U- Report Internship (Digital Communication Officer), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Malaysian Only)

The Innovation Team is looking for an intern student to support national scale of the U-Report platform and activities. Location: Kuala Lumpur, with travel throughout the country, as required Start date: 01 September 2017 Duration: 3 months (with possibility of extension) Reporting to: Innovation Lead, in close collaboration with U-Report National Project Coordinator

Background:

UNICEF collaborates with a range of civil society, faith-based and media organizations and government partners to create opportunities for children and young people to directly participate in decision-making around issues that impact their development. 

U-report is a free communication platform that enables adolescents and youth (ages 15-24) to share and receive information on issues they care about in their communities, encourage citizen-led development and create positive change. By sending the word “join” via SMS to a short-code or following a U-report Twitter handle in response to advertising and partner field activities, U-reporters can receive and respond to poll questions on important social topics – such as health, education or employment.   These responses are anonymized, aggregated and visualized in real-time and the results shared back with U-reporters, media and decision-makers. 

U-report is powered by a range of on- and offline activities, including:

• A free messaging application that enables mass polling across platforms (SMS, Twitter + LINE, WeChat in 2016) and real-time aggregation and visualization of responses
• A public-facing online platform displaying real-time poll results + current information on project activities and partners + youth-generated content (human interest stories, “U-reporter profiles”, interviews with decision-makers etc.)
• Customizable (back-end) dashboards that enable UNICEF programs & partners to use incoming information to improve service-delivery
• A growing network of CSO and government partnerships that support grassroots mobilization and registration of adolescents and youth country-wide
• Sustained upstream advocacy to create opportunities to directly engage decision-makers with poll results and young people
• An ongoing media campaign to raise awareness about the U-report platform and amplify the opinions and ideas collected and shared by young people
• Grassroots community-building activities designed to activate adolescents and youth as advocates for positive social change in their communities

Launched in May 2011, U-Report has more than 3.5 million members across nearly 40 countries - including Indonesia, Chile, Pakistan, Mexico, Nigeria and Uganda. Building upon this growing international success, UNICEF Malaysia aims to scale-up from pilot to national deployment in 2017, accompanied by a highly-visible media campaign, launch event and mobilization strategy

Job description:

We need YOUR help to help us connect with young people and make this platform speak and work for them. A key member of the UNICEF Innovation team, this role is focused on crafting creative, communication messages and materials that grab the attention and spark the imagination of Malaysian youth.Our U-Report Communication Officer will help drive a project currently in its pilot phase to national scale-up in 2017 – by developing dynamic, on- and offline communication materials that tap into and reflect current youth opinion, ideas and trends.

About YOU:

Our ideal candidate is a communication ninja – with the ability to easily connect with people through engaging print and thoughtful conversations and quickly spot what matters to them most.  You know how to boil down complex issues into their essential elements, and recognize the importance of choosing language that resonates with your audience and can be easily understood.

Your true superpower, though, is your endless creativity, and you are eager to test out and land on creative ways to continually develop new content that matters to people.

Self-motivated, flexible and someone who thrives on exploring new possibilities to make the ideas and voices of Malaysia’s young people better seen and heard  - we know you’ll fit in just fine within our team.

Responsibilities:

Develop youth-friendly messages and communication materials in both English and Malay for online and offline distribution, including:

• Identifying relevant, youth-friendly influencers, topics and angles to increase youth engagement with the U-Report polls and platform
• Proposing and testing multiple ways (i.e. blogs, listicles, quizzes, interviews, human interest stories & feature articles) to connect with and share info around social issues that matter to youth
• Communicating directly (and anonymously) with registered U-Reporters on a range of activities and social issues

Qualifications & Skills:

• Currently enrolled in a University degree programme in Communication, Social Sciences, International Relations, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development or other relevant field
• Fluent in Malay and highly-proficient in English
• Demonstrable proof of excellent academic performance
• Excellent writing skills (in both English and Malay)
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work within a multi-cultural team
• Previous relevant work or volunteer experience is highly desired

Working conditions: It should be noted that, while this is considered an unpaid internship position, a monthly stipend of RM650 will be given to offset transportation costs

Deadline for application: Midnight, 18 August 2017

HOW TO APPLY:

This is a national position – All eligible Malaysians are encouraged to apply.

Please submit applications to mlya-hr@unicef.org, with “Application: U-report Digital Communications Intern” in the subject heading no later than 18 August 2017, along with the following materials:

• P-11 application form
• Technical work sample: 3 writing samples in different styles, created by you (the subject and style is of your choosing and should aim to demonstrate writing proficiency, creativity and stylistic diversity)
• Proof of enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate programme
• Up-to-date university transcripts

Shortlisted candidates will be expected to provide two letters of recommendation from a former employer and/or university.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.