Communications and Advocacy Officer

The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator – the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary-General at country level – support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs. The Communications and Advocacy Officer maintains relationships with management in their entity, with other Communications specialists in the organization, with managers in other functional areas and with staff to provide and clarify information, to exchange information, to plan and coordinate communication and advocacy activities, to seek guidance; to support reporting efforts, provide updates on activities, to discuss communications support to other functional areas, to support the Crisis Management Team, when required, and to support training activities in the area of communications, as necessary. The Communications and Advocacy Officer also maintains external relationships with counterparts in United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, government officials, development partners, civil society representatives and local community representatives, digital/community influencers, vendors, media and think tanks, and academia to support building and managing partners, consult and coordinate activities, exchange information and best practices, coordinate activities to strengthen information integrity, if needed, support organizing events and campaigns. THIS IS A FIXED TERM LIMITED POSITION. The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) in Lilongwe, Malawi and reports to the Senior Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and Head of RCO.

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible of the following duties:

PROFESSIONALISM: Critical thinking skills; Skills in developing creative content; Knowledge of digital design; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, digital communications or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage.

Not available.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. NOTE: “Fluency” equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and “knowledge of” equals a rating of “Confident” in two of the four areas.