Advocacy and Outreach Communications Specialist

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women is seeking a National Consultant to support UN Women’s office in Lebanon, in scaling up its advocacy and outreach communications work. The National Consultant, under the supervision of the Head of Communications, with a dotted reporting line to the Head of UN Women Lebanon Country Office, will collaborate closely with the programme colleagues to lead the roll out of communications campaigns around strategic advocacy issues, in addition to supporting as needed on communications work.

The Consultant will be responsible for supporting the design, planning and implementation of programme focused advocacy strategies and outreach initiatives of UN Women Lebanon Country Office. The Consultant will work closely across all teams within the UN Women Lebanon’s Country Office on campaigning and advocacy, as well as with relevant internal and external stakeholders, as necessary.

Main objectives and purpose of the consultancy:

To support UN Women’s office in Lebanon to scale up advocacy and outreach engagement and work, and to better document the impact of the work UN Women undertakes in Lebanon.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Plan and design communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans

Prepare and conduct communication needs assessments for the CO with a focus on projects, programmes and change initiatives;
Analyze requirements and synthesize proposals for elaboration of communication strategies; ensure gender perspective;
Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives.

2. Coordinate and implement the development and dissemination of advocacy materials in the country, with a focus on campaigns related to UN Women programmes

Develop and produce communication instruments and materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and drafts of articles, and manage its dissemination;
Use graphic design tools to create visually simple and appealing communications tools.
Manage the translation/adaption/rewriting of information received, printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials;
Follow guidelines from HQ and RO.

3. Support partnerships and support relations with donors

Identify and develop new communication partnerships and alliances to enhance visibility;
Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors;
Provide inputs to packages for programme initiatives.

4. Manage the CO’s web presence

Manage CO websites’ content and maintenance based on corporate requirements;
Support the COs social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy;
Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, and resources.

5. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
Provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.

Deliverables

Timelines

Deliverables are:

At least 4 comprehensive advocacy campaigns – developed and managed.
At least 4 lessons learned reports (2 pages) from each campaign, outlining reach, impact.
Support to the design (graphic design) and production of UN Women assets and knowledge products. At least 15 products.

Throughout the 12 months

Competencies

Core Values

Respect for Diversity;
Integrity;
Professionalism.

Core Competencies

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Inclusive Collaboration;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.

Functional Competencies

Strong skills and experience in developing strategies and presenting ideas related to advocacy, outreach, and knowledge management;
Strong knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Strong communications skills in English (written and oral);
Leadership and skills to work with autonomy and initiative;
Knowledge of gender equality and women’s human rights;
Knowledge of the UN system is desirable

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field is required.
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

At least 4 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy.
Experience in media relations is an asset.
Experience in the use of social media.
Expert knowledge in In Design or other graphic design tools.
Computer skills, internet communication and command of MS Office.
Work experience with the UN is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and oral English and Arabic is a must.
French is an asset.