Communications-cum-web specialist/specialiste/especialista vacancy

Communications-cum-web specialist/specialiste/especialista vacancy
Job description
Background Information - Kenya
The UNOPS Kenya office manages more than 60 projects in around 10 countries of eastern and southern Africa. UNOPS in Kenya helps partners achieve their project goals in sectors including: governance, education, health, the environment, grant management and rural development.
Background Information - Job-specific
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) mandate is to act as a project delivery platform for UN system agencies, funds and programs, international and regional financial institutions, intergovernmental organizations, donor and recipient governments, and non-profit non-governmental organization. As a self-financing entity within the UN system, UNOPS must ensure that the projects it delivers meet client expectations in terms of cost, quality and time, while at the same time ensuring that these collectively meet a broader array of success criteria. The Program Management Office has been established at the Nairobi Operational Hub (NAOH) to support achievement of project level results that contribute to Program level success. The PMO team comprises of a Team Leader as well as a number of Project Officers, Project Associates and Project Assistants. The Communications–cum-web-editing Specialist will be working on a specific project titled ‘Implementing Integrated Water Resource and Waste water Management in Atlantic and Indian Ocean Small Islands Developing States (IWRM AIO SIDS)’. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), jointly implemented by UNEP and UNDP, and executed by UNOPS. The geographic scope covers the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, focusing on 6 Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Goal of the project is to contribute to sustainable development in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean SIDS through improvements in natural resource and environmental management. The overall objective is to accelerate progress on the World Summit of Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets and the IWRM and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) plans and the water supply and sanitation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the protection and utilization of groundwater and surface water in the participating countries.
Purpose and Scope of Work
Under the supervision and guidance of the IWRM Regional Project Manager (PM) and working closely with the rest of the Regional Project Coordination Unit (RPCU) personnel, institutional focal points, specialised UN Agencies, international, regional and sub-regional agencies and organizations, the Communications-cum-web-editing Specialist (CS) is responsible for the information capture, exchange and networking between a wide range of participants in the IWRM AIO SIDS Project, including the, government officials, scientists, non-governmental organizations and the public at large. S/he will also be responsible for supporting the implementation of the regional components of the project relating to the six national Demonstration Projects (Component 1), the Monitoring and Indicator Framework (Component 2), the Policy and Institutional Reforms for IWRM (Component 3) and communications, outreach and training (Component 4). The Communication-cum-web-editing Specialist will provide support to the RPCU on communication related issues to ensure quality control on all communication material produced; manage the project’s public information products; and provide internal and external communication and project support as delegated by the RPM. The CS will have proven skills in website maintenance and web editing as such keeping the project’s websites (including the national ones) continuously up to date. Furthermore, the CS will have an advisory role with respect to the use of social media at national and regional levels. The CS will be expected to travel and undertake project activities as well as support project teams in each of the project locations as well as other project related functions.
Functional Responsibilities
       The specific areas of support to the project are as follows;

• Develop and subsequently keep the IWRM AIO SIDS internal and external communications and stakeholder engagement plan updated.
  
• Explore, evaluate and operate the modalities articulated in the communication and stakeholder engagement plan within the project participating countries and beyond (to and from) other SIDS regions. This will include the following activities:
  
• Manage writing team: select and assign communication work as appropriate and provide quality control.
  
• Provide quality control of the graphics and website to ensure public information products convey the right message to the right audience, and are completed on time.
  
• Ensure equal language representation throughout the design and dissemination of public information products in the three languages used in the project through media management, partnerships, mail outs, and provide support to website planning, and social media strategy and implementation.
  
• Build relationships with counterparts and teams in the participating countries, relevant UN and Government departments and external partners to gather information and provide advice on communications products and outreach.
  
• Media sensitization: draft media releases, organize press briefings, IWRM and WUE issues workshop, etc. for media outlets, linking project interventions to the broader environmental agenda (MDG goals, etc.).
  
• Support capacity building among project personnel and project partners in communication in general, and writing and editing in particular for sustainability and continuation of communication beyond project duration.
  
• Assist in the preparation of Terms of Reference for the development of communication related tasks such as video documentary, short-term journalist consultants, among others;
  
• Support in the preparation of the Annual Operations Plan: Provide inputs to Annual Operations Plan, particularly related to regional components and communications.
  
• Serve as web-editor for project’s website.
  
• Maintain project’s website and support RPCU and member country teams.
  
• Advise on the wise use of social media for project purposes.
  
• Perform other communication and project related duties as required.
  

1. Support the creation of a network between local communities, project implementation managers and decision-makers on a national and regional level; to link and share knowledge across geographically dispersed and socially diverse local    communities;
   
2. Stream line knowledge  exchange within and between national and regional institutions using appropriate communication media and new resources;
   
3. Disseminate information and experiences within the project, and with the GEF SIDS regional partners (Caribbean and Pacific Ocean groupings) and GEF Distance Learning and Information Sharing Tool (GEF DLIST) projects;
   
4. Analysis and utilization of the most appropriate tools to be used for communicating and sharing information;
   
5. Share information between other SIDS regional groups (with particular consideration being given to promoting the Joint Program for Action between the Pacific and Caribbean SIDS, and expanding this to include the Atlantic and Indian Ocean SIDS);
   
6. Develop key messages for  all communication materials in all media formats – print, web, social media, and presentations;
   
7. Raise awareness of water resource and environmental stress issues using demonstration project impacts and lessons learned;
   
8. Knowledge exchange, learning and replication between participating SIDS through website and RPCU support mechanisms;
   
9. Help facilitate informal and formal partnerships for IWRM on the national, catchment and community level;
   
10. Improve public awareness and media campaigns raising awareness on water issues, including public water services delivery as part of improved governance holding national services to account;
    
11. Support the development of templates and subsequent reporting and documenting lessons learned with guidance provided by the RPCU, and the feeding of these lessons into an IWRM Resource Centre for wider regional dissemination;
    
12. Facilitate transfer of IWRM regional practice from one SIDS to another;
    
13. Prepare comprehensive documentation of all phases of the project towards replication, including case studies and lessons learned from demonstration projects, as well as templates, best practices and tool kits developed under all components;
    
14. Support feeding of outputs and outcomes from each demonstration project into a virtual and hard copy library within a regional knowledge warehouse facility, which will be located at an IWRM Resource Centre for dissemination.
    

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Present the finalized IWRM AIO SIDS internal and external communications and stakeholder engagement plan within the first three months of assignment.
  
• Develop initial templates for experience notes and case studies within the first three months of assignment; review experience notes and case studies;
  
• Knowledge and information materials for decision makers and the wider public – regular newsletters, project bulletins, feature media articles, poster series.
  
• Development of TORs for one long or several short documentaries based upon project implementation.
  
• Radio and Television Public Service Announcements developed, produced and disseminated
  
• Support to all demonstration projects in the countries as requested and/or deemed necessary by the RPCU in collaboration with the Results and Knowledge Management Specialist, including recommendations on how they can improve capture of best practices and lessons learned;
  
• Maintain up-to-date communications repository in all three languages, including communications materials from all participating countries, for management review and archiving purposes;
  
• Further develop the Project web site and include training materials for courses and workshops organized by the project and a photo gallery;
  
• Prepare the communications related budget component for fiscal year in a timely manner for partners and RPM approval;
  
• Maintain up-to-date communications financial data for management review; ensure project financial reports are prepared on monthly basis or as requested and presented to partners;
  
• Ensure RPM and the Project Finance Manager are informed of any variation in project budget and expenditure and advise for remedy or budget revision in time;
  
• Ensure checkpoint reports are prepared on a bi-weekly basis; communications highlight reports are prepared on monthly basis or as requested and presented to partners;
  
• Provide support for all training programmes and workshops organized by the project.
  

   Perform other related duties as required.
Desired Skills and Experience
Competencies

• Communication 
  
• Teamwork
  
• Accountability
  
• Partner orientation
  
• Judgment/Decision-making
  

Education/Experience/Language requirements

• Please see our website posting for this vacancy for specific details https://gprs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?
  

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