Senior Communication Officer

Rome

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Location: Rome
Grade: Senior level - P-5, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Communication and Public Information
- OCC
Closing Date: Closed

1A081A08

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture

• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply for this position
• FAO does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.

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Organizational Setting
The Office of Communications (OCC) is responsible for all corporate and internal communication activities of the Organization. It ensures coherence and consistency in FAO's corporate messaging and communications' outputs, as well as enables cost-effectiveness in use of communication-related resources across the Organization.

Reporting Lines
The Senior Communications Officer reports to the Director, Office of Communications.

Technical Focus
Strategic communications, partnership development and engagement, regional coordination.

Key Results
Leadership, technical and policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of Office work, projects, products, and services in accordance with FAO Strategic Objectives and Corporate Communication strategy.

Key Functions
• Leads multi-disciplinary team(s), leads and/or participates on teams/committees, leads and/or participates on organization-wide committees and represents FAO at inter-agency meetings;
• Analyzes strategic/business/service objectives, reform priorities and the latest trends in communication to provide critical input into plans and strategies, functional stream work plans and priorities as well as the supporting operational, policy, system, tools and reporting frameworks;
• Supervises staff, oversees the delivery of multi-disciplinary programmes, policies, products, and services and prepares a variety of plans, strategies, reports and proposals;
• Promotes and pilots new concepts and initiatives, manages related projects and consultants, and plays a lead role in the implementation process of communication strategy and policy;
• Plans and develops consultation/communication/information/training programmes and products to promote understanding of programmes, services and policies, increased capacity development;
• Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions
• Assists the Director in liaising and coordinating with the Office of the Director-General on strategic communications matters;
• Leads the development of new communications strategies by closely monitoring industry development, new and emerging trends, evolving priorities in the multilateral systems and international development arena; identifying new opportunities and proposing corresponding actions;
• Develops and implements strategic partnerships across sectors to help disseminate and amplify FAO's message to wider and newer audiences, leveraging new and emerging technologies and markets;
• Coordinates a global FAO communications and advocacy network to ensure coherent messaging and delivery across regions;
• Coordinates with United Nations system partners for joint efforts and to advance FAO communications objectives;
• Strengthens digital marketing, branding and results measurement for strategic communications.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced University degree in communication, journalism, social science, political science or related studies
• Ten years of relevant experience in communications, public information, journalism, international relations with emphasis in communication strategy and media partnership development
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the FAO official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

Competencies
• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering Others
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is essential;
• Extent and relevance of experience in communications services for prominent organizations, particularly at the international level;
• Demonstrated experience in leading Organization-wide policy and strategy development dialogues and consultation processes;
• Knowledge of and experience in responding to new and evolving communications challenges and opportunities in international and development institutions;
• Extent and relevance of experience in developing and implementing communication strategies, media engagement and related action plans;
• Extent and relevance of experience in developing and maintaining diverse partnerships and engagements and working with high-level influencers including the media;
• Extent of knowledge of the UN system, and issues related to sustainable development and emergency relief and related UN inter-agency communications initiatives;
• Demonstrated communication (spoken, written, public speaking and presentational) skills, including the ability to convey and present sensitive issues/positions;
• Experience coordinating work of a network of global field offices is desirable;
• Understanding of FAO mandate and programmes is an asset.