate a wide range of engaging communication products, including press releases, human-interest stories, social media content, newsletters, web articles, infographics, and multimedia materials.
- Proactively identify and develop compelling content in collaboration with technical teams to showcase programmatic achievements, field-level impact, and success stories.
- Support specialized emergency risk communications, social mobilization, and advocacy plans during public health crises, emergencies, and outbreaks.
- Systematically ensure awareness coverage of the programme's work and achievements, developing both technical and non-technical content for diverse audiences.

Donor Visibility, Resource Mobilization, and Partnerships:
- Support the development of donor visibility materials such as success stories, videos, and branded products aligned with donor requirements and partnership agreements.
- Assist in organizing donor events, field visits, and stakeholder briefings to highlight the contributions of partners and the impact of their support.
- Monitor and document donor visibility efforts to support reporting, strengthen donor relations, and inform resource mobilization strategies.

Digital, Media, and Platform Management:
- Support the management of WHO Somalia’s digital platforms (website, social media), ensuring timely, consistent, and accurate updates in line with WHO’s communication guidelines.
- Create and schedule social media posts, engage with followers, monitor trends, and track analytics.
- Assist in coordinating media engagement activities, including building long-term relationships with journalists, coordinating inquiries and interviews, and monitoring media coverage.
- Propose risk-mitigation communications based on monitoring of audience perceptions and media trends.

Coordination and Collaboration:
- Serve as a communications focal point for specific programmes or partnerships, liaising with relevant internal and external counterparts.
- Work closely with technical units and field offices to gather information and ensure communications are accurate and impactful.
- In coordination with the relevant regional and headquarters communications teams, optimize the use of communication products to inform donors and other stakeholders.