Writer (Individual Contractor)

This position is open to all applicants.

Non-EU applicants can apply provided they have the required documents to work in Greece.

Interested applicants are invited to apply on-line either through MSRP self-service (candidates with MSRP access) or using the external Careers pages www.unhcr.org/careers and https://www.unhcr.org/gr-jobs/   (External candidates).

Kindly note that only electronic applications submitted through the website mentioned above will be considered. Operational Context

There are over 119,000 asylum-seekers and refugees currently hosted in Greece who arrived and remained since the 2015 ¿ 2016 humanitarian emergency. In 2020, until mid-December, 15,400 people had arrived either by sea or by land, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria. UNHCR supports the Government who coordinates the refugee and migrant response in the development of policy, capacity building and targeted interventions in the areas of reception, asylum procedures, and for finding durable solutions. UNHCR has multiple interventions in core areas of Child Protection, GBV, and other areas addressing specific needs of persons of concern. The Office also retains a readiness to respond to emergencies and new arrivals, with particular focus on immediate support to the most vulnerable.
In 2021, UNHCR is working with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to finalize transition of the large scale ESTIA accommodation programme by Q1 and will thereafter provide training and capacity support to Government ESTIA partners on protection, reception and asylum standards. The large-scale ESTIA cash assistance programme is to be transitioned to the Greek authorities by end-June 2021. UNHCR also supports the Government's prevention and response to COVID-19 through CWC, technical interventions, increased coordination and protecting asylum-seekers at high-risk of COVID-19 complications.
While the situation on mainland Greece is better overall, most of the roughly 19,500 asylum-seekers at the reception and identification centres on the Greek Aegean Islands must cope with difficult living conditions and are exposed to various security risks. UNHCR has long warned of the urgent need to address the situation and conditions for asylum-seekers on the Aegean Islands. Continued support is also needed from European countries and European Union institutions in providing immediate protection to those most at-risk through sufficient resources, ensuring capacity in the country and responsibility-sharing through expedited relocations of unaccompanied children and other vulnerable people. UNHCR, along with other actors, fully supports the ongoing relocation process, led by the Greek government and supported by the European Commission, of unaccompanied children, asylum-seeking families with children with severe medical conditions and beneficiaries of international protection. As of mid-December 2020, almost 2,000 people had been relocated from Greece to ten European countries. UNHCR will continue to assist Greek authorities in responding to both short-term and long-term challenges.

Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The scope of this assignment is to produce compelling human-interest web stories and social media posts accompanied by relevant photos, as part of the Communication and Visibility plan of the 2021 Protection programme funded by the European Commission, illustrating the positive impact of the activities under the grant in the daily lives of asylum-seekers and refugees.

The communication goal of the developed material is to a) acknowledge the European Commission¿s contribution to UNHCR Greece and b) amplify awareness about the positive impact of UNHCR activities amongst the Greek and European media and public. To this end, production and promotion of engaging and informative content through UNHCR web platforms and official social media pages is ever more important in light of rising xenophobia and prejudice against asylum-seekers/refugees.

The stories will be published, as needed, on UNHCR's online platforms and will be accompanied by relevant social media posts mentioning DG HOME to ensure appropriate donor visibility. The services of a Writer are essential for the implementation of all the above activities.

The incumbent will report to the Donor Relations Associate and support the External Relations Unit in the implementation of the Communication and Visibility plans for the European Commission-funded programmes on protection activities. The IC will produce human-interest oriented social media posts and webstories for use on the website, social media, publications, media articles and on any other occasion as may be requested by the Office.

Under the coordination of the supervisor, the Writer will submit:
- Six (6) social media posts, promoting UNHCR and partners¿ activities in the field of refugee protection and ensuring a refugee-centered angle keeping in mind appropriate donor visibility;
- Three (3) web stories promoting UNHCR and partners¿ activities in the field of refugee protection and ensuring a refugee-centered angle keeping in mind appropriate donor visibility.

The above-mentioned deliverables may require availability at a short notice, tight deadlines for the delivery of the above services and frequent travel to multiple locations in Greece. Throughout the assignment, the IC will collaborate closely with the External Relations team and other relevant units (PI/Comms, Protection etc.), field offices across Greece and UNHCR partners among other.

The IC shall file the web stories and social media posts both in English and Greek ensuring accordance to UNHCR standards within the timeframe agreed with the manager; accept UNHCR¿s rules on writing, editing, and photo taking as well as editorial policies relating to protecting the rights and identity of the people recorded in the materials for protection reasons. Relevant guidelines will be provided by UNHCR¿s Office in Greece. Samples for style and format, as well as related guidelines, can be viewed on UNHCR¿s web and social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook for UNHCR Greece and UNHCR global accounts), including unhcr.org, unhcr.gr, estia.unhcr.gr.

Copyright of any accompanying photos shall be transferred to UNHCR. The incumbent may file the photos with media outlets after publication by UNHCR, but neither the media outlet nor the incumbent may sell, license, or give any of the images to other United Nations agencies, non-governmental or other organizations. The incumbent may use the images to promote him/herself, after publication by UNHCR.


Qualifications and Professional Experience required:
- Degree in communications, journalism and/or minimum 4 years professional experience relevant to the function.
- Prior experience in working on issues related to UNHCR¿s mandate will be considered a strong asset.
- Prior experience with humanitarian organizations will be as added advantage.

Key Competencies

Required Competencies:
- Fluency in English and Greek.
- Excellent drafting, communication and interpersonal skills in English and Greek.
- Ability to work on multiple tasks and under tight time constraints;
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment;
- Swift and solid response and reaction time;
- Sound photo editorial and compositional judgment;
- Attention to detail.

Desirable Competencies:
- Familiarity with UN context;
- Sound political awareness;
- Solid understanding of refugee issues. Duration of the assignment: until 31 December 2021.
Venue: Various locations, including border locations with UNHCR presence

The closing date for submission is 18 June 2021 (Midnight, Geneva).
- No late applications will be accepted.
- Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
- Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test and will have to undergo an oral interview.

UNHCR is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.