Communications and Events Associate

In the networked world, civil society and media functions are widely distributed among non-formal actors, including individual citizens. The growth of citizen journalism and eye-witness culture in Armenia is reflected in the number of new information platforms, popularity of video blogging and social network channels. Youth, a traditionally disadvantaged segment, are becoming more involved in decision-making and future-shaping actions Citizens also take over the traditionally institutionalised monitoring and oversight functions of civil society, by holding a spotlight over government operations through mobile applications, self-organised civil actions and citizen scrutiny of policy decisions. ICT platforms, including e-participation tools enabled by the government (e-draft, e-request, interactive budget), remain the main framework for communicating feedback to the decision makers.  

UNDP Armenia is a pioneer of citizen engagement, youth empowerment and social innovation in Armenia. Current program, which focuses on expanding the understanding of participatory democracy and tools to engage as an active citizen, will empower Armenians to demand more openness and accountability at national and local levels and support them in voicing their aspirations for the future of Armenia. Actions under the program will ensure that 1) youth is actively engaging in future-making; 2) civil society expertise is provided to the government in the process of policy design and reform implementation; 3) public services provided by the Government are more participatory and human-centric.

The objective of the post is to provide PR and communications expertise and lead needed to design and implement communication / public relations strategy and annual plan in order to relay the results and the day-to-day progress of the projects to the stakeholders, donors, beneficiaries and the wider public throughout the programme implementation.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager and in close cooperation with team members the incumbent will be responsible for:

• Working in cooperation with the Programme Manager, UNDP Communications Analyst, the Project team, as well as the stakeholders, beneficiaries, and, if needed, project donors to develop activities that will highlight, showcase, and communicate the results and the ongoing implementation of the Project to the target audiences;
• Designing and Implementing the Programme’s annual communications strategy and annual communications plan aimed at increasing the awareness about the project and its achievements among the target audience;
• Develop and implement social media strategies, campaigns, and plans to build company awareness
• Monitoring media to analyze the effectiveness of the communications strategy of the projects and propose appropriate corrections, if necessary. Liaise with the media outlets with the purpose of improving the quality and accuracy of the projects’ coverage in the media;
• Developing visual materials to increase Projects’ visibility;
• Organizing and coordinating interviews, press events, media trips, inauguration and ribbon cutting events, as well as the media component of the public events of the project. Follow up with the media to ensure proper coverage of the events;
• Designing, developing and disseminating all outreach materials and activities to advertise the beneficiaries’ products, including outreach folders, fact sheets, blog and social media posts, brochures, website updates, photo essays, video broadcast and print/online media articles, etc.;
• Creating success stories about the beneficiaries and the Project for dissemination through various channels;
• Production of video and photo materials, systemizing and maintaining the Projects’ media resources;
• Organization of project-related public events, including youth ideation workshops, hackathons, innovation camps;
• Contribution to Projects’ annual, interim reports, various informative materials to ensure attractive visual appearance and layout;
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

 Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

 Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of programme, managing data, reporting;
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems.

 Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on the result of the work and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Remains calm, in control and good tempered even under pressure;

Education: Master’s degree in PR, communications, journalism, marketing, or relevant field.

Experience: At least 3 years of relevant experience in media, journalism, PR, communications field and event organization in Armenia or abroad.

Skills:

• Proven experience in developing media materials and human stories in various formats (success stories, press releases, social media entries, etc.) to target various audiences;
• Proven experience in developing visual media materials (photos, videos, etc.);
• Proven record of social media management;
• Familiarity with the local media field, social media platforms;
• Knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Google Analytics
• Excellent written, oral and interpersonal skills;
• Proven ability for multi-tasking, working in diverse environments, taking initiative and teamwork;
• Excellent communication and interviewing skills;
• Willingness to travel extensively to the regions where Project operates and stay at Project sites for extended periods of time, if necessary;
• Familiarity with brand conformity;
• Experience identifying and creating campaigns for target audience
• Excellent presentation skills.

Technical skills: Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), proven experience in video and photo processing software and equipment, advanced skills in social media promotion field.

Languages: Fluency in Armenian and English, advanced knowledge of Russian will be an additional asset.