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Communications Specialist

Maseru

  • Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Location: Maseru
  • Grade: All levels - NPP - National Project Personnel - Local Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Communication and Public Information
  • Closing Date: Closed

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

  • 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 Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
  • Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
  • FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
  • All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
  • All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality


Organizational Setting

This position is located in FAO Representation to Lesotho, based in Maseru. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural , fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.


Reporting Lines

The Communications Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Lesotho and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (programme).


Technical Focus

Communications Specialist shall develop and deliver the FAO Lesotho communication strategy, ensuring coherence with FAO’s corporate communication policy and operational guidelines as developed by the Office of Corporate Communications. The Communications Specialist will work with team members to review and update the Communications positioning plan; consult with SFS and RAF Communication Team and provide feedback on communication initiatives for the country office.


Tasks and responsibilities

• Collect, synthesize and package information; including production, editing of human-interest stories, press releases, web stories and lead in the production of communication products;
• Edit texts of a specialized or technical nature in order to ensure accuracy, clarity, cohesion and conformity with FAO house-style English, policy and practice;
• Cultivate relations with the media, organise and facilitate media coverage for events, guide media engagement for the country project team, project staff and stakeholders to achieve country programme objectives;
• Represent FAO in the Communications Technical Groups and ensuring that FAO areas of programmatic focus are reflected;
• Liaise with several communication service providers for production of material including; visibility materials, publications, photography, audio-visual production, editors, etc.;
• Monitor and analyse current events, public opinion and press, identifies issues and trends, and advises management on appropriate action/responses;
• Regularly produce communication productions i.e. project publications, website updates, booklets, leaflets; brochures, clips and photo-library
• Assist in organising projects functions, workshops, meetings, donor and partner field trips, briefings etc.
• Maintain online social presence of project activities including website updating, Twitter and Facebook,
• Maintain database of all project partners, stakeholders and networks.
• Update and maintain contents related to project activities on the country/regional websites and social media/Twitter.
• Liaise and coordinate with country and regional communication officers.
• Produce press releases related to the project.
• Collect and archive photos to be used in feature stories.
• Contribute to communications related activities
• Perform other related duties, including the direct implementation of some technical activities, as required.
• Liaison with the Office of Communication (OCC) will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes.
All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf);
FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm;
FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en;
Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf;
Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf;
UN map standards (available to staff);
FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff).
Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University degree in Communications, Media Studies or related field, or equivalent work experience in the field of communication combined with university degree in related discipline
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive responsible experience in Development Communications, in the area of agriculture or related field
• Working knowledge (level C) of English.
• National of Lesotho.


FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement


Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English for various audiences.
• Experience in drafting/editing a variety of public information documents/ products/infographics/brochures

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
  • Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
  • Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
  • For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
  • Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

This vacancy is now closed.