National Commmunications Officer

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working in Cambodia to help the country to eradicate poverty and to reduce inequalities and exclusion. UNDP Cambodia seeks to help Cambodia to develop policies, leadership, skills, partnering abilities, institutional capacities and resilience in order to sustain development results.

Under the new Country Programme 2019-2023, UNDP Cambodia will further focus on development results across three key inter-dependent areas including inclusive and sustainable growth; environmental protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation; and the opportunities for all to contribute to and benefit from Cambodia’s transformation. Pivotal to our approach is our partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), civil society organizations, development partners and the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Communications unit plays an important role to contribute to the successful implementation of the Country Programme through promoting UNDP’s work in Cambodia and informing and advocating key development issues  to the public and policy makers.  The work involves working with media agencies, managing the country office’s website and social media, supporting the production of relevant reports and multi-media products and organizing of public events.

Under the direct supervision of the Communications Analyst, the National Communications Officer will contribute to the formulation and implementation of communication strategy of UNDP Cambodia, development of media and communication products and management of media relations and promotion of  UNDP’s branding in the areas of waste management, renewable energy and natural resources management.   

The National Communications Officer will perform the following key tasks:

• Contribute to the formulation and implementation of the corporate communications strategies, partnership building strategies, and campaign strategies;
• Produce multi-media and communications products;
• Assist in media relations, publication, and branding management.

1. Contribute to the formulation and implementation of the corporate communications strategies, partnership building strategies, and campaign strategies:

• Identify communications needs and gaps for the Country Office and the policies and progamme’s projects;
• Identify and apply the most effective and up-to-date media and social media methods and tools to the CO and its strategic partners;
• Assist in formulating and planning media and communications strategies and effectively implement the strategies;
• Assist in managing and updating the CO’s website, social media platforms and other online presences such as Exposure and Medium;
• Design and implement partnership strategies particularly with private sector, academic institutions, civil societies and the government agencies;
• Provide necessary support to the programme and policy team in strategic partnership building activities and projects;
• Design and implement strategies for various campaigns including a plastic campaign, SDG campaign, going-green campaign and etc.;
• Monitor and report the on-going progress and the impact/results of each campaign;
• Ensure that every communications strategy or partnership and campaign strategy and their implementation are gender sensitive.

2. Produce multi-media and communications products:

• Collect interesting and inspiring stories from the projects’ communities, youth groups, private sector, development partners, donors and government partners;
• Collect photos with a caption and footages relevant to the Country Programme and store them in a photo/footage bank for the communications uses;
• Produce a series of blog posts, solutions or impact stories, and news articles or opinion pieces (Op-eds) on different issues for the website, social media and media;
• Conduct research and produce website contents for the CO’s website and BESD project webpage;
• Produce press releases, media advisories and media Q&As for events including official launches, public seminars and press conferences;
• Document successes of project activities and impacts;
• Produce social media content including written messages, infographics, visuals and short video clips;
• Produce other outreach communications materials including brochures, leaflets, pagers, project briefs, booklets, presentation, reports and etc.;
• Coordinate designs and productions of communications and outreach materials;
• Draft, proof read, review/view and edit both written pieces and designs/videos to ensure their high quality and compliance to UNDP’s editorial and branding guidelines;
• Provide trainings on photography, videography and a blog/story writing;
• Provide translation and interpretation support from English into Khmer and vice versa;
• Ensure that every single piece of media and communications material is gender sensitive.

3. Assist in media relations, publication, and branding management:

• Assist in maintaining close working relationships with media including editors, journalists, and reporters in the local and international news outlets;
• Collect media contacts and update the media contact list;
• Monitor and analyze the news which may have both positive and negative impacts on UNDP’s image and projects’ deliveries;
• Assist in organizing public events and press conferences;
• Coordinate the publication processe and dissemination of reports; working with the printing agencies, the translation service providers, and the relevant project/policy team;
• Ensure the editorial and branding guidelines are fully applied in the publications and all communication materials both in the form of graphic designs and videos;
• Ensure that there is no a manel in any event’ activities and publications are gender sensitive.

Impact of Results

The National Communications Officer will ensure the following impacts:

• UNDP’s communication and partnership strategy are successfully implemented
• UNDP’s branding is well positioned and communicated
• Key development issues are widely and effectively circulated and advocated  
• A broad range of stakeholders are aware of the UNDP works and impacts

Core Competencies:

• Promoting Ethics and Integrity
• Creating an environment of creativity and innovation
• Building and promoting effective teams
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning

Functional Competencies:
Advocacy / Advancing Policy Oriented Agenda: preparing information for advocacy

• Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate
• Maintains a functioning network of contacts with a variety of stakeholders to promote a better understanding of UNDP’s mandate and to support advocacy efforts

Building Strategic Partnerships: Maintaining a network of contacts

• Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues
• Analyses and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders
• Establishes and nurtures positive communication with partners

Promoting Organizational learning and Knowledge Sharing: Basic research and analysis

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, and more effective ways of doing things
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches
• Identifies and communicates opportunities to promote learning and knowledge sharing
• Develops awareness of the various internal/external learning and knowledge-sharing resources

Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise: Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
• Identifies new and better approaches to work processes and incorporates the same in his/her work
• Analyses the requirements and synthesizes proposals
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Creating Visibility for UNDP/ Supporting UNDP’s Capacity to Advocate: Research and data analysis

• Promotes awareness of UNDP through dissemination of information and materials
• Maintains networks and knowledge assets for use in visibility and image activities
• Makes recommendations on the design and delivery of image activities
• Collects, analyses and disseminates information on UNDP focus areas

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals: Preparing information for global advocacy

• Identifies and communicates relevant information for advocacy for UNDP’s goals for a variety of audiences
• Maintains a functioning network of contacts in the media and civil society, to promote a better understanding of UNDP’s mandate and to support advocacy efforts
• Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for advocating for UNDP’s mandate

Conceptual innovation in the Provision of Technical Expertise: Research and analysis

• Keeps updated in his/her area of substantive expertise
• Identifies opportunities for conceptual innovation
• Recognizes problem areas and identifies solutions
• Analyses ongoing trends, evolving needs and emerging issues to identify appropriate responses for capacity building
• Selects critical information from masses of data

Client Orientation: Establishing effective client relationships

• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients
• Actively supports the interests of the client by making choices and setting priorities to meet their needs Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly

Education:

• Master’s degree or Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, media or media management, or media and communications.

Experience:

• A minimum of three years (Master's degree) or five years (Bachelor's degree) of experience in working across the communications spectrum including:

1] media and communication strategy design and management

2] campaign strategy design and implementation

3] running social media or off-line behavior change campaigns particularly with private sector and the government  

4] management of website and social media

• Experienced in photography, videography and graphic designs;
• Demonstrated extensive experience working in the local and international journalism;
• Experienced in organizing events (workshop, launching events, etc.), writing media kits such as press releases, media advisories, and writing news articles, project success stories, blog posts and opinion pieces in different development issues ranging from youth unemployment, gender inequality, climate change, to sustainable economic growth.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent spoken and written English and Khmer.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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