Communication Senior Officer

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager (SSSNP) and Secondary line management of the ECRP and EU PMs, the Communications Senior Officer will play an instrumental role in supporting the attainment of SSCO’s delivery and business targets by taking a leading role in ensuring compliance, monitoring, analyzing and reporting the SSCO’s programs and projects results.

The incumbent will be responsible to abide by the security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

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The Communication Officer shall perform, inter alia, the following duties and responsibilities:

Strategic Communications and Reporting 

• Provide advice and direction on all communications activities in line with the  South Sudan Country of SSCO communication strategy, project level communication and visibility plans and in coordination with UNOPS corporate policies and procedures;

• Developing and editing all public materials, including the website, twitter account, presentations, and reports;

• Through regular media monitoring, provide socio-political  and economic updates to partners, stakeholders and clients on regular basis;

• Plan and implement a reporting/communications plan for all internal and external communications;

• In conjunction with program and project managers, ensure the timely delivery of progress reports to donors and project partners in compliance with grant and coordination requirements;

• Maintain regular contacts with all project teams to ensure timely and accurate data relating to the progress of works;

• In close consultation with the assigned project manager, provide specific and direct communication support as required; 

• Ensure adherence to internal reporting mechanisms;

• Ensure the implementation of the communications and visibility plans for all projects, including the production of project factsheets and other visibility materials including the timely distribution of press releases when required;

• Documentation of success stories, case studies, pictures and videos of project activities;

• Coordinate regularly with the UNOPS’ Communications Office in HQ and focal points in the Africa regional office to ensure the timely update of program related information;

• Prepare briefing notes for internal and external audiences on program performance and other issues, as and when required;

• Ensure rapid and information dissemination relating to the organizational policies, guidelines and directives. 

Report Writing 

• Overall responsibility for SSCO reports on activities, including monthly newsletters, substantive monthly and/or quarterly progress reports, and annual reports. 

Capacity building and support

• Develop the internal information management capability by way of professional capacity building, assessing training requirements and providing internal mentoring, or requesting external training.

Coordination 

• Closely support the SSCO program team and partnerships in dissemination of information related to UN Country Framework in South Sudan.  This includes follow-up support for common UN response plans and integrated frameworks;

• Participate in relevant UN country platforms e.g. the communications working group;

• Participate in, and provide professional leadership to organization-wide communication planning by representing SSCO in interagency working groups and task forces to ensure coordination with other UN Agencies;

• Provide guidance and advice on communication with government and non-state actors (donors, embassies, INGO) paying attention to relevant communication protocols.

Knowledge Management:

• Implement daily aspects of SSCO’s Communication Strategy;

• Develop (and coordinate) the internal process flows for implementing full and up to date records for all projects in accordance with UNOPS’ knowledge and document management policies and procedures;

• Analyze all aspects of projects performance, identifying good practices, lessons learnt and opportunities for improvement;

• Develop, maintain and update partners and clients contact list/database.

Monitoring and Compliance Analysis:

• Support project managers to ensure compliance with donor  project  agreements and other projects related contracts;

• Support data entry into projects Information Management System (IMS) and other databases;

• Perform any other duties  that are communications related which might arise at the country office.

Education

• A Masters Degree in a relevant field such as communications, journalism, public relations, international development, political science, international relations, or other relevant discipline is required.

• Advanced University Degree in Communications, Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Management, Business Administration, Political and development studies or other relevant discipline. A first level university degree combined with two additional years of relevant experience will substitute the requirement for a Master's degree.

Experience

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in communications and reporting, media relations, advocacy and/or outreach in international organizations, or other relevant fields is required; 

• Experience in graphic design/Audio production is required.

• Experience in social media, consultations and stakeholder management in an emergency response or post disaster context is an advantage;

• Experience in graphic design is an advantage.

• Experience of working in developing country’s context is highly desirable; 

• Experience working on WB and EU funded projects is an asset

• Experience of working in conflict or post-conflict environments highly desirable;

• Experience working in South Sudan is highly appreciated;

• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage;

• Skills in Communication is required

Languages

• Full working knowledge of English is essential

• 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.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
• 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 – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.


Working with us
We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.


Diversity
With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.



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