Temporary Appointment: Communication Officer (Polio), NOB, Islamabad, Pakistan # 124306 (364 days)

UNICEF Pakistan is looking for a seasoned Communication Officer to join the dynamic Polio team in Islamabad.

UNICEF works in some of the world toughest places, to reach the world most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Commitment!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. 

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

The Communication Specialist reports to the Communication Specialist (Media) P3 for a general guidance and supervision and will work under technical guidance of the Senior Communication Manager (SBC) P5 and work within the provincial polio Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) framework and its relevant Areas of Work or/ Core Groups and Task Teams to support eradication of polio virus from Pakistan.

The Communication Specialist (Partnerships and Alliance) is accountable for expanded partnership and alliance building. developing, managing, coordinating, networking, implementing and monitoring a Partnership and Alliance building strategy and associated products and activities on on-going basis with public audiences, with the objective of promoting awareness, understanding, support and respect for Polio eradication.

How can you make a difference?

Key End Results

1. Partnership and Alliance building strategy: The NEOC has a clear strategy and associated work plan to get polio eradication into the public domain, strengthen political will in support of the global goal of eradication polio by 2023. The NEOC has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the Partnership and Alliance building objectives. Effective working relationships with the UN communication counterparts are developed, maintained and enhanced
2. Creation of partnerships and expanding existing ones: Some MOUs have been developed and signed (ex: Peshawar University) but further work is needed to create more formal partnership MOUs with medical and paediatric associations at provincial level. Furthermore, a lot of follow through will be needed to utilize partnerships to meet the objectives of both the polio eradication program and the partnering organization.
3. Creation of Key Alliances: This is a new area, which will take a lot of effort and nurturing to make the identified alliances effective and supportive on the long term. A lot of advocacy from community-based organisations is needed to help building trust in the polio program.
4. Celebrities and special events: The NEOC has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate, nationally-known personalities who have been identified, engaged and support the NEOC's effort and who actively participate in special events and activities.
5. Monitoring and evaluation: Communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the Partnership and Alliance building strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of Partnership and Alliance strategy and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

1. Partnership and Alliance building strategy

Ensure that the NEOC has a clear Partnership and Alliance building strategy and associated work plan to support polio eradication objectives and polio eradication into the public domain and strengthen political will.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain a Partnership and Alliance building strategy and associated work plan. Strategy and work plan include: a stakeholder assessment; objectives; target audiences;, activities; monitoring and evaluation of impact; success and opportunity for improvement; ongoing refinement of the strategy..
• Develop, maintain and update partners contact list/database.
• Help establish, document, review and refine process of working collaboratively with partners, including meetings, joint projects, information sharing etc.
• Share country-specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages shared with partners.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate training.
• Monitor, evaluate and share results and findings with partners.

2. Celebrities and special events

Ensure that the NEOC has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate, nationally-known personalities who have been identified, engaged and support Polio eradication efforts and who actively participate in special events and activities that support the eradication efforts.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain and update celebrities contact list/database.
• Help establish, document, review and refine process of working with celebrities, including special events, field trips etc.
• Participate in advocacy activities by planning visits of celebrities, etc.

3. Monitoring and evaluation

Ensure that communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of the strategy, approach and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared on a timely basis.

Duties & Tasks

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary.
• Conduct timely and accurate monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure the objectives are met and the strategy is effective.
• Undertake lessons learned review of successful and unsuccessful experiences and share observations/findings with colleagues so that best practices benefit NEOC's communication work.

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have…

• Advanced university degree (Master's or above) in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations.

(*A first University combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree in the field of journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations or corporate communications.)

• A minimum of two years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, partnership management.
• Field work experience. Background/familiarity with Emergency situations.
• Experience working in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English and Urdu is required. Knowledge of other local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate..

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust,  Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1), Works Collaboratively with others (1), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1), Innovates and Embraces Change (1), Thinks and Acts Strategically (1), Drive to achieve impactful results (1), Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

View our competency framework at  Competency Framework Brochure.pdf

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Life at UNICEF:

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

• Verified educational certificates/HEC Attested Degrees are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF. During the recruitment process, candidates will be required to present HEC-attested degrees/certificates.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• UNICEF's active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to delivering the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met within a reasonable period for any reason.