BACKGROUND
• The Office for External Relations (ER)
The Office for External Relations is UN-Habitat’s link to the general public, media, policy makers, and partners. It is organised into two branches, the Partners and Inter-Agency Coordination Branch (PIACB) and the Advocacy, Outreach, and Communication Branch (AOC).
The Advocacy, Outreach and Communication Branch (AOC)
The AOC branch of the Office of External Relations designs UN-Habitat’s communication strategies and develops tools to create awareness about the organisation, its mandate, and its activities. The branch is also tasked to organise events and campaigns such as the World Urban Forum (WUF) and the World Urban Campaign (WUC). Furthermore, it is in charge of the online communication of UN-Habitat, of producing publications, and of carrying out press and public relation activities.
• The Programme Division (PD) **
The Programme Division is responsible for the overall coordination of the UN-Habitat project portfolio. Its objectives are to strengthen project development and management processes and to ensure efficient and effective implementation of UN-Habitat projects. The Division oversees the whole project management cycle, from project strategy, resources, formulation, and approval to implementation and monitoring. A key area of work is to create an expanded and more transformative project portfolio.
The Division oversees the regional offices and the thematic organizational units (branches) and supports them with policies and guidelines. The Moscow Office, covering Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States region (CIS), reports directly to the Programme Division
For this assignment, the Consultant will be based in the Office of External Relations, with dual reporting to the Office of External Relations (50%) and the Programme Division (50%).
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Under the overall supervision of the Head of Advocacy, Outreach and Communication Branch, and the Coordinator, Moscow Office and the CIS, Programme Division, the Candidate will support the following activities to facilitate the coordination between the UN-Habitat Moscow Liaison Office and Headquarters. The lessons and mechanisms established to enhance this coordination will be used to strengthen UN-Habitat’s overall coordination with its Liaison Offices.
• Reinforce the communication channels between the AOC Branch and the Moscow office of UN-Habitat;
• Consolidate the information on the current portfolio and ongoing initiatives of the Moscow Office and support the strategies for advocacy, outreach and communication;
• Collaborate and support the design of UN-Habitat’s communication strategy and tool development for awareness creation regarding the work of the Agency;
• Collaborate in the branding, design and unification of the communication strategies of the Agency at the level of the Liaison Offices;
• Support the development of the UN-Habitat portfolio in two directions by:
• extending the services of the AOC Branch to the Moscow Office and other Liaison Offices
• supporting the portfolio development of the Moscow Office and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by linking them to the relevant experts, programmes and initiatives of the substantive technical Branches of UN-Habitat HQ, Regional and National Offices;
• Support the coordination and management of press conferences and public relations activities;
• Compile thematic rosters of local experts whose expertise would contribute to the various projects at HQ and Russia/CIS Regional level;
• Provide assistance in the implementation of concrete projects, in particular through the coordination of the communication strategies with relevant branches and coordinate bilateral meetings of UN-Habitat staff with the relevant stakeholders;
• Draft proposals suggesting links of concrete project outcomes and the revealed unmet needs where the technical expertise of the branches – other than involved in the implemented project – could be used in further activities; and
• Support the administrative tasks of the AOC Branch and Programme Division when required.
COMPETENCIES
• Professionalism: Ability to observe deadlines and achieve set goals. Ability to work and deliver under pressure.
• Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.
• Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve agreed goals.
• Planning and Organising: Ability to prioritise activities and assignments and to easily switch between different projects.
• Cultural Translation: Ability to translate information into the context of the culture.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education:** Advanced (Master’s) university degree in International Relations / Political science / Governance / Technical Sciences is required.
Work Experience:** Relevant experience in the fields of international development / international relations, some of which should be at the international level. Previous experience within the UN System will be considered as an asset
Language:** Fluency in oral and written English is a prerequisite. For this position, fluency in Russian is also a mandatory requirement. Knowledge of any other official UN languages and/or CIS region languages will be considered as an asset.
Remuneration:
See UN website http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/index.html
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications should include:
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
• CV in the PHP format, accessible through the INSPIRA website (inspira.un.org). Please note, if using INSPIRA for the first time, you need to register in order to activate your account, which will allow you to log in and create a Personal History Profile (PHP).
• The PHP should be attached to the application as a PDF file.
All applications should be submitted to: denise.dsouza@unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 14 April 2017
UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org