Communications Senior Officer

In December 2014 UNOPS South Sudan Country Office signed a contribution agreement with the European Union for implementation of Feeder Roads Construction Project under the ZEAT BEAD (Zonal Effort for Agricultural Development- Bahr El Ghazal Agricultural Development) Programme. The specific objective of the project is to increase trade and marketing volumes through construction and maintenance of all-weather road access.

The project team completed feasibility study and detailed engineering design for the Feeder Roads. Currently, the project is at implementation stage with construction contractors mobilized at each project locations.

Following the successful implementation of the ZEAT BEAD feeder roads project the EU has requested UNOPS to submit a proposal for the construction of additional feeder roads in the Bahr El Ghazal region of South Sudan under the EU Trust Fund programme. The estimated commencement of project implementation is July 2020.

Under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Project Manager the Communications Senior Officer will be based in SSCO main office Juba, South Sudan with frequent travel to the field locations. She/he will be responsible for the coordination of the project communication and for ensuring that all communication work is of a high quality and completed within the timeframe set in legal agreement.

The Communications Senior Officer provides support to the EU Portfolio and is responsible for implementing the Action’s Communication and Visibility Plan (CVP) .

• Review the requirement of the project Communication and Visibility Plan (CVP), implement and manage a communication and branding action plan for EU Projects to strengthen communication in support of the program strategic goals.

• Provide  support  to  the EU projects  to  boost their visibility  and  awareness  including identification of key stories, content, lessons learned, and achievements;

• Support the Project manager and the Deputy Project Manager in liaising with the donor, IP’s, other UN agencies and UNOPS communications teams on communications initiatives and messaging;

• Monitor views and perceptions of the various stakeholders and audiences of the project and make positioning recommendations based on the information gathered. This includes the collection and analysis of website and social media metrics to gauge reach, engagement and other performance measures to inform external visibility and branding strategies and perception surveys and inform the project board

• Under   the   guidance   of   the   Project Manager and Deputy Project Manager; support the content development,   editing,  production   and   dissemination   of   communication   and marketing materials for the project. This may include: 
• - Newsletters, flyers, brochures, factsheets, information leaflets, press-releases, videos, blogs, infographics and tweets for multi-media channels, posters and banners for events in English and local languages.

• In liaison with the team ensure that the quality of translation of CVP materials to local languages;

• Maintain and regularly visit and update  the CIIS and Capacity4Dev websites and/or other information  and communications platforms;

• Collaborate and coordinate with external vendors and consultants for visibility and protocol materials

• Coordinate  corporate  social  platforms  including  Twitter,  Facebook,  Flickr,  Youtube, etc. and local  social  media campaigns for special events and topics;

• Support the preparation of high priority events with tailored communication and outreach plans including booth set up, coordinating with external vendors related to the event, targeted materials, social media, press and public relations;

• Undertake  and/or  organize  missions,  video  shoots  and  field  trips with media in support of the program and its work in accordance with the CVP, work plan as approved by the PM and the EU;

• Ensure consistent messaging, branding and visual image on all CVP products.

• Foster teamwork and space for innovation and creative thinking;

• Supervise external consultants and firms on contract (editing, translations, design, and printing) ensuring quality of work and value for money;

• Use of technology and electronic systems and tools to initiate work, share information with colleagues and clients;

• Contributions to UNOPS knowledge networks and communities of practice.

The effective and successful performance of the Communications Senior Officer will contribute considerably to the strengthening of existing and future programming and consequently reinforces the visibility and image of the EU as the funding agency and UNOPS as an effective implementing agency and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice for similar programmes.

• Master’s  Degree in Communications, Media Technology, Journalism, Graphic Design, Public Information, Political or Social Science, International Relations, Development Studies or other relevant discipline is required.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Media Technology, Journalism, Graphic Design, Public Information, Political or Social Science, International Relations, Development Studies or other relevant discipline with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.

• A minimum of two (2) years’ work experience in a communications role is required.

• Skills in Adobe Creative Cloud and Editing is required (2 years of each);

• Experience with online communications and social media is an asset;

• Experience /knowledge of Google Suite is an asset;

• Work experience in developing / post-conflict countries is desirable;

• Work experience in the East Africa region is desirable.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.