Communication Officer - Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP)

Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Violent conflict, now in its seventh year, has crippled Yemen’s economy and created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Over 24 million people (or 83 percent of the total estimated population) are food insecure, including a staggering 16.2 million people in IPC Phase 3+ requiring emergency assistance. Food insecurity in Yemen is driven by constrained food production, supply and distribution and households’ diminishing purchasing power. An estimated 4.3 million people have fled their homes since the start of the conflict, and 3.3 million remain internally displaced.

Hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are among the most pressing and overwhelming challenges Yemen now faces, at a scale that is not being fully met by national authorities and the international development and humanitarian communities. Low food access has resulted from a combination a high household dependence on food imports, high food prices and significantly reduced household income. It is estimated that Yemen imported 8 percent less wheat per month between January and May 2020 than during the same period in 2019 due to limited funds, which is an insufficient imported amount of wheat to meet the 2020 consumption requirement. The COVID-19 pandemic is poised to have a devastating effect on an already devastated economy and impoverished population. The pandemic is negatively affecting the Yemeni economy through the domestic restrictions on economic activity and, most significantly, through its impact on global markets, particularly through the plummeting oil prices and the weakening of the Yemeni Rial (YR).

In response to such crisis, the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP) to improve the availability of and access to food and nutritious diets, both in the short and medium term, for targeted households, and to enhance Yemen’s capacity to respond to food insecurity. The FSRRP aims to serve as a scalable platform that offers a combination of complementary short and medium-term instruments to strengthen food security in Yemen, as well as flexibility for adjustment to the evolving food security situation going forward. The project focuses on building the resilience of Yemeni households to food security crises and improving household food security and nutrition by increasing food availability, access and utilization in the project areas. The project includes five components, including: (1) Improving household incomes through Cash-for-Works (CFW) for agricultural production infrastructure; (2) Increasing production and sale of nutritious crop, livestock and fish products; (3) Improving the nutritional status of rural households; (4) Capacity building for food security management; and (5) Project management and knowledge management. The project components will be closely coordinated in the project areas to achieve the project outcomes. UNDP will be responsible for the first component (Improving household incomes through CFW for agricultural production infrastructure and building climate resilience) through the Social Fund for Development (SFD) and the Public Works Project (PWP). The detailed criteria for beneficiary selection will be included in the Project Operations Manual (POM), and care will be taken to ensure that the beneficiaries of this Component are not engaged in parallel Bank-financed projects.

UNDP Yemen now seeks to hire a Communication Officer based in the UNDP Office Sana’a to support the internal and external communication and outreach of the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP).

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the Communication and Knowledge Officer and the overall strategic guidance of the Senior National Coordinator, and in close coordination with the CO Communication Lead, the Communication Officer will undertake the following tasks:

1) Provide a substantive contribution to the project and capacity building for the partners:

Coordinate/Collaborate with the Communication and Knowledge Officer and the Project Team and implementing partners to develop and implement an effective communications & outreach strategy for FSRRP based on target audience;
Develop quarterly and annual communication work plans respective of the FSRRP activities implementation plan and Communication and Outreach Strategy and ensure its timely implementation;
Provide support to the Communication and Knowledge Officer and assist in the implementation of the communication and outreach of the Emergency Crisis Response Project (ECRP) and the Emergency Social Protection Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Project (ESPECRP);
Constantly assess the validity and need of updating the FSRRP Communication Strategy in order to fully support all outputs of the Project;
Liaise as needed with other Communications focal points within UNDP as needed;
Develop the FSRRP branding (logo, promotional materials, signboards etc.) and ensure their correct and systematic use in the target areas of the project and for all communication, visibility and advocacy activities;
Provide support to the project partners in planning and implementing advocacy and communication actions and ensure that work-flow, branding and products are aligned with the overall project communication and visibility strategy;
Liaise with implementing partners and develop a calendar of monthly events for the planning and support communication activities;
Organize media events, including press conferences, journalists field visits, press kits, regular radio and TV interviews on lessons learnt and major achievements of the project to be aired nationally and internationally;
Prepare and organise awareness programmes and public messages to be aired on local radio channels, television and newspaper;
Promote projects’ actions and activities and ensure visibility of the Programme and information updates at national, regional and international levels by preparing and managing content published on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) and publishing regular press releases in English and Arabic;
Produce human interest/impact stories focusing on interventions and strategies that bring about real changes in the lives of the beneficiaries, with special interest to marginalized groups and women beneficiaries, and that could be replicated by donors and partners. (E.g. Support communication of success stories where women’s engagement in self or wage employment activities positively contributed to income generation at household or community levels.);
Collaborate with professional photographers and implementing partners for the collection of professional high-quality photos of the project activities to be used for the project communication and visibility materials;
Draft speeches, notes, develop briefs and other public relations materials for the project and project partners for advocacy, visibility actions and awareness-raising campaigns;
Develop and organize publication activities, communication materials, flyers, newsletters, information briefs, posters, handbooks, case studies, social impact studies and thematic studies aimed at empowering stakeholders and enhancing visibility of the Project outcomes;
Ensure strong and continuous relations/contacts with journalists and media in Yemen and regularly monitor the coverage of the Project in the regional and local media (print, electronic, video, social media);
Work closely with other project staff to ensure strong linkages with the partners and media;
Provide direct technical knowledge and expertise that is necessary for the implementation of assigned project activities;
Support the project partners in planning and implementing advocacy and communication actions;
Develop campaign and outreach activities, as requested by the Communication and Knowledge Officer, according to the needs of the Project and its beneficiaries;
Support communication of success stories where women’s engagement in self or wage employment activities positively contributed to income generation at household or community levels;
Assist in the development and dissemination of FSRRP knowledge, experience and lessons learned through enhanced communication, forward-looking knowledge products and publications.

2) Contribute to project planning and implementation:

Provide analysis of requirements and synthesis for elaboration of the Project communications and outreach strategy;
Provide support to the planning and design of internal and external strategies for communications and outreach;
Support in developing the implementation strategies and communication campaigns for the Project through public awareness campaigns which will aid in project implementation;
Contribute to the preparation of the project work plans, in particular focusing on communication aspects in collaboration with project team and partners;
Coordinate and cooperate with different project partners for implementation of project activities, focusing on communication aspects;
Support the Project Team to prepare reports regularly on activities, outputs and outcomes as per UNDP rules and regulations and ensure that gender dimension are highlighted in all products;
Advise the Project Team on communications issues.

Institutional Arrangement

This person will report directly to the Communication and Knowledge Officer.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully

Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others

People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 4: Models independent thinking and action

Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis

Delivery: Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services

Technical/Functional Competencies

Multimedia Writing/Editing:

- Originating and/or editing written content for media and the general public to be disseminated through press or other online outlets.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Client Orientation:

- Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view.

- Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect.

- Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions.

- Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems.

- Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or any other related field with minimum (2) years of relevant working experience; or Bachelor’s degree with (4) years of experience as indicated in the “Experience” section below could be accepted in lieu of the Master's degree.

Experience:

Minimum (2) two years of relevant working experience (with Master’s degree) or (4) four years of relevant working experience (with bachelor’s degree) in a communications role specifically focusing on development/implementing communication strategy and plan, media outreach and relations, advocacy, coordination with various stakeholders and partners.

Required skills:

Ability to use information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool and resource, experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel), and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages; experience in handling web-based management systems.
Experience with PeopleSoft/ATLAS, knowledge of IPSAS, are an asset.

Desired Additional Skills and Competencies:

Proficient in photography, Microsoft Office, content management systems, and social media platforms.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
Knowledge of desktop publishing/video editting software (InDesign/Photoshop/Premiere) is desirable.
Working experience in communications with the United Nations system, particularly with UNDP in emergency and recovery programmes is highly desirable.

Required Languages:

Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and oral.